thyssenkrupp Materials Nederland is now able to carry out high-speed sawing, blasting, painting, drilling and milling in one process following an investment in an advanced production line supplied by Voortman Steel Machinery. The improved process offers thyssenkrupp customers even more accurate machining possibilities with shorter lead times, from work preparation to shipping.

The new processing line installed at its Veghel facility, consists of five machines that work seamlessly together — two identical Voortman VB-series sawing machines, the Voortman V631 drilling and milling machine, the Voortman VSB-Range shot-blasting machine and the Voortman VP-Range painting machine. With drilling and milling added, thyssenkrupp Materials Nederland can offer customers a more complete package of operations. It represents another step in relieving customers by reducing internal handling.

Where the company initially focused on separate processes such as blasting, painting and sawing materials, the company recognises that these processes could be carried out more efficiently and that customers were looking for completely processed products and a total solution. One of the reasons is to save time or reduce pressure on manpower. Aware of these challenges, thyssenkrupp sees adding processes with an optimal automated logistics flow as the key to success. Peter Henne, managing director at thyssenkrupp Materials Nederland, said: “With this investment, customers can expect more machining capabilities from us with higher efficiency and flexibility.”

Optimal production
The development of this optimal production line required a thorough analysis of thyssenkrupp’s production data and product mix over the past year. Voortman designed and evaluated various layouts and scenarios. The result is an optimised layout in which steel beams, profiles and bar steel are processed via streamlined efficient routes.

Materials are now automatically blasted and painted by the blasting and painting line and then go either through the Voortman V631 profile drilling and milling machine or directly to one of the two Voortman VB saws, both equipped with a short piece removal system. It is a continuous process where the next profiles are already buffered and automatically transported to the next machine in the line to one of the outfeed locations.

Sorting is straightforward at the outfeed zones with Smart Unloading: screens indicate which materials are ready for shipment. The complete line ensures product traceability, allowing thyssenkrupp to remain ‘in control’ at all times and guarantee reliable delivery times.