Page 26 - MetalForming August 2019

Fabrication: Laser Cutting
with processing-time reduction of as much as 40 percent and as much as a 90-percent piercing-time reduction; and
• Night Cut, which optimizes pierc- ing and cutting-process safety, made possible by devices that control process status and intervene in case of errors, restarting the operation or informing the operator remotely.
“We still do some outsourcing, but 75 percent of that work has come back inside,” explains Finley. “When we remanufacture equipment—a pump for example, we may come across a bracket or other part that has cracked that we didn’t notice and that we had not planned on replacing. If we had to outsource that replacement part, it could take four or five days to replace. With laser cutting inhouse, we can pro- duce the part in a matter of hours instead of days. The laser allows us to keep our line moving—a big plus for that unplanned work that comes up during remanufacturing.”
Brent Finley, UEM director of production and material management, explains that the biggest justification for bringing laser cutting inhouse is in the area of remanufacturing, where the company needed capacity to react quickly to last-minute changes or repairs.
Additional Favorable Features
Finley continues his discussion on the benefits of UEM’s new laser cutting machine.
“I like the fact that the Platino can open from either the front or the side,” he says. “If we have an issue or a small part, for example, we don’t have to shuttle the table. We can open the front of the machine or the side door and have direct access to the table.
“Further, the machine employs a sin- gle focusing lens system with an auto- matic nozzle changer. From a quality and productivity standpoint, the auto- matic nozzle changer eliminates the possibility of someone forgetting to change the nozzle or installing the wrong nozzle. And, the laser allows us to cut parts for some of our sister companies.
The biggest benefit the machine has delivered:
“It has given us the ability to react and quickly turn parts,” says Finley, “to keep our production lines moving. It has been a real game changer.” MF
Article provided by Prima Power; www.primapower.com.
Hosted by Urgent Design
& Manufacturing, Lapeer, MI
September 17, 2019
Attend this one-day, one-of-a-kind conference for the unique opportunity to dive deeply into hot stamping and to get close to the action. We’ll also tour Urgent Design & Manufacturing (UDM) to view five-axis laser trimming of hot-stamped parts, robotic resistance-spot welding of hot-stamped parts, and much more.
Founded in 2000, UDM, an affiliate of the 3-Dimensional Services Group, specializes in rapid manufacturing and low-volume forming and fabricating.
One new plant addition: a robotic hot-stamping cell featuring two 500-ton APT hydraulic presses equipped with NC cushions, a six-axis Kuka robot for blank placement and cell control, and a new Parks Thermal furnace.
Speakers before and after the tour include Eren Billur of Billur Metal Form Ltd., and Harald Lemke of Formetrix.
For details and to register, visit www.metalformingmagazine.com/hot-stamping
Sponsored by:
6363 Oak Tree Blvd. | Independence, OH 44131 216/901-8800 | metalformingmagazine.com | pma.org
24 MetalForming/August 2019
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