A new range of press brakes introduced by Bystronic (www.bystronic.com) has been designed so that they can be customised to suit the user’s requirements in terms of process speed and flexibility.

Available in the UK and Ireland through the Swiss manufacturer’s Coventry-based subsidiary, the modular Xpert Pro series comprises three models, along with a variety of optional extras.

The Classic Edition is intended for prototype manufacture and job shops producing small batch sizes, while the Performance Edition allows medium-size companies to produce larger volumes quickly and reliably.

The Dynamic Edition has been designed for companies that need even more speed to efficiently handle batch sizes of 1,000 or more.

Bystronic says this is one of the fastest press brakes on the market, with bend speeds up to 20mm/sec.

Press capacities range from 100 to 320 tonnes, enabling sheet up to 15mm thick to be processed; the bending length is either 3m or 4m, although two machines can be connected together to bend longer parts.

Thanks to the variety of configuration options, the application possibilities are extensive, and an Xpert Pro machine can be flexibly adapted to new requirements through the straightforward retrofitting of optional modules.

For example, if at some point a company wants to bend complex shapes in addition to rectangular parts, a back-gauge with from two to six CNC axes can be retrofitted.

Machines in the Xpert Pro range have also been designed so that tool systems from other suppliers can be used — and an automatic tool-changer is available as an option for an even more efficient change-over between jobs.

Meanwhile, Bystronic’s patented dynamic crowning compensation system ensures bend accuracy and consistency by automatically adjusting the curvature of the beam during the bending process.

Even higher levels of process reliability and repeatability can be achieved using an angle-measuring system called LAMS (available as an option). This compensates for spring-back and deviations in the thickness of the sheet being bent, which can be as much as 10%.

Furthermore, correction data for the particular material can be stored and transferred to other machines, even those not equipped with LAMS.

Bystronic’s ByVision bending software determines the ideal process for every material thickness and bend angle, with offline programming enabling data to be imported without interrupting production.