Established for some 29 years, SET Enterprises — based in Sterling Heights (Michigan) (www.setenterprises.com) — is a major supplier of blanks and ‘slit multiples’ to the domestic automotive industry.

Its list of customers includes several major automotive OEMS, Tier One ‘stampers’ and large sheet mills supplying the automotive sector.

In addition to its Chicago facility, it has steel processing and service locations in New Boston (Michigan), Jackson (Alabama) and North Vernon (Indiana).

SET has ordered a 12kW laser blanking line from Schuler AG (www.schulergroup.com), which it will use to produce blanks for ‘exposed and unexposed’ automotive stampings — beginning in 2019.

The automotive supplier chose the Schuler laser blanking system for its high output capability and the flexibility offered by the company’s DynamicFlow technology.

The system features three laser heads and can simultaneously cut blank shapes of all types with straight line cutting speeds of over 100m/min from a coil-fed continuously forward-moving strip of metal travelling at speeds up to 60m/min.

This high output feeding and cutting capability makes conventional blanking dies unnecessary, so blank shape and nesting can be optimised to achieve improved blank yield and formability.

Installation of the line will begin this summer, with full operation scheduled for the spring of next year. With this equipment in place, a total of five Schuler laser blanking lines with three lasers will be in operation, producing ‘class A’ blanks for the European and US automotive industries.