AUTOMATION ON DEMAND
Bystronic’s Gerrit Gerritsen, Product Manager Bending & Automation describes the benefits of a fully automatic bending cell.
Not so long ago, automation was associated only with repetitive tasks. High – and consistent quality, as well as reliability over very long periods are decisive factors that ensure the profitability of automation in production environments. However, more complex jobs that require a high degree of customization in the manufacturing process are still often performed manually. This is currently a widespread approach in the sheet metal processing sector.
However, our industry has experienced a major transformation over the past five years – indeed, one could say it has been forced to transform. Increasing price pressure in the markets and the lack of skilled personnel are just two of the reasons for this, in addition to increasingly dynamic and uncertain business environments.
It cannot be completely dismissed that both, manual processing by a human operator and automated manufacturing, each have their advantages and disadvantages. Accordingly, every decision in favour of or against automating a process is a balancing act involving many production-relevant variables. In addition to productivity and quality, flexibility is an undeniable competitive advantage of any supplier in the manufacturing industry, especially in view of increasingly dynamic business environments.
This is a dilemma that has led to a backlog of automation, especially in the sheet metal processing industry, however, when users do not wish to accept any compromises in terms of flexibility, productivity and consistently high quality, the demands on the machines increase.
Bystronic’s Mobile Bending Cell addresses these demands and implements them by applying intelligent technology. In short, the solution is called automation on demand. The users’ requirements are particularly wide-ranging when it comes to bending technology. Being able to bend parts with extremely complex geometries in small batches while simultaneously being capable of handling the high-volume processing of simple geometries is a major challenge that many companies are currently facing. The Mobile Bending Cell combines the demand for both, extremely high flexibility, as well as high quality and productivity.
This is achieved by means of the Mobile Bending Robot, which can be positioned in front of the press brake or detached to allow manual operation. Thanks to an intelligent and fully automated measuring system, the robot references itself in front of the press brake without requiring manual intervention. Laser sensors measure the precise position of the robot relative to the press brake and reference it accordingly. This allows the press brake to be converted from manual bending to fully automated bending in less than ten minutes. The relative position of the press brake to the Mobile Bending Robot is determined so accurately that the need for manual calibration is completely eliminated.
Once individual parts have been bent automatically in the past, the process can be repeated without adjustments once the press brake and the Mobile Bending Robot have been connected. Depending on the requirements, the system can either be operated completely manually or fully automatically.
However, the “marriage” of press brake and Mobile Bending Robot is not the only critical factor for an efficient production process. The preparation of the parts that are to be bent is another process that incurs costs in every production run. For the automation on demand concept to really pay off, the process of programming the robot automation needs to be innovative and fast. The Mobile Bending Cell’s programming system is called Robot Manager. The robot’s movements are programmed using algorithms that factor in comprehensive collision models for each relevant application. All that is required is the definition of basic positions; all the other movements are automatically defined by the software. This increases quality while reducing process idle times.
Automatic measurement of the press brake and bending automation system in combination with intelligent robot programming makes the Mobile Bending Cell the ideal solution for bending automation on demand.
SMART BENDING
By Gerrit Gerritsen, Product Manager Bending & Automation at Bystronic
Smart solutions to meet the demands of the market — this is what sheet metal processors require today. Good solutions are particularly in demand for bending. Machine manufacturers have many useful tools to increase efficiency and thus guarantee competitiveness.
From the smallest job shop to the biggest OEM, every manufacturer needs to get parts out faster, better, and more flexibly. Lean, just-in-time, on-demand, and Industry 4.0 are terms that have been used in this context. “Smart” could be the next key word.
Sheet metal fabricators need to employ intelligent methods that reduce costs and speed up production. At the same time, they need to be extremely flexible and efficient with raw materials and energy, including during the transport of material. In discussions with customers, machine manufacturers have noticed that sustainability and CO2 reduction are becoming more and more important. This calls for smart solutions and the use of smarter machines.
Smarter machines make better parts, eliminating any possible errors and reducing waste to the absolute minimum — all the way down to zero waste. Simultaneously, sheet metal fabricators need to make more parts within the same time frame, switching frequently between different programs. To enable this, a lot of intelligence needs to be integrated into the machine itself. But how can the goal of zero waste be achieved? How can speed be increased at the same time? What are the hurdles to be overcome?
We see three areas where smart solutions are needed:
- The part
- The operator
- The machine
The part: BySoft7 is the smartest way to program
Today, sheet metal fabricators need reliable file formats in which they can store as much part information as possible, DXF is outdated and can handle hardly any part information. Bystronic, for example, uses STEP 242 files, which contain all the necessary data, including material information. This is important to ensure that calculations such as unfolded length and spring back are correct. Another problem in 3D files is the bend radius: In 99% of all bends, this is merely a vague number.
For a more precise flat pattern, the program recalculates the radius with distinct formulas based on empirical information. Similarly, it pre-calculates the spring back value. This solves radius, bend deduction, and spring back problems. But there is more: The perfect bend order has to be calculated, taking into account both part handling and precision. Bystronic’s BySoft7 does just that.
Tools pose another challenge: Sheet metal fabricators need a program with information on the tools they actually own, where these are located, and if they are available.
As a smart solution, Bystronic’s Tool Optimizer works out the perfect production sequence for a number of parts. The program calculates the time it takes to change tools, the number of tools required, and the total weight an operator needs to move during a shift. In general, the set-up time and the tool weight to-be-moved can be reduced by 30%.
The last smart aspect of Bystronic’s software is that it can keep track of grain direction. It is well-known that changes in grain direction result in variations in bend results and different angles. Bystronic press brakes remember the direction in which a part was nested and can adapt the angle according to this direction.
Customers now have the best of both worlds. They can optimize their laser nests to reduce material waste. They can then also reduce part waste, thanks to the program knowing the direction of nesting and adapting angles accordingly.
The operator: Smart hidden help features
Operators need very clear information on required tasks. Most operators have limited experience with the huge variety of bending machines on the market. Machines and operators change at a faster pace than they did in the past. Bystronic helps operators by reducing text to an absolute minimum — after all; a picture is worth a thousand words. Any remaining text is displayed in the operator’s own language. Bystronic helps by providing clear instructions for where to put which tools.
The next step for operators using smart solutions can be taken with our camera-based Optical Tool Detection system. Cameras monitor the tools and tell operators everything they need to know. The system can even recalculate the complete program for an imperfect tool set-up. Finally, an automatic tool changer can be used for ultimate smart manufacturing. This prevents any potential errors. The operator calls up a program and the tool-changing robot quickly places the correct tools in their correct positions.
In addition, our sheet thickness measuring system helps operators when they need to work with varying sheet thicknesses. The machine automatically measures material thickness and compensates for any deviations from the programmed value.
It is also smart that Bystronic takes care of tools and machines. With smart sensors, Bystronic constantly check forces and verify measured values against the maximum admissible values in the machine parameters.
The machine: Smart deformation compensation
Machines deform during the bending process. Bystronic’s smart machine software compensate for all deformations: side frame deflection, crowning, temperature, and part position. This automatic compensation is done during bending, in real time and without the operator needing to intervene or correct. This is very important, as the smart compensation system makes Bystronic machines completely deformation neutral. The operator can bend any part on any machine — the results are always exactly the same.
As a result, all Bystronic bending machines are compatible with each other, and production can be swapped from one machine to another without any recalculation. The customer’s machine park therefore becomes very flexible. These are the benefits of smart solutions.
For more information on the please see www.bystronic.co.za or contact Bystronic on 010 410 0200.
