Pressing productivity

Established for more than 40 years, family run Dale Sheetmetal serves business that are mainly based in East Anglia, although a growing list of customers throughout the UK take advantage of the company’s nationwide supply and installation service.

Dale Sheetmetal offers precision CNC punching, cutting, folding and bending of ferrous and non-ferrous sheet metals and is able to handle sheet up to a maximum of 4m by 1.5m with a thickness of 6mm.

To increase the company’s bending capacity and to further improve its capabilities in this area, company proprietor, Dave Dale recently purchased a Prima Power servo-electric press brake. Although smaller versions of the Prima Powers eP series have previously been installed in the UK, the large eP 1336 variant, with 135 press tonnage and a bending length of 3,655mm, as purchased by Dale Sheetmetal, is the first of its kind installed in the UK.

“Over the past two decades, Dale Sheetmetal has earned a reputation for delivering high quality work, on time and on budget,” Dave Dale explains. “We are able to achieve these objectives by employing a strong team of dedicated and highly skilled engineers and fabricators and also by using the best available production and design technologies.

“We use the latest CAD software which is fully integrated with our CNC punching, laser cutting and bending machines. Once the design has been input into our system it is sent directly via our wireless network to the control console of the appropriate machine.

“Each stage in our company’s development, for instance our recent large factory expansion, has been driven by growing customer demand. Having identified bespoke bending as a pinch-point, to help satisfy rising customer requests in this area, we recently investigated the latest press brake technologies.

“Rather than investing in a conventional hydraulic press, we only looked at next generation, all electric machines,” he adds. “Although a couple of alternative options would have provided many of the qualities we were looking for, Prima Power’s eP 1336 proved to be the ideal machine for our needs.

“Now installed and fully operational, the speed and precision of the eP 1336 ensures that it produces high levels of consistently high quality work. In addition to satisfying existing customers’ needs, the features, and the extra capacity created by the new machine will allow us to enter new markets.”

Going green

Prima Power has been a true pioneer in applying servo electronics in sheetmetal working. The company’s first punching machine with ‘green’ e-technology was introduced as early as 1998. Today this technology is offered across a wide range of company products

Prima Power has now applied a servo-electric drive system to the new eP-Series of press brakes, resulting in a fast, accurate, non-hydraulic bending solution. The innovative machine concept combines productivity, accuracy, flexibility and reliability.

The series adheres to Prima Power’s ecological code – ‘Green Means’. Green means is a win-win policy, as sustainability and social responsibility go hand in hand with manufacturing efficiency, competitiveness and productivity. Greater versatility, lower power consumption, reduced maintenance and the absence of oil to purchase or dispose of, delivers tangible benefits. In addition, easy programming and excellent accuracy eliminate wasted production and allows users to make better sheet metal components at lower costs.

The eP 1336 range uses an advanced pulley belt system that is actuated by Prima Electro servo drives, distributing the bending force over the whole bending length. The system consists of fixed and moving rolls spread out over the total working length of the upper beam. The belt itself has a steel wire reinforced, maintenance free construction. It is not a tooth-belt, nor is its function based on friction, but the entire force is transmitted through tension – a simple and reliable solution. Servo motor drives offer superior movement control and accuracy, whilst thermal influences on precision are eliminated through the absence of oil.

Full of features

The Prima Power eP-Brake is based on a rigid O-frame – an arrangement that ensures tool alignment, even under stress deformation, as there is no horizontal displacement. The position of the upper beam, in relation to the lower beam, is measured by dual Y1 and Y2 linear encoders that are attached independent of the machine frame. This design isolates ram positioning accuracy from any deflection in the side frames under load and maintains accurate positioning even during off centre bending operations. Ram repeatability on the eP-Series is an impressive ±0.005mm.

The eP-series utilises the Prima Group's know-how in control technology and features the Prima Electro Open Control. For maximum processing speed this Windows-based control has two separate processors, one for real time operations and one for bending application tasks.

An operator friendly 17-inch touchscreen user interface leads to a significant improvement of data input rates and a considerable reduction in programming time. 2D graphical programming, with automatic bending sequencing, assist in making even first time operators productive.

The Prima Electro Open Control has a large hard disk, two USB ports, a network connection and it offers access to all control functions over teleservice. Most bending applications are easily programmed by using 2D graphical online programming with auto sequencing. As demands may change in the course of time users may face the necessity of 3D offline programming and 3D visualisation of the parts in the machine control. The Prima Electro Open Control can at any time easily be software -upgraded to meet this requirement.

Offline efficiencies

AutoPOL is an easy-to-use and effective tool for offline programming of Prima Power eP-brakes. Sophisticated bending simulation makes it possible to shorten set-up times and to ensure that the bending task can be performed from the office. 3D models can be created with AutoPOL's designer program or they can be imported in 2D and 3D format from practically any CAD program.

AutoPOL's bend allowance algorithm also takes into account bending tools to obtain correct radii and thus correct unfolding dimensions. The 2D unfold pattern can be exported as a DXF file to be used in programming punching and cutting machines. AutoPOL includes a 3D designer for designing of sheetmetal parts; 2D and 3D file import functions, an Unfolder for automatic flat part calculation and a Bend Simulator for graphical programming and simulation.

Dan McGinty Prima Power general manager Sales UK & Ireland concludes: “The eP-Brake features the advantages of high acceleration, deceleration and fast response times of the servo-electric drive system. Compared to conventional brakes, considerable productivity increases can be reached; reductions of cycle times by up to 30% and more are now achievable.

“Working speed is programmable to ensure bending is made without loss of product quality or operator safety. Lazer Safe's ‘Block Laser’ system provides safe, high-speed closing down to just 2mm. Compared with other guarding systems or even unguarded machines, the block laser system can save up to two or more seconds per cycle.”

Prima Power UK www.primapower.com

Dale Sheetmetal www.dalesheetmetal.co.uk