The introduction of the compact high-speed press brake represents a major opportunity for fabricators. Compact high-speed press brakes are capable of bending up to two times more parts than conventional hydraulic brakes, making them the perfect complement to the production capabilities of a Fiber laser. With Fiber lasers producing two to three times more parts per unit of time, high-speed bending is a major consideration for eliminating possible bottlenecks at the press brake.
Size Matters
Compact also means portable. These compact press brakes are capable of being moved with an appropriate sized fork truck as the units are already deigned to accept the forks specifically for that purpose. What this means is that the press brake can be moved to where it is needed most and also shortens the transfer distance and time in moving from the cutting operation to the bending operation.
Reducing Non-productive Time
Distance traveled by the operator is another consideration. The less distance the operator has to travel between the control interface and the bending station, the more time will be dedicated to bending and the less time spent on non-productive time.
Self-contained tool storage is another benefit. If the operators have to walk away from the brake to gather tooling, this adds considerable non-productive time, as tooling is often heavy and may take several trips to gather all of the required tooling. Better to locate the tooling directly within reach of the operator when it is stored directly at the press brake.
Speed and Safety
The next big time saver comes into play once the press brake starts the active bending program. Wide-view Fast Bend safety cameras enable faster approach, bending and retract speeds without compromising operator safety, bending speeds of up to 1 inch per second and approach and retract speeds over 590 inches per minute can be safely achieved.
Keeping The Pace
For certain, there are opportunities to be realized with new compact high-speed press brakes. As requirements are different for each production environment, the priority of investing in new technology is based on being able to maintain the pace within your fabrication process as new fiber lasers are capable of producing higher part volumes. Compact high-speed press brakes can eliminate bending bottlenecks.
Follow this link to learn more about Bystronic compact, high-speed press brakes.
By Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing, NAFTA Region
Bystronic Inc., Elgin, IL – Voice.bystronic@bystronic.com