Why Shops are Demanding Fast but Mobile Bending Systems

For many shops, bending requires manufacturing small to medium-sized parts using press brakes that are too big for the job. For parts up to a bending length of approximately 5 ft and a maximum thickness of ¾ in, these users do not really need a large-scale bending machine, but a small and versatile powerhouse. Bystronic Inc. (Elgin IL) developed their new Xpert 80 press brake precisely for these requirements. A fast press brake with a compact format that fits into virtually any manufacturing environment, it continues the concept of the mobile press brake that was successfully established on the market by their smaller version Xpert 40. “The great success of the Xpert 40 shows that there is a demand among shops for fast but also mobile bending systems,” noted Karsten Trautvetter, a product manager at Bystronic.

Compared to the smaller model, the Xpert 80 offers a decisive increase in bending length and press capacity that opens up a wide spectrum of applications. Over a bending length of approximately five feet, this mobile press brake generates a press capacity of 88 tons with a footprint of less than 10 sq ft. It provides users with support for flexible job shop production with fluctuating batch sizes and varying bent parts, as well as for series production with recurring parts. Today, for example, the machine can be set up next to a laser cutting system and tomorrow, maybe, in a row with other press brakes in order to process a large bending series. This machine achieves fast bending speeds up to 25 mm (1 in) per second that enable users to bend three times as many parts with the compact machine compared to a slower large press brake. Its ByMotion drive control ensures that the Xpert 80 upper beam and back gauges are accelerated with high precision to create the perfect interplay between speed, precision, and bending force. The results are bending processes with the highest levels of repetition accuracy and speed.

Bystronic also now offers two new options for their mobile Xpert 40 press brake: an optional bending line laser that makes it possible to bend a part without using the backgauge, and an optical foot switch that increases the versatility and ergonomics of the machine. It is not always possible to position bent parts on the Xpert 40 press brake using the backgauges, i.e., conical parts whose shape does not provide a stop position. By projecting the optional bending line laser directly onto the surface of the part, the operator can now position and subsequently bend the part without using the backgauge. The optical foot switch allows operators to conveniently trigger the stroke of the press brake through a foot movement. This new option increases the ergonomics of the machine because it eliminates the need for a manual foot switch that constantly has to be moved when the operating position is changed.

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Sheet metal products are changing rapidly: a greater variety of shapes, increasing demands in terms of quality, and shorter product life cycles. This has an effect on sheet metal processing. In the past, jobs with 1,000 or more parts were typical, but now batch sizes are decreasing considerably and small quantities are in demand. For shops that do cutting and bending, this change means extra work. Its impact is felt most strongly during the set-up and dismantling of tools on their bending machines. This is why Bystronic expanded their bending process with a newly developed level of automation: using the new integrated Tool Changer system, the high-end Xpert press brake can now swap tools automatically. This state-of-the-art sensor system and integrated robotics technology create an exceedingly versatile and compact bending system that sets itself up – a system of particular interest for shops that want to save time and increase quality but do not want to forego flexibility.

The Xpert press brake and the integrated Tool Changer system automate the process step that plays a crucial role in enabling shops to bend parts quickly and with a consistently high level of quality. The Tool Changer sets up the Xpert with the upper and lower tools that are required for the job. During manual operation, this step costs the user up to 70 percent of the entire bending time. Many users have reservations because bending automation requires space, makes automated processing steps cumbersome and thus less flexible. For this reason, automation only makes sense when processing large batch sizes of identical parts. But the Xpert Tool Changer provides an elegant solution to this typical drawback of conventional automation systems.

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The 6-axis robotic arm integrated in the press brake accesses the tool magazine, which is also integrated within the machine and houses a generous supply of bending tools. The entire automation system is located within the Xpert press brake. In addition to the advantageous ergonomics, the robotics system and the tool magazine are protected from dirt and ambient influences. In combination with the Tool Changer system, the Xpert offers a bending length of 3 m. The available press capacity ranges from 150 tons to 320 tons. As standard, the machine comes with an intelligent bending process control and fully automatic crowning. Both functions enable a wide variety of parts to be bent with maximum repetition accuracy.

In a logical next step, Bystronic extends this combination of variety and precision with an automation system that decreases the user’s workload and reduces sources of error within the bending process. With the Xpert Tool Changer system, users will never again bend a part using the wrong tool, or with a tool that has been incorrectly inserted into the press brake’s upper or lower beam. For each bending job, the automation system fetches the appropriate toolset from the magazine and inserts it with high precision. Even when bending with several stations distributed across the bending length, the automatic tool changer positions all the defined tools with millimeter precision. This accuracy enables users to bend every part with a consistently high quality.

With constantly changing bending parts, shops frequently need to expand a press brake’s range of bending tools. In such cases, the Xpert Tool Changer system supports the user with intelligent sensors. The operator simply inserts new tools into the clamping system of the upper or lower beam. Subsequently, the Tool Changer scans the new tool and automatically integrates it into the magazine, without programming effort or the need to call in a service technician. In addition to the normal position, the upper tools can also be rotated by 180 deg and inserted in the beam to increase the bending versatility, an option that usually poses difficulties for conventional automation solutions. If required, the 6-axis robotics can rotate all the upper tools and thus increase the range of applications of the existing tools.

In order the ensure sustained precise and gentle processing of parts that are to be bent, the Xpert Tool Changer system is equipped with a cleaning nozzle that cleans the whole length of bending table using compressed air. During the bending process, mill scale and cutting residues from the bending parts frequently drop onto the lower beam causing the operator to have to regularly clean their press brake. With the Xpert Tool Changer this is no longer necessary. The operator interface for the Xpert Tool Changer has been seamlessly integrated into the ByVision Bending user interface so that users can perform all of the operating steps on the press brake using one touch screen, regardless of whether they are controlling the tool change or the subsequent bending process.

In addition to its simple operation, this all-in-one system also opens up new data evaluation possibilities: How frequently were certain tools used? Which tool was used to bend which part? When does preventive maintenance make sense? The analysis of these questions helps users to sustainably improve their processes.

Also equipped with the revolutionary ByVision Bending control is the Xpert 150 press brake that offers unmatched efficiency and productivity capabilities. The powerful yet easy to operate ByVision Bending control uses a full 22 in HD touch screen to display realistic 3D part animations and software driven menu selections. Bending profiles can be either imported or drawn directly on the touch screen and then automatically converted into a bending program with proper bending sequences and tool selections. A comprehensive database of material bend angles and bend allowances enables the ByVision Bending control to make a bending professional of every user from the very first experience.

The enhanced version of the Xpert press brake incorporates a high speed ram positioning system and Fast Bend+ safety system for reduced bending cycle times. The high speed ram positioning system is capable of reducing bend cycle times by 15 percent to 35 percent in reaching approach speeds of up to 600 ipm and bending speeds up to 47 ipm without sacrificing accuracy. The servo-hydraulic Xpert 150 press brake with dynamic press brake technology is the only press brake on the market that introduces no angle errors itself with a ram positioning accuracy of .00015 in. The Fast Bend+ safety system allows the machine to draw extremely near the sheet at high speed so that slow movement is only necessary during the actual bending process. This cuts the time required by approximately 20 percent. Furthermore, it adapts itself automatically after each tool change and moves the machine to the correct tool height without any additional intervention.  If a tool is not recognized by the system the machine stops, making it nearly impossible to use an incorrect tool, which increases the safety even more.

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Low energy consumption, less machine noise, and less heat characterize the Energy Saver. As soon as the upper beam has reached the top dead center position after a bend, the main motor of the Xpert switches off automatically until the next bend process is started. This does not change the operational flow and the process speed remains as high as usual. However, it saves up to one third of the energy, produces less noise, and does not produce any excess heat. The Xpert 150 adjusts ram position and crowning during the bending process in response to material properties. With the touch of a single button, the bending sequence and the positioning of the backstops are determined, the tool plan is created, and the process data is generated – all automatically. Options include:

• Voice Control enables operators to utilize voice commands, via a headset, for typical manual operator functions.
• Optical Bend Guiding guides operators of press brakes safely through all bending applications. LEDs indicate the correct position of the tool stations, back gages, and bending sequences.
• RF-A and XPT Tooling and clamping systems provide users with front-loading, light weight precision segmented tools for faster tool setups, maximum operator ergonomics and 100 percent compatibility with the bending database at the machine control.
• PartID laser-etched part code can be registered by an optional scanner unit at the brake and the desired bending program can be loaded automatically.

These unique press brake features, together with the powerful ByVision Bending control, provides users with “the ultimate bending experience” that provides the following benefits:

• Energy Saver option reduces energy consumption by up to one-third.
• Safety system Fast Bend+ increases machine safety and productivity.
• Automatic bend sequence calculation and back gauge positioning.
• Automatic setup plan and tool selection.
• Dynamic material thickness detection.
• Automatic compensation for tensile strength variations.
• Dynamic crowning and frame deflection compensation.
• Increased manufacturing efficiency through reduced set-up times and reduced scrap.

Bystronic Inc., 200 Airport Road, Elgin, IL 60123, 847-214-0300, [email protected], www.bystronicusa.com.