Industry 4.0 showcased at Southeast Asia’s biggest event for the metalworking, machine tools, and automation industries opened with a prestigious ceremony graced by YBhg. Datuk Hanafi Sakri, Deputy Secretary General (Industry) of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). YBhg. Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Hj Mohd Nasir Bin Mohd Ashraf, Organising Chairman, Informa Markets Malaysia, YBhg. Dato Dr Tan Chin Huat, Chairman of METALTECH & AUTOMEX, and Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Country General Manager of Informa Markets Malaysia, were also present. The ceremony highlighted the significance of METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 as a platform for growth and innovation in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector.

Datuk Hanafi delivered a keynote address about Malaysia’s manufacturing sector.

“We are witnessing impressive growth, with investments surging to RM152 billion, a remarkable 80.3% increase compared to the previous year,” he declared. He continued by emphasising the importance of METALTECH & AUTOMEX, saying, “These exhibitions play a crucial role in propelling Malaysia towards becoming a regional leader in smart manufacturing, advanced technologies, and high-tech industries.”

METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 boasts an unparalleled showcase, featuring over 1,500 brands and companies from 40 countries. With 18,000 trade buyers and visitors anticipated from 49 countries, the event is poised to be a dynamic hub for forging new partnerships and exploring the future of manufacturing.

Themed “Industry 4.0 Innovations: Powering Malaysia’s Manufacturing Future,” the event places a strong emphasis on the transformative potential of Industry 4.0. Visitors can delve into dedicated pavilions from industry leaders in Germany, South Korea, mainland China, Singapore, and Taiwan region, all showcasing groundbreaking solutions in automation, robotics, and digital manufacturing.

“This year’s METALTECH & AUTOMEX goes beyond just speed,” said Mr. Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Country General Manager of Informa Markets in Malaysia. “The theme highlights how Industry 4.0 advancements can optimise processes, drive efficiency, reduce costs, and promote sustainability. Businesses can discover eco-friendly technologies that minimise environmental impact, achieving a future where efficiency and sustainability go hand-in-hand.”

The manufacturing landscape is undergoing a revolution. AI, robotics, and the IoT are fundamentally reshaping how products are designed, produced, and delivered. METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 empowers businesses to stay ahead of the curve by providing a platform to explore these trends, connect with solutions providers, and gain valuable insights from industry experts.

“METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 isn’t just an exhibition; it’s a game-changer for Malaysian manufacturers. By showcasing the latest Industry 4.0 advancements – from automation to AI-powered solutions – the event serves as a vital launchpad for progress. These innovations hold the key to greater efficiency, enhanced sustainability, and a stronger position in the global marketplace,” emphasised Dato Dr Tan Chin Huat, Chairman of METALTECH & AUTOMEX.

In addition to the exhibition, METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 featured a comprehensive program of industry-leading seminars, offering valuable insights and knowledge-sharing opportunities for manufacturers and professionals navigating the evolving industrial landscape.

Following the opening ceremony, Guest of Honour, YBhg. Datuk Hanafi Sakri, along with Chairman Dato Dr Tan Chin Huat and Country General Manager Gerard Leeuwenburgh, embarked on a tour of the exhibition floor. This high-profile visit presents a golden opportunity for exhibitors. It allows them to directly showcase their cutting-edge technologies and solutions to key decision-makers, potentially leading to valuable partnerships and business deals.

METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 is a global stage for industry giants to showcase their latest cutting-edge technologies for the first time. From pioneering advancements in automation and robotics to revolutionary solutions in digital manufacturing, this event offers a glimpse into the future of the industry.

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The post Power Of Industry 4.0 Unlocked At METALTECH & AUTOMEX 2024 appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

APMEN: How Has Business Been For LVD?

MF: Business has been very good for LVD in 2022. We have seen excellent growth from western European, both North and South American markets; Australia and New Zealand. With a slightly slower bounce back from the impacts of COVID in India, South East Asia and China. Parts availability and supply-chain issues have been a challenge for everyone. Our purchasing and engineering teams have done a great job in finding alternatives and staying dynamic, so that we can still deliver products.

APMEN: What Is LVD’s Edge Against Competition?

MF: We continuously invest in R&D, both internally and through partnerships with research institutes and leading suppliers worldwide. We are able to maintain our agility, develop as much as possible inhouse and adapt and respond quickly.

LVD customers are active in many different industries, from aerospace and medical equipment to agricultural machinery and construction. The shortage of labour is a major issue even in Southeast Asia, but that also creates opportunities.

Strategically, we have made some smart investments to combat this trend, so we are well placed to respond. LVD Robotic Solutions (LRS), previously known as KUKA BeNelux Solutions, became part of the LVD Group in April 2022. This has now become our new robotics solutions business.

We expanded our automation portfolio to include tower and warehouse systems through the acquisition of the Italian automation company, COMPAC, a few years ago. This meant that LVD is able to introduce more automated solutions for laser cutting and punching.

We intend to launch more automation and robotic solutions next year, following a similar strategy.

Read more of the interview here —–> https://t.ly/HOEl

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To date, Charlie Munger is still holding on to his glory of the lucrative bet on BYD with proper credit given to Wang Chuanfu. The latter’s remarkable business acumen made BYD to what it has become today. BYD’s success has eclipsed several continental automakers that one could not help but wonder if price wars is the only way to claw back its margins to win back consumers.

Reuters reported more than 40 auto brands have followed Tesla in cutting prices on EVs since January in a price war that has supported sales of EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), both of which are classed as “new energy vehicles” in China. It has also cut into industry-wide profitability, analysts say. 

PHEVs’ popularity is an indication going fully electric will take a long time — subject to various countries’ infrastructure apart from takeups (determined by pricing). Leaving out geographical pricing, EV started out with a “premium car” label akin to middle class buying a top-tier Mercedes Benz. When adoption was too slow, various governments rolled out incentives to encourage acceptance. However, pockets can run dry.

Perception Is Reality

In some nations, owning a car is a symbol of wealth. Making a product affordable is certainly enabling individuals to be a part of a social class. However, socioeconomic status is volatile and could dissipate quicker than anyone could realise from branding alone.

Tesla was launched in 2012, and became the hottest EV within three years (2015). By 2021, it’s popularity started to dip and when BYD entered the ring, the heat intensified.

From a macro perspective, it is anybody’s guess if a Tesla owner feels misled now. If he/she paid big dollars for one, and to find out now that prices have plunged, nothing can be done to mitigate losses. Financing would not change, and for some, selling the vehicle equates to bigger losses.

As much as the unspoken perception of Asian-made goods are inferior to their Western counterparts, there are still camps willing to be corrected by trying out the former. Realising they are on-par, and paying a premium just for the expensive emblem earlier was a big financial blunder may result in a major public relations crisis for continental cars. Others may be collateral damage for a chain brand blow.

The saying “Cheap may not be good, and good things do not come cheap” may hold much lesser weight than one would think. On the other hand, what if the lowered prices are byproducts of economical upstream? Inflation rules out the possibility of decreased raw materials costs or efficient production processes. It would be an uphill battle to contain the PR damage for a wrong move.

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Plate rolling machines are one of the most versatile equipment in the metal forming industry. They can be used to roll metal cans and cones to manufacture parts and components for a large variety of sectors, which allows maximising return on investment (ROI) to the fabricating shop easily.

Choosing the right partner is key to a successful operation, machines must be built with top of the range materials and components, where special attention to the machine structure is key. This will prevent not only malfunctions but also will reduce the minimum machine downtime.

Faccin Group’s plate rolling machines have an average life span of more than 25 years with proper use and maintenance.

An Insight On Plate Rolling Equipment

The plate rolls are made with two, three or four bending rolls. The pyramid-type plate rolls, with three or four rolls, are divided into two separate categories for cost and performance: bending rolls with planetary guides and bending rolls with linear guides.

The planetary guides are appreciated for their lower cost and the linear guides are preferred because they guarantee a shorter distance between the bending rolls and therefore rolling precision. The 4-roll plate bending machines, with linear or planetary guides, guarantee greater productivity and are easier to use as well as being the only ones that can effectively be automated with numeric controls.

The four roll plate rolls are the ideal solution for mass production, high volumes, repetitive production in an automatic cycle. They are fast and precise, and are normally used to produce wind towers, truck tanks, HVAC components, and the like.

Read on for more —–> https://t.ly/gkn83

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For the industry at large, some players are well on their way to recovery, others could be still licking their wounds from the treacherous waves. The silver linings nonetheless lie in Southeast Asia at the bare minimum, with focus on Thailand’s automotive sector.

Keeping A Progressive Mind

While Thailand is the largest automotive producer in Southeast Asia, Mr Yap, who helms AIDA’s Greater Asia Region is not stopping any time to evolve with the country’s progressive developments in the sector. Thailand is touted as the next electric vehicle (EV) hub due to the influx of manufacturing facilities from the top makers, the country happens to be a “mature” market for AIDA.

Implying on having a three decade headstart, Mr Yap said (on the automotive sector), “We have ventured into Thailand since the 90s. We have been working with local and international customers for their metalforming manufacturing operations in Thailand. Hence, the country is not new (for AIDA), but mature for us. AIDA has established a strong sales and after-sales service network, as well as a regional technical center in Thailand.

Now we are focusing on next generation vehicle parts such as EV drive motor cores, lithium-ion battery cases, and fuel cell separators and developing press equipment well suited for each part accordingly.”

Read more here —-> https://rb.gy/aly7m6

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Successful Making Up For Lost Time

EuroBLECH 2022 hosted 1,300 companies from 39 countries on a net exhibition space of 86,136 sqm. A euphoric atmosphere and full order books were the results of a successful comeback of the show. It was clear that making up for lost time proved fruitful after the challenging two years.

A closer look at this year’s visitor numbers reveals that a total of 35.944 unique visitors came to the exhibition grounds in Germany. Practically matching the previous edition’s stats, this is an exceptional result, especially given the difficult general conditions. Industry experts from all parts of the world came to the show for shorter but therefore more productive visits.

“It is hard to describe how we’re feeling after giving everything we had in the past four years to make this show possible. We are overwhelmed by the fantastic outcome and proud that EuroBLECH continues its critical role in bringing the global sheet metal working industry together,” says Evelyn Warwick, Exhibition Director of EuroBLECH, on behalf of the organisers Mack-Brooks Exhibitions. “This year’s edition was both special and hugely important for the whole sheet metal working industry. Judged by the exhibition space itself, you can tell as we came pretty close to the record numbers in 2018,” continues Evelyn Warwick.

Global Visitors

A total of 62 percent of exhibitors came from outside of Germany to this year’s show. This represents a further increase in international attendance by 4 percent. Based on the preliminary results of the exhibition survey, this trend continuous throughout the visitors: more than half of the trade visitors (56 percent) made their way to the event from outside of Germany, making EuroBLECH a truly international exhibition.

Major visitor countries, next to Germany, included the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and France. Furthermore, 37 percent of all visitors do not attend any other trade show, which is a 10 percent hike compared to the show in 2018 and underlines the importance of the event.   

As the key marketplace for the industry, EuroBLECH 2022 offered its visitors the opportunity to find solutions for the current challenges in the industry and connects them with businesses from all over the world to help them integrate the latest machinery and software into their manufacturing process. The hot topics this year were digitalisation, sustainability and Industry 4.0. Many of the products and innovations shown at EuroBLECH 2022 have been developed with a focus on cost and resource efficiency.

“The visitors this year meant serious business. Almost every second person entering the gates to EuroBLECH 2022 came with the intention to invest. That’s an increase of 4 percent compared to the previous edition”, concludes Evelyn Warwick. Both exhibitors and visitors were highly satisfied with the show and their newly established business relations.

The visitors praised the comprehensiveness and international range of the products on display, as well as the quality of the exhibition stands and the many live demonstrations of digital processes. The exhibitors appreciated the highly qualified and international audience with its high percentage of decision-makers (80 percent).

From The Ground

“EuroBLECH is of great importance to us, as it is the leading international show for the sheet metal working industry. It is a truly global event, hence we were able to meet visitors from all over the world, for example Asia and Australia. Our result of the show is a success for Bystronic in these challenging market conditions,” Johan Elster, Chief Sales Officer, Bystronic Group.

“We’ve had a fantastic week at EuroBLECH recording a record number of leads. The atmosphere was electric and it was clear to see that customers were ready and excited to be back at EuroBLECH,” Matthew Fowles, Group Marketing Director, LVD Company NV.

A great majority of the visitors came from the industry (72 percent), followed by visitors from trade workshops and services. The most important sectors visitors belonged to included engineering, steel and aluminium construction, sheet metal & products, the automotive industry and its suppliers, iron and steel production and electrical engineering.

In addition to the innovations and numerous live demonstrations at the exhibition stands, attendees were able to appreciate the EuroBLECH 2022 Presentation Area. The new show feature delivered 27 sessions throughout the four exhibition days, offering exciting insight into innovative companies and projects, interesting discussions and valuable networking opportunities. The next edition of EuroBLECH will take place from 22 – 25 October 2024 at Hanover.

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Source: Engineerlive.com

A new approach to sheet metalworking in stainless steel has been developed by Swedish e-scooter startup Stilride to bring style and sustainability to two-wheeled transport. As lifelong scooter enthusiasts, Stilride’s founders, Jonas Nyvang and Tue Beijer were excited by the growing popularity of e-scooters.

However, they realised that there was huge untapped potential to develop a new breed of e-scooter with a design that harnessed aesthetic appeal, as well as integral sustainability. Currently, market-leading e-scooters are built on a chassis made from carbon steel tube, with the addition of external bodywork and components in multiple types of plastic and rubber.

However, this leaves a lot to be desired in terms of looks, as well as sustainability. While it keeps the price down, it’s hard to make a polymer shell into a design classic, and the mixed plastics are hard to recycle. In addition, the carbon steel tube has a high environmental impact and is vulnerable to corrosion, which limits the e-scooter’s life.

Therefore, when developing this alternative e-scooter design, Stilride put the circular economy and carbon footprint at the heart of its design choices. Its CEO, Jonas Nyvang, explains: “Many people are unaware how much manufacturing contributes to the environmental impact of the products they buy. We knew that our manufacturing process had a clear environmental lead over the market-leading electric scooter from China. Therefore, we decided to quantify it.”

Industrial Origami

Instead of the usual approach of using tubes to build a frame, Stilride has developed a new design and manufacturing technique called Stilfold. It is inspired by origami, where sheets of paper are folded to form complex and curved three-dimensional shapes. However, instead of fingers and paper, the startup uses industrial robots to precisely control the bending and shaping of stainless steel sheets.

The technique was developed with support from stainless steel producer Outokumpu. It had been researching a related metal forming process in the early 2000s and shared the output of this with the startup after a chance meeting at a technology networking event.

Paul Janiak, Outokumpu’s R&D manager for design and fabrication says: “We’re always keen to promote the use of stainless steel, so we were pleased to share our experience to help Stilride take the concept forward.”

The Life-Cycle Assessment

The result is an e-scooter design that makes the most of stainless steel, according to Nyvang: “With Stilfold, we are using high-strength stainless steel to create a design statement and a structure in one. The result is a simple, lightweight and corrosion-resistant chassis with fewer components – and a smaller environmental footprint. We commissioned a life-cycle assessment (LCA) so that we can quantify the carbon footprint and compare it with a conventional e-scooter.”

The LCA was developed by the Swedish Environment Institute (IVL). It provides a comparison of the environmental footprint of the materials needed to build and transport the two scooter chassis. It only covers the chassis, so IVL could exclude components that are identical (or almost identical) to both models, such as batteries and motors. It also excludes the energy used during manufacture, as that data was not available to the study.

The initial finding of the LCA was that the materials used in a Stilride Sports Utility Scooter One have a carbon footprint of around 50kg CO2. That is a significant saving compared with 160kg CO2 per chassis for the reference scooter.

Strength For Lightweighting

One of the reasons for this impressively low carbon footprint is the choice of a high-strength alloy – Outokumpu’s Forta 301 temper-rolled stainless steel sheet. The process of temper rolling creates a work-hardening effect that gives high mechanical strength compared with other steels.

As a result, the first prototype of the Sports Utility Scooter One chassis can carry the same rider using less structural material, making it lightweight, at only 15kg of the bike’s total 80kg weight. In comparison, the reference scooter has a 45kg chassis and weighs 110kg overall.

Commenting on this, Nyvang says: “Lightweighting has multiple advantages; the most noticeable for riders being the better acceleration and ride quality. However, it also improves the range and preserves battery life. The 30kg saving on the weight of the scooter plus its rider will reduce energy consumption by a respectable 5 percent. “In the longer term, it creates an opportunity for scooters for city deliveries and logistics fleets that can carry 30kg more payload than other bikes, something we’re looking to develop in the future.”

A further benefit is that the chassis also has fewer components than a conventional scooter (around 20 compared with 150). In turn, manufacturing and logistics chains become simpler, and there is less need for complex sourcing of components and subsystems from different manufacturers. Riders also benefit, as it’s easier for them to carry out maintenance on their scooter.

Recycling To The Rescue

Another important benefit of the use of stainless steel is the circular economy. Stainless steel is the ultimate recyclable material. A study by Yale University found that 85 percent of stainless steel is recovered as scrap metal at the end of its life, and it can be processed and resmelted over and over again without affecting quality. However, only 44 percent of new stainless steel is based on recycled scrap.

According to Camilla Kaplin, Outokumpu’s senior manager – environment, recycling makes a huge difference to the carbon footprint. Using one tonne of recycled austenitic scrap material instead of virgin iron ore avoids the emission of 4.3 tonnes of CO2.

She says: “At Outokumpu, we have the lowest carbon footprint in the stainless steel industry. We base more than 90% of our production on recycled materials and our Tornio mill in Finland is home to Europe’s largest recycling centre. We also purchase low-carbon electricity and use energy efficiency programs to minimise our carbon footprint.

“We publish a set of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on our website so that our customers can compare our environmental performance with other producers. They can also use our data to calculate the environmental impact of their own products and services, with IVL’s lifecycle assessment of Stilride’s chassis as an example.

“Typically the data in an EPD is valid only for a certain period of time, usually up to five years, so as we update and revise our EPDs, they will reflect our ongoing efforts to decrease our carbon footprint. Last year we renewed our CO2 reduction target, and set a new, even more ambitious long-term goal.

“We intend to decrease our carbon footprint by 30% between now and 2030, which corresponds to a reduction of 42% compared with our baseline years 2014-2016. To achieve this we are initiating a number of projects, from switching to low-carbon fuels to investing in new low-emission cargo ships to transport products between Tornio and our distribution hub at Terneuzen in the Netherlands.”

LCA Analysis Over 10 Years

While IVL found that Stilride’s scooter has a lower environmental footprint from day one, the LCA also compared the two scooters’ emissions over one year and 10 years on the road. This was calculated by taking into account energy used to charge the batteries for driving the average European annual mileage of 5,800km.

The study found that the emissions from riding form the bulk of the lifetime emissions from both scooters. When they roll off the production line, the reference scooter’s footprint is more than three times Stilride’s at 160kg versus 50kg CO2.

However, the gap widens over time due to Stilride’s lightweighting advantage. After 10 years, the footprints have become 1,030kg versus 890kg CO2. So, while the reference scooter may have narrowed the gap in terms of percentage, Stilride has extended its lead in raw numbers.

Nyvang comments: “Over 10 years, both scooters consume a similar amount of energy for riding, meaning that, at a glance, it looks like the competition narrows our environmental lead – but they can never catch up. Being a Swedish company, we also wanted to check the impact of our energy mix compared with the European average. Sweden is rich in clean energy such as hydropower, therefore our electric power grid has an unusually low carbon footprint.

“When we looked at the impact of this energy mix over a 10-year life, we found that in Sweden, the typical rider for the reference scooter would have a climate change impact 80% higher than that of a Stilride customer. It’s an interesting point as it highlights how renewable energy influences the overall impact of driving any type of electric vehicle.”

Avoiding The Rust

The final sustainability advantage of using stainless steel is corrosion resistance, which is provided by alloying elements that form a microscopically thin protective layer on its surface. This prevents the iron in the steel from oxidising and even reforms immediately when scratched.

Kaplin comments: “Producing stainless steel is energy-intensive as we need to smelt steel, but it can be seen as an investment in energy. Yale University’s study found that products made from stainless steel have an average lifespan of 20 years, and often much longer. One famous example is the spire of the Chrysler Building in New York, which has remained pristine ever since it was built in the 1920s.”

In contrast, the carbon steel reference scooter will corrode much sooner, while the stainless steel bike remains pristine. Over the bike’s life, its rider will switch out motors, batteries, lights and accessories while keeping the original sheet metal structure.

It’s impossible to give an accurate estimate of how long either scooter will last as that depends on many factors such as humidity and salt in the air. However, stainless steel’s corrosion resistance will ensure it lasts much longer. Therefore, the sustainability advantage calculated by IVL could be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of its whole-life carbon footprint.

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The post Stainless Steel For Sustainable Machines appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

Mack Brooks Exhibitions has announced the postponement of EuroBLECH, which was scheduled to take place at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany from 27 to 30 October 2020. The new dates for the next EuroBLECH, 26th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, are 9 -12 March 2021. This decision was taken after extensive conversations with all exhibitors and partners over recent weeks and months who have expressed their preference not to hold the show in October, in light of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Uncertainties around travel restrictions in order to maintain the truly international character of the EuroBLECH event were also a concern to many participants.

Speaking about the announcement, Nicola Hamann, Managing Director of Mack Brooks Exhibitions said: “The past months have been challenging, in particular for the sheet metal working industry and its related industry sectors. We have seen a decrease in orders of capital goods and many companies are telling us about their challenges in dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although we have recently received authority approval for our Safety and Security concept to hold EuroBLECH in October this year, we have decided to postpone EuroBLECH to Spring 2021”.

As part of a recent series of industry surveys, the participants of EuroBLECH indicated their requirement to network and conduct business in order to pave the way for the recovery of the industry following the Covid-19 pandemic. EuroBLECH will therefore offer a virtual hub for the global sheet metal working industry in October: “Following feedback from our exhibitors and visitors indicating the need to participate in an event, even if not in a physical form, we will organise a Digital Innovation Summit taking place from 27 to 30 October, our planned event slot. This Digital Innovation Summit will provide our exhibitors with a platform to demonstrate their latest machines and solutions and arrange virtual meetings with international visitors. We believe it is our duty to assist the industry through these extraordinary times by offering a market place this year as a platform for innovations and a starting point for the recovery of the industry”, continued Nicola Hamann.

The EuroBLECH Team will communicate closely with customers and partners over the coming weeks and months and thank their exhibitors, partners, suppliers and visitors for their support during this challenging time. Further information on the Digital Innovation Summit containing details on the Online Presentation Theatre for exhibitors, video on demand options and matchmaking facilities, will be available shortly.

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The post EuroBLECH 2020 Postponed To March 2021 In Hanover, Germany appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

In addition to automated and networked solutions for sheet processing, the supplementary processing of tubes and profiles is an important step for many customers and being able to purchase all these production solutions from a single source creates an added value.

A supplier with a strong sales and service network not only simplifies the purchase and maintenance, but also the successful integration and operation of manufacturing solutions. The two companies have been supporting this customer requirement within the framework of a partnership, which has until now comprised joint sales activities and now have decided on a full takeover of TTM Laser by Bystronic.

With TTM Laser’s technologies, Bystronic is now expanding its existing portfolio for the laser cutting process step with applications for tubes with diameters between 12 and 815 mm and for profiles. In addition, the company is expanding its portfolio with solutions for the laser welding of large-format metal sheets.

The post Bystronic Acquires Tube And Profile Processing Company TTM Laser appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

These days, major manufacturers are developing systems to be more efficient with lower operating costs, higher productivity and lower maintenance.

A modern company can be defined not only by its products but also by its attitude to energy conservation, sustainability and social responsibility. Customers and perhaps the local community expect that manufacturers have a positive and proactive approach which will help define themselves as better than the rest. With this, it is expected that manufacturers will also produce better components at a competitive cost.

Reducing one’s energy consumption, the use of environmentally harmful oil and noise, all contribute to better world. For too long now people have assumed that all press brakes and guillotines have the same energy requirements, productivity and maintenance costs. This is a mind-set that needs some adjustments.

When buying a laser or punching system, purchasers look carefully at all of these areas before making an informed choice. The purchase price is only one part of the equation because the performance and productivity of the systems can have a greater effect on the return on investment. So it is time to employ this same decision making process when choosing other machinery.

Press Brakes

When you are programming, setting up tools, collecting material,
rest breaks – all this time is wasted energy on a hydraulic machine
and energy saved with the servo electric machines.

The era of the electric press brake is well and truly here. Leading the way in in the mid- 1990s was sheet metal working company, SafanDarley and others are beginning to follow their lead in this area. Many versions are available including ball screw drives and hybrid systems but the most successful is without doubt the servo driven belt and pulley machines.

The problems with the old technology of hydraulic systems are many fold. They are very inefficient with high energy costs, high maintenance costs and low productivity amongst other reasons. So how is the servo driven belt and pulley system better?

Firstly, in these systems, the energy requirement is drastically reduced. Once hydraulic machines are switched on, the pump is running and using energy, this oil is heated up and so is the workshop even though one is not actually engaged in bending.

With servo electric machines the machine only really uses power when making a bend and even then they will typically use less energy than a hydraulic machine. When not bending, the only energy being used is that required to run a PC & PLC (pipe bending machine).

How Much Bending Daily?

When you are programming, setting up tools, collecting material, rest breaks – all this time is wasted energy on a hydraulic machine and energy saved with the servo electric machines. For most companies the wasted energy is in excess of 50 percent. In job shops up to 90 percent of the operating time of a press brake is not bending it is handling the product, programming, setting up tools and general preparation.

Switching off the drive of a hydraulic machine might seem to be a suitable alternative but each time you start the pump requires a large power surge often 20 times the normal flow and many power companies charge heavily for such loads.

The graph below gives a comparison for when the press brake is actually in operation. During the stand-by periods – which, due to breaks, sheet handling and change-over times, can be up to 90 percent – the electronic press brake can save an extra 3,000 kWh per year.

New Press-Brakes Operating In Identical Environmental Conditions

The higher the tonnage of the hydraulic machine, the bigger the pump and so, the greater the energy consumption. This means that the savings are even greater on the larger Servo Electric systems which are available up to 300 tons. There is much talk also about the actual CO2 emissions. Calculating from the energy consumption of machines (kWh) to CO2 emission (kg) is not that simple as it depends on the local energy supplier how much their CO2 emission is.

For instance, in many countries the CO2 emission can vary between 0 to 500+ gr/kWh. The wind or water hydrogen energy generators can have an emission value of 0 and the coke or gas energy suppliers can have an emission value of more than 500 gr/kWh.

If we take a typical value (422 gr/kWh) and the average of the energy consumption of an 80-150 tons electric press-brake in single shift operation you could make the following assumption:

– The CO2 emission for an electric-press brake at 80 tons is 2.200 (kWh) x 422 = 928 kg per year.

– The CO2 emission for a hydraulic-press brake at 80 tons is 5.000 (kWh) x 422 = 2.110 kg per year.

– The CO2 emission for an electric-brake press at 150/200 tons is 3.960 (kWh) x 422 = 1.671 kg per year.

So the CO2 reduction for the electric-press brake with an 80 ton capacity compared with a hydraulic press brake of 80 tons is = 1.182 kg per year. That makes it more than 55 percent.

What To Maintain On A Press Brake?

Most of the focus would be on the hydraulic system which means changing oil, seals, filters, valves – the servo electric machine has none of these, so the benefits are obvious. In addition, the time normally set aside for maintenance can be used for production and there is only environmentally harmful oil to dispose of now.

More Productivity Using The Servo Electric System

Let’s use the analogy of an F1 racing car. Some cars have a higher top speed than others so are great in a straight line race over a long distance. However, most races are around tracks with many corners and short straights so often they never reach the top speed. Therefore the speed at which they can accelerate out of a corner and the later they can break into the corner becomes more important.

This is where the servo electric systems are at an advantage because they have much better acceleration and deceleration times than a hydraulic machine. So the bigger the machine, the slower the hydraulics. The servo electric system can typically increase productivity by up to 30 percent.

It is now possible to purchase a servo electric belt and pulley machine with up to a 300 ton capacity.

So the key features of an electric press brake include a servo-electric drive system, increased productivity, high accuracy because the belt and pulley system distributes the bending force over the whole bending length, lower power consumption, hardly any maintenance needed and no harmful oil.

From an energy perspective guillotine shears have similar problems as the press brakes in that they are powered on all of the day and even in a high production environment are not actually cutting most of the time.

Making The Cut: Guillotine Shears

Some might find this surprising but guillotines usually use even more energy than press brakes. Even though many companies laser cut or punch from full sheets there is still no more efficient and low cost way of cutting regular shaped blanks than shearing.

From an energy perspective guillotine shears have similar problems as the press brakes in that they are powered on all of the day and even in a high production environment are not actually cutting most of the time. In normal use with an average use of 80 percent of the duty time the guillotine is not actually cutting. Much time is used in loading and unloading, making adjustments and programming.

One way of addressing this is with a hybrid system for the cutting movement. In the hybrid systems the pump only runs when the cutting beam is in motion with the result being that the energy consumption is minimised when not cutting. In this standby mode the only power consumed is for running the control.

An added benefit is that these systems typically have only around 22 litres of oil compared with the 150 -200 litres on conventional machines. This results in reduced and simpler maintenance and less use of environmentally harmful oil.

Fibre Lasers

Compared to CO2 lasers the fibre lasers with high laser conversion efficiency consume less electricity. The electricity costs during standby can typically be reduced by around 70 percent in addition the relative costs of assist gas is also reduced.

These systems also require significantly less maintenance. With the CO2 Laser systems the optical system comprises a system of mirrors that require period cleaning and replacement.

The fibre lasers use optical fibre thus no maintenance or replacement mirrors necessary. Its key features include:

– Greater efficiency

– Low maintenance

– Fewer consumables

Servo Electric Punching Systems

The early steps towards the introduction of the servo-electric punch presses happened in the late 1990s. The servo electric punching systems combine energy savings with productivity.

Purchasing an electric punching system is a win-win situation for the user and for sustainable development combining manufacturing efficiency with productivity.

In summary it is evident that energy efficiency and sustainability will be at the forefront of product development for the more innovative manufacturers.

APMEN Fast Fab

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