ENHANCED COMBINATION LASER/TURRET PUNCH PRESS

Amada America Inc. (Buena Park, CA ) introduces to the North American market their latest combination laser/turret punch press, the model LC2012C1-NT, also known simply as the ?C1?. According to the company, the C1 has been engineered from the ground-up based upon extensive feedback received from a wide range of worldwide customers.

The goal of the C1 is to provide manufacturers working with materials up to 1/4 in thick with seamless process integration of laser and punching operations, to increase productivity while reducing costs. In addition, the C1 reflects Amada?s ongoing commitment to engineer machines that are friendly to the environment through reduced energy and petroleum product consumption.

The laser portion of the C1 features the Amada/Fanuc AF2000i-B LU2.5 resonator with 2.5 kW of cutting power. The laser head moves in the Y-axis via a direct drive servo mechanism for maximum speed and accuracy, and is isolated from punching vibration to help maintain beam integrity and cut quality. A cartridge-type lens assures simple and fast lens changes when required. The resonator is located on a frame designed to reduce floor space requirements and to provide isolation from punching vibration.
The punching portion of the C1 is based upon the highly successful AC-series of 22 ton servo drive turret punch presses. The servo drive not only offers punching speeds of up to 370 hpm on 1 in centers, but is also more efficient than hydraulic punch drives, requiring no pump or chiller.

To maximize punching productivity in conjunction with laser cutting, the C1 features the new 45 station MPT Multi-Purpose Turret. Two of the unique features of the MPT turret include four tapping tool stations (English and metric thread tools available) and three powered die lift stations to facilitate upward forms while reducing material scratches and preventing downward forms from hitting the forming dies during sheet movements. The C1 is equipped with a versatile brush table that provides a number of features to increase productivity and part quality The brushes help reduce material scratching, while limiting punching noise. Pop-up urethane rollers help reduce brush wear during the laser processing of thick materials.

Special high-temperature brush material is installed in the laser cutting area (Y-axis), and a large 15-3/4 in x 50 in work chute helps ensure the easy removal of finished parts and scrap. A lifting brush table section helps to remove downward forms from the die before the next sheet moves into place. An automatic sheet loading feature simply requires the operator (in manually loaded applications) to place the sheet within approximately 2 in of the X-Y gauge blocks, and activate the automatic loading mechanism. This provides accurate material placement against the gauge blocks and activates the pneumatic work clamps.

With its full 4 ft x 8 ft sheet capacity in up to 1/4 in thick material, the C1 achieves better material utilization ratios, especially when using Amada?s Dr. ABE Blank software for dynamic nesting. Designed with a small footprint to reduce the amount of floor space required, the C1 is available in both stand-alone (manual load and unload) and fully automated versions.

The automated version is equipped with three newly-designed components; a sheet load/unloader, a part remover, and a programmable conveyor for finished parts. The MP-C1 sheet loader/unloader can unload a sheet of tabbed parts (or scrap) and load a new sheet in approximately 45 seconds, which helps to greatly streamline this portion of the production process. The PR-C1 part removal system is mounted on the machine frame to help maintain the small footprint of the C1, and will automatically remove parts ranging from as small as 4 in x 2 in to as large as 20 in x 20 in and weighing up to 26.5 lb. Once picked from the sheet, the PR-C1 places the parts on an included 177 in long conveyor with multiple feed and stacking options.

According to David Stone and Jason Hillenbrand, Amada?s Punching & Laser Division product managers, ?We see the C1 machine as an excellent choice for manufacturers who recognize how important it is to provide fast, flexible responses to customer demands. The innovative features of the C1 not only provide a fast track from print-to-part, but will help eliminate many costly secondary operations, which frees-up shop labor for more value-added tasks. We feel that both OEM?s and job shops will experience not only increased productivity and reduced costs, but they will also gain the capabilities to offer new services or take on work that they may never have been able to profitably do before.?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

www.amada.com