FabShop Magazine - March 2012 - 18

››› PREss BRaKE RounduP
the self-seating.” On a conventional setup, an operator would have to run the RAM down, seat the tools and then lock it down into place manually. While someone with a conventional setup is still tightening up their tooling, the Safan operator is already bending. Safan offers 100-percent-electric press brakes from 20 metric tons to 300 metric tons in bending lengths from 800 mm to 4,100 mm and with open heights of up to 990 mm. With the Safan press brake’s E-Control, a lot of thinking is already done for the operator. The database learns as it goes. If an operator is working with a new type of material and programs a few parameters, the control will do much of the calculating. “The next time you go to pull material, the E-Control will ask you if you want to use the database,” says Dittus. “It programs all of the material’s information. All the operator has to do is input his bend information.” The control also doesn’t allow a user to jump from the first step to the last step. If something doesn’t make sense, it won’t let the user progress until a correction is made. And with its conventional wisdom, the database can help a user with that, too. It indicates where to make the correction to ensure an accurate bend. With all of these unique features being offered by these press brake manufacturers, operator-induced bottlenecks can be a thing of the past. Trumpf Bystronic MC Machinery Safan-Comeq

The Safan press brake allows a robot to be mounted on an overhead gantry on the top of the press brake. safan Doing things the conventional way can be interpreted two ways. It can mean relying on the tried and true, but it can also hint at a hesitation to try something different. Safan, a metal-forming equipment manufacturer, delivers convention in the sense of comfort and familiarity, but it has no apprehension when it comes to innovation. Safan press brakes include automation in a conventional sense where a robot can be retrofitted on a machine; its R-Brake, however, offers something unique. “The R-Brake is a fully integrated system; its design is revolutionary by taking the robot off the floor to a gantry mounted on top of the machine,” says Dittus. “It doesn’t matter whether you mount the robot on the floor or upside down; there are no confines. By taking it off the floor, you free up a lot of floor space.” And a lot of time. According to Dittus, the robot actually works inverted, with the gantry extending beyond the frame of the press brake. Operators are able to run the robot to the extreme left or right, and the gantry is extendable indefinitely. When setting up tooling, Safan teams up with its long-time partner Wila to provide hydraulic clamping. In terms of setup time, the machine has a one-touch operation to seat and secure the tools. In terms of the Wila partnership, tried and true is the only way to go. “From unclamping to loading, a 500-mm section can take usually about five seconds,” Dittus explains. “Comparing the speed versus doing it the conventional way with side-load tooling, the Safan is much quicker because of

FabShop Magazine - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of FabShop Magazine - March 2012