Sheetmetal showcase

The new 20kW ByStar Fiber laser cutting system
The new 20kW ByStar Fiber laser cutting system

With 175 visitors from 84 companies, Bystronic UK's recent three-day open house was an undoubted success, providing an ideal opportunity for guests to explore the latest developments in sheetmetal processing technology. Dave Tudor takes a look at the event’s top highlights.

Operating from its facility in Coventry, Bystronic is a leading technology company specialising in the supply and support of sheetmetal processing equipment spanning everything from laser cutters (sheet and tube), through to pressbrakes, software, automation equipment and digital solutions. Here’s a resume of the top technology on show at the open house.

Pressbrakes

ByBend Smart: fast, precise and with plenty of options

The new ByBend Smart from Bystronic increases both flexibility and bending speed at an affordable price.

The new pressbrake offers numerous functions for a wide range of applications. Speeds are reported to be 30% faster than its predecessor, the Xact Smart, and 50% faster with the new ‘Efficiency Booster’ option. This makes it the ideal machine for companies where cycle times are a critical factor.

One of the ByBend Smart’s flexibility-enhancing features is the daylight and stroke length expansion. This upgrade extends the daylight for bending tools from 480 to 580mm which means taller tools can be used and users can produce parts with lower bending edges. This is particularly useful when bending boxes and drawers.

The ByBend Smart can be equipped with a 5-axis backgauge to extend versatility. The fifth axis movement assists with sheetmetal products where the bending edges are not just parallel, but also tapered. The basic version of the ByBend Smart comes with a 2-axis backgauge system.

In terms of options – we’ve already mentioned the Efficiency Booster option – this a feature that ensures faster processing and a rapid return of the upper beam, increasing the efficiency of the bending process by up to 20%.

On request, higher performance mechanics are available that enable the ByBend Smart’s upper beam to move at greater speeds during the rapid movement and bending phases. Optional functions are available in three packages – Comfort, Productive and Tropical – which are tailored to the needs of the individual users:

ByBend Star 40 and 80: mobile bending made easy

The compact ByBend Star 40 and ByBend Star 80 mobile pressbrakes come with a new design and drive system that ensures energy-efficient and dynamic bending processes.

Automation in action: Mobile Bending Robot loading/unloading an Xpert 40 pressbrake
Automation in action: Mobile Bending Robot loading/unloading an Xpert 40 pressbrake

For many users, bending still means producing small to medium-sized parts on pressbrakes that are too large which is operationally inefficient. For parts of up to around 1,500mm bending length and a maximum thickness of 20mm, users simply don’t need a large-scale bending station, but rather a small and versatile powerhouse.

The new ByBend Star 40 and 80 were developed precisely for such requirements – compact, fast pressbrakes that fit into almost any production environment. Despite being the smallest models in Bystronic’s pressbrake portfolio, reliability and quality are not compromised.

The ByBend Star 40 and 80 are ideal for flexible manufacturing where batch sizes vary. New servo-hydraulics enable bending speeds of up to 30mm/second making the ByBend Star 40 and ByBend Star 80 three times faster than a large pressbrake.

Modular power package for demanding benders

With Bystronic’s Xpert Pro high-end pressbrake range, customers can choose between three models and customise them with optional extras.

The Classic Edition is ideal for job shops with small batch sizes or for prototype builders. With the Performance Edition, medium-sized companies can produce larger series’ quickly and reliably. The Dynamic Edition (20mm/second bending speed) is ideal for businesses that need even more speed to efficiently handle batch sizes of 1,000 pieces and more.

In addition to bending speed, press capacity can also be adapted to individual requirements. Five performance levels are available for all three editions: the spectrum ranges from 100 to 320 tons which enables sheets up to a thickness of 15mm to be bent effortlessly. In terms of bending length, there is a choice of 3 or 4m.

Ross Withington, bending product specialist demoing the Xpert Pro 150 pressbrake
Ross Withington, bending product specialist demoing the Xpert Pro 150 pressbrake

Companies that require even more flexibility can connect two machines together to process extra-long parts and thanks to its modular concept, the pressbrake can be adapted specifically to the requirements of the production environment.

Of course, companies that have already invested a lot of money in bending tools want to be able to reuse them when they purchase a new pressbrake. With the Xpert Pro, compatibility problems are a thing of the past. The developers deliberately designed the pressbrake to be so versatile that tool systems from other suppliers can also be used.

The large selection of bending tools that can be used on the Xpert Pro offers users more freedom to bend a wide variety of parts. Natively, the machine can be rapidly retooled, but this process can be optimised by using an optional automatic tool changer.

Also, through the tried and tested dynamic crowning capability, users achieve precise and consistent bending results from the very first part. For even higher process reliability, the LAMS angle measuring system is available as an option which compensates for deviations in sheet thickness.

More bending, without the long set-up

With the Modular Tool Changer, operators can avoid cumbersome manual installation. The automatic tool changer for the high-end Xpert Pro pressbrake makes the bending process faster and more precise. In doing so, the automation solution is kinder on both operators and material.

Working on a pressbrake is back-breaking work. Materials and tools are heavy and tool changing is time-consuming especially with varying batch sizes. An automatic tool changer speeds set-up time considerably and in doing so, lightens the load for the operator. The new Modular Tool Changer is now available for the Xpert Pro pressbrake but it can be retrofitted to all high-end series designs. Bystronic says it makes the bending process up to 30% more productive, and via new sensor technology also ensures higher precision.

At the end of a long shift, operators understandably can be less precise with tool location. This cannot happen with the 6-axis robot. For each bending order, it automatically collects the appropriate tool kit from the integrated magazine and places the tools with millimetre precision in the clamping system of the upper or lower beam.

Laser cutting

BySmart Fiber: now with up to 12kW of laser power

Bystronic now offers the BySmart Fiber laser cutting system with new laser output levels up to 12kW on the BySmart Fiber 3015 and the BySmart Fiber 4020. With the increase in power, users can now cut sheetmetal faster and with higher precision.

Bystronic says the 12kW variant will cut 3 to 15mm mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium on average 15% faster than with a 10kW fibre laser. This increase in speed is supported by the high-performance Bystronic V2 cutting head which provides a smooth, continuous cutting process. Whether thin or thick material, non-ferrous metal or steel, the ByStar Fiber can cut them all. What’s more, users can make high-quality cuts in material thicknesses up to 30mm.

For many users, automated fibre laser cutting is a necessity and, in this area, Bystronic has things covered via the ByLoader, ByTrans, ByTrans Extended, and ByTrans Modular loading and unloading solutions as well as the BySort parts sorting system. 

Laser cutting in the fast lane: 20kW ByStar Fiber

Bystronic’s flagship laser cutting system is now available with 20kW of laser power and an optimised cutting process. Its latest generation cutting head is designed to tackle demanding cutting applications enabling sheetmetal processing companies to further optimise their production.

The technological leap to 20kW is significant. Compared to 15kW, the productivity of the 20kW ByStar Fiber is on average 40% higher in mild steel and stainless steel across a thickness range of 4mm to 20mm.

The new machine cuts steel, non-ferrous materials, aluminium, and stainless steel precisely and reliably in both thin and thick sheets and profiles up to 50mm. In addition, the new optional Parameter Wizard ensures that the correct quality of cut parts is always selected – by obtaining the ideal parameter within minutes. The new power level is available for ByStar 3015, 4020, 6225 and 8025 models.

Bystronic’s new high-performance flagship is controlled via ByVision cutting software and a 21.5-inch touchscreen so operating the machine is as simple as using a smartphone. A wide range of automation options are available.

Tube processing – now with extra laser power

With up to 4kW of power and a fully automatic set-up, Bystronic’s ByTube Star 130 tube laser is both accurate and easy to use
With up to 4kW of power and a fully automatic set-up, Bystronic’s ByTube Star 130 tube laser is both accurate and easy to use

Bystronic's new ByTube Star 130 is a 4kW high-end tube laser that is both powerful and easy to use. A fully automatic set-up with open profiles and ellipses leads to more flexibility and higher quality in production.

The increased laser power ensures an even faster and more precise cut and overall higher quality throughout the tube processing process. The wide range of applications for all metallic materials in sizes from 10 to 130mm and raw material lengths of up to 8.5m opens up new possibilities.

The automated system reduces manual intervention to a minimum, making it particularly easy to get started in tube processing. At the same time, the machine covers a wide range of requirements: since 85% of the market potential lies in the small tube segment, the ByTube Star 130 is geared toward processing tubes with diameters from 10 to 130mm. The machine has a loading capacity of up to 17kg/m and with the 2D cutting head, 90% of all customer requirements can be met, as vertical cuts account for the largest market share.

Additional options can be configured individually and enable further operational convenience as well as increased production quality. For example, Laserscan real-time compensation of pipe bending to improve cutting precision means high accuracy is guaranteed in all cutting conditions, even with low-quality material; and Quick Cut offers greater speed for better performance thanks to an additional linear axis.

Bystronic
www.bystronic.com

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