Rosso Steel invests in laser blanking line from Schuler

Laser Blanking Line LBL 2.21. Photo: Schuler

The Czech steel service centre Rosso Steel ordered a laser blanking line from Schuler. The LBL 2.21 (for body panels) will be installed at the Zaječí site and is the first Schuler laser blanking line in the Czech Republic which can handle coil weights of up to 30 tonnes, strip widths from 400 to 2,150mm and strip thicknesses from 0.6 to 3mm at a maximum strip speed of 60m/min. The laser blanking line also has two laser cutting heads, each with a rated output of 4kW, and operates at a maximum cutting speed of 100m/min.

Blanking lines with lasers are particularly suitable for production processes with frequent product changes. The system can be used to produce both outer skin blanks and structural parts in high product quality. It is precisely these flexible production conditions that are in demand at Rosso Steel. There is another aspect that speaks for Schuler’s laser blanking line: optimum material utilisation, which ensures cost-effectiveness and efficiency. This is achieved by, among other things, optimised nesting on the material web, the elimination of separating strips between the blanks, the combination of different parts on the material web and the positioning of the blanks at different angles.

Rosso Steel is one of the largest family-owned companies in the Czech Republic. Its two service centres in Zaječí and Mirošov are equipped with ‘state of the art’, partly automated technology. Ultra-high-strength materials up to 1,200 MPa are processed. The company has been operating successfully on the market for over 33 years, purchasing, processing and selling an extensive portfolio of different flat steel products. Every year, up to 180,000 tonnes of steel coils, strips and sheets are supplied to more than 80 regular customers in Central and Eastern Europe. The focus is on the automotive sector, but the products are also used in the building industry, in metal construction and in electrical engineering.

Pictured right: the highly dynamic laser heads cut the contour ‘on-the-fly’ on the continuously moving material belt

The Czech steel service centre sets high standards for punctual just-in-time deliveries from the two warehouses. With its own fleet of trucks and good rail connections at the two centres, the goods can be delivered to the customer quickly and by the shortest route. Here too, Schuler’s new system technology will be an important building block in terms of reliability.

In order to offer its customers the best possible service and maintain a high standard in all processes, Rosso Steel is constantly investing in its plants. The new technology from Schuler, represents a further step towards increasing efficiency as well as speeding up production processes.

As the laser blanking line eliminates die-related downtimes or increased changeover times and the system usually only stops briefly when a coil is changed, this technology usually has a higher OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) than a conventional cutting system. Production of the new system is scheduled to start at the beginning of November next year.

Schuler will present its latest solutions for forming technology at EuroBLECH 2024, which is taking place 22-25 October in Hanover (Hall 27, Stand G82).