Redditch-based lntec Laser Services — a sub-contract laser cutting and sheet metal specialist — is reaping the benefits of investing in an automated Trumpf TruBend Cell 7000, which is busy making many different types
of bracket for a wide range of customers.
Intec was formed in 1979 and is one of Trumpf Ltd’s (
www.trumpf.com) oldest customers.
It has continuously invested in the latest technologies, and it already had a wide range of Trumpf 2-D and 3-D laser cutting machines on site, including TruLaser fibre and TruLaser Cell models.
Managing director Darren Marson said: “We recently won a contract for the automotive industry that required the manufacture of over 100 different types of bracket — to be supplied in batches of around 300 and upwards.
“With our extensive laser cutting capability, we knew that component blanking would be straight-forward, but it was immediately apparent that our bending capacity would not be able to keep pace with the lasers and would therefore cause a bottleneck.”
lntec estimated that each blank would take just a few seconds on average to laser-cut but between 30sec and 1min to bend, using its existing manual press brakes.
With this in mind, the company set out to acquire a more capable resource for the bracket contract.
“There were many reasons we opted for the TruBend Cell 7000, not least its automated tool change. With so many different bracket types to produce, we knew that this attribute would prove vital.”
With its back-gauges and its dynamic-drive concept, the TruBend Cell 7000 offers users a compact system for the efficient bending of small parts up to 500 ¥ 380mm.
The LoadMaster Bend automation loads quickly, reliably and parallel to production, while the ToolMaster Bend sets up the tooling automatically.