Advanced Control for Bending Rolls, Plate Rolls and Specialty Machinery

No two bending applications are the same: many factors, including material size, mechanical properties, spring-back and more can influence the bending requirements necessary to get an acceptable result. Trilogy Machinery, Inc. (Belcamp, MD) is the exclusive distributor in North America for SweBend (Hässleholm, Sweden) angle and section bending rolls, plate rolls, and specialty machinery. SweBend produces a full line of bending rolls and specialty machines, from the smallest to the largest machines on the market, and their innovative Seven CNC control has even been retrofit on older bending rolls manufactured by their competitors, allowing fabricators to enjoy the benefit of having the latest technology on their older machines. Seven CNC control helps take the guesswork out of rolling operations by easily accommodating for minor variations that are commonly found in all materials, giving the user ultimate control over all rolling processes. This control is available in different versions so that the number of CNC-controlled axes can be varied to match personalized bending requirements.

The Seven-Bronze package includes everything needed to control a bending machine. The hardware platform (PC, I/O modules) from Beckhoff Automation LLC (Savage, MN) includes a 15 in TFT touch screen for operator HMI that is mounted on a wheeled control panel with joysticks, switches and buttons. Seven-Bronze with state-of-the-art user-friendly HMI is designed for basic machines, including the ability to control the position of the side bending rolls and rotation. Interpolation, which is the possibility to move one side roll and rotate simultaneously, is also included. Control of the hydraulic drop end and the pinch/release is also included in this package. In total, three axes (Left + Right + Rotation) are standard configuration, with the possibility to add optional axes as listed in the upgraded packages below.

The Seven-Silver package includes everything as Seven-Bronze, but also includes positioning and pressure control of the lower roll. In total, seven axes are controllable with the standard configuration. This upgrade also includes advanced CNC functionality, such as the possibility to import and export programs, allowing programs to be  created for instance in the office and then exported to the machine. This also steps up to a huge 19 in TFT touch screen for the operator HMI. The Seven-Gold upgrade uses some of the most sophisticated software available. With all the same features as the Seven-Silver, plus the added capability to control all possible optional equipment, to virtually any type of bending machine on the market. In this version, all of the current CNC functionality is available. Advanced wizards and low-level controls provide total freedom to create highly sophisticated programs, still using the same easy-to-use genius icon-based user interface.

Another innovative feature available on many SweBend models is a wireless hand-held Bluetooth control unit that allows the operator to view the rolling operation from the most advantageous and safest location without being restricted by the length of cable on a control console. This Bluetooth control unit can also be retrofit on many existing Roundo rolls.

Trilogy Machinery, Inc., 4610 Mercedes Drive, Belcamp, MD 21107, 410-272-3600, [email protected], www.trilogymachinery.com.