Testing times

Volunteering as a test site for a new machine can be a nervous time for both supplier and customer alike – but this is the exact situation Baden-Württemberg , Germany-based company Genthner SystemTechnologie found itself in for six months.

Volunteering as a test site for a new machine can be a nervous time for both supplier and customer alike – but this is the exact situation Baden-Württemberg , Germany-based company Genthner SystemTechnologie found itself in for six months test driving Bystronic's ByJet Smart waterjet cutting system.

Genthner SystemTechnologie offers a wide spectrum of services, from CAD/CAM programming, through to part manufacturing and the production of devices and sub-assemblies, encompassing all associated activities such as procurement, logistics and final inspection. Notable companies from areas such as medical technology, optical and measurement, automation, aerospace and machine and system construction make effective use of its service portfolio. The company is registered to ISO9001 and AS9100.

Genthner has a long association with Bystronic and with the installation of the new ByJet Smart, there is a total of three waterjet cutting systems in operation. The partnership began back in 2005 when a ByJet was acquired with two cutting heads and a shuttle table. “Bystronic is the only company to offer these features as standard,” enthuses Ronny Retzlaff, Genthner's operations manager for waterjet cutting.

Three years later a ByJet Pro followed which had just been launched at the time. The ByJet Pro is the most productive model in Bystronic's range and features the largest scope of functions. As before, it was purchased fully equipped with a shuttle table and four cutting heads.

“Thanks to these additions, we were able to process work much faster – up to 50% quicker in some cases,” Mr Retzlaff says. “This competitive advantage really paid off when manufacturing prototypes where leadtimes can be very tight. The higher productivity is reflected in the cost per part – from around sixty parts upwards, the ByJet Pro with four cutting heads gives a price advantage of up to 25%.”

Fast forwarding to present day, the ByJet Smart is installed and performing well. Bystronic's product manager Mayk Cetin calls the machine the ‘Swatch of mechanical engineering' simply because users get high levels of performance at a price that won't break the bank.

“I am convinced that there is nothing comparable in quality in this price segment,” he declares, “and that's through the combination of proven Bystronic technologies and innovative materials – some of which have never been employed in waterjet cutting systems before. The machine incorporates a strong damping frame constructed from composite materials and a waterjet catcher basin made from reinforced concrete. Additionally, the ByJet Smart features linear drives and a new efficient integrated pump.

“The pump is a significant improvement on previous models in terms of energy consumption, reliability and minimal start up time,” Mr Retzlaff advises. “During the six month test phase only the bursting discs needing replacing and we really put the machine through its paces.” He recalls a large scale order that required the cutting of 20mm metal sheets on all three machines across lightly manned shifts over a weekend. “The ByJet Smart was the only system that worked from Friday evening through to Monday morning without a hitch,” he affirms. “That's pretty impressive.”

Currently the ByJet Smart is fully integrated into production and is cutting on average for six hours a day. With approximately 260 workdays, this equates to around 1,560 cutting hours – already 30% over the initial estimation of 1,200 cutting hours. “Things can get very busy here and we anticipate that the machine will be running at full capacity most of the time,” predicts Mr Retzlaff. “I'm sure it won't be too long before we have to start thinking about increasing our capacity again as waterjet cutting is the area within the company as a whole that has seen the highest annual increase of new customers.”

According to Mr Retzlaff, the installation of the ByJet Smart has been a positive experience. It was cutting metal within two days of delivery and its 6.8m by 4.5m footprint takes up minimal space on the shopfloor. An additional benefit is that the machine's cantilevered construction means that it can accommodate oversized material larger than its 3m by 1.5m work area. A touchscreen interface provides a user-friendly operator interface.

Comparing the ByJet Smart to Genthner's existing ByJet Pro is not really comparing like for like but it measures up well. “The ByJet Pro is more productive and theoretically it positions faster than the ByJet Smart,” Mr Retzlaff explains, “but from a practical perspective this is only of consequence processing high volume orders containing many profiles and grooves.”

Bystronic's Mayk Cetin cuts to the chase: “The bottom line is the fact that the ByJet Smart is the fastest cantilever style machine on the market in my opinion.”

In the UK sales of the new machine have been encouraging with four units sold since the official launch in April.

Bystronic
www.bystronic.co.uk
Genthner SystemTechnologie
www.genthner.com

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