At
Southern Manufacturing, Coventry-based Bystronic (
www.bystronic.com) will be demonstrating its smallest press brake, the 1m/40-tonne capacity Xpert 40, which will be equipped with a Mobile Bending Robot.
The automation module can be wheeled in front of the press brake and interfaced in a plug-and-play arrangement, turning the machine into a compact automated bending cell for producing 3-D sheet metal components.
Programming is carried out offline, and ByVision Bending software allows data to be imported without interrupting the job currently in progress.
The result is a cell with a high degree of process reliability that lends itself well to minimally attended multi-shift operation.
Retrofittable to any Xpert 40 press brake in the field, the Mobile Bending Robot allows automatic production for larger runs of components, yet rapid access for manual bending of smaller batches and one-offs by quickly setting the robot module aside.
All quantities can therefore be produced quickly and cost-effectively, making it suitable for sub-contractors and other shops where order quantities are unpredictable.
As the automation module is on wheels and the press brake itself is small enough to be moved by fork-lift truck, the entire assembly can be relocated anywhere in a factory to suit varying production requirements.