Reading between the lines

The range of products marketed in the UK and Ireland by Tamworth-based Press & Shear Machinery, Tamworth, underwent extensive restructuring at the start of 2010 with its appointment as UK agent for additional European manufacturers of sheetmetal working machine tools.

New agency lines include punch presses and combination machines from Danobat, Spain, laser profiling machines from Cy Laser, Italy, and bending centres, pressbrakes and shears from Weinbrenner, Germany. In addition, Press & Shear has been reappointed as sole UK agent for the Finnish range of CNC coil processing lines from Pivatic after a gap of three years.

There is a strong bias towards environmentally friendly machines, with emphasis on servo-drives and fibre lasers. Many of the new products meet the criteria for interest-free loans of up to £100,000 from the UK Government-backed Carbon Trust.

Press & Shear's existing agency lines are unaffected. They include Baykal pressbrakes and shears (Turkey), Boschert punch presses and plasma cutting machines (Germany), Stierli Bieger bending machines (Switzerland), Inspecvision measuring machines (Northern Ireland), acoustic enclosures from Italy, and production software from Jetcam for punching/profiling and Autopol for bending.

A wide range of punches, dies and other tools is still supplied through a separate division, Press Brake Tooling. Three categories of are offered – Eurostyle, Beyeler style and Wila/Trumpf – as well as accessories such as tool clamps, reference squares and tooling cabinets.

In addition, Press & Shear continues its spares and service support for sheetmetal working machinery that it formerly sold into the UK market, such as Finn-Power, Promecam and Elga.

Danobat

One of Europe's largest manufacturers of machine tools, the Danobat group produces punch presses, punch/shear and punch/laser combination machines, and automated bending machines at its sheetmetal working division in northern Spain.

The punch presses incorporate the latest E-technology innovations, including a programmable, servo electric ram, eliminating the need for energy intensive hydraulic actuation. Models are available for processing sheet sizes up to 1,500mm by 6,000mm.

One of the key advantages of these machines is the flexibility of the eccentric turret, which has up to 43 fixed and indexable stations plus optional indexable multitools. Other features include a brush table, scrap conveyor and the latest generation of Fagor control. The punch/shear combination models offer all the advantages of the E-technology punch but with the added benefit of integrated, right-angle shearing. This eliminates the need to slit around each component, saving time and providing a high quality edge finish as well as increased sheet utilisation.

The punch/laser combination also utilises E-technology punching plus the latest generation of solid state laser generators. These fibre lasers consume less power than conventional CO2 lasers and are easier and less expensive to maintain. A variety of loading and unloading systems is available for all of the punching and combination machines.

Completing the Danobat range is the automatic panel bender. From a pre-punched blank, the machine can be programmed to bend each edge of a sheet automatically. It is equipped with automatic tool change and automatic loading and unloading, resulting in minimal set-up time.

Cy Laser

Cy Laser is one of the world's leading producers of fibre laser cutting systems. There are many advantages to using these laser sources to cut and profile metal plate, sheet and pipe – not least their economical running costs.
Machine operation requires only 15 to 25kW of power, according to generator model, yet 15mm thick mild steel, for example, can be pierced in one second. Sheet up to 2,500mm by 6,000mm can be processed by the company's four standard machine models.

The laser head is simple, requiring only two shielded lenses. No mirrors are involved, improving reliability and machining accuracy. There is no gas and pressurisation is not required. The consequent absence of a turbine for compression means that associated maintenance and service costs are eliminated.

Special foundations are not needed for installation. The system is unaffected by temperature, humidity or vibration and cutting performance is consistent over the entire table area. A major boost to productivity derives from the machine's ability to start cutting immediately it is switched on.

Weinbrenner

Weinbrenner manufactures fully automated bending machines and robotically-fed press brakes at its factory near Stuttgart. The preferred robot supplier for such systems is Kuga, whose products do not need to be programmed independently but are controlled via the Weinbrenner CNC system.

The B12, with its two independent bending beams, can accommodate sheet up to 4,000mm and bending heights between 160mm and 350mm. The ability to produce such large flanges is rare and bending height can be even greater if a bespoke Weinbrenner machine is purchased. Automatic loading, unloading and tool change are standard.

Model B12e is a servo electric version that can be manually loaded and unloaded, although the bending cycle is automatic. There is an option to have the parts automatically loaded and unloaded by robot.

Press & Shear
www.pressandshear.com Press Brake Tooling
www.pressbraketooling.com