Baden-Baden, Germany - Word is spreading among sheet metal experts about the advantages of cutting directly from coil via lasers: ARKU Maschinenbau and its partner TRUMPF welcomed around 100 guests, including guests from other European countries, to TecDay in Baden-Baden.
The focus of the event at the ARKU Maschinenbau premises was on coil-fed laser blanking lines. TRUMPF and ARKU have jointly developed such a system. Thanks to the combination of coil and laser, the two world market leaders offer their users the advantages of both worlds. The result is a fully automated system with a centralized control unit that is ready for fully automated production.
Coil-fed laser blanking line live in operation
The highlight of the event was the trip to Achern to visit the fischer group. Interested parties were able to see a coil laser system live in operation and have their questions answered directly on-site. The automotive supplier uses the system for its new aluminum hot-formed parts business segment. It mainly produces structural components such as sills, A and B pillars or door rings made from 6000 series aluminum alloys. "The coil-fed laser blanking line is at the very beginning of our process chain. We use it to cut parts from the sheet metal before they are formed," says Marc Schweizer, Business Development Manager at the fischer group. The new system offers numerous advantages for production, for example, changes to blank cutting with the coil laser system only require a small adjustment with the software. "If we were stamping, such a change would be a much larger project," explains Schweizer. In addition, the waste is minimal because the parts can be better nested on the virtually endless coil. With stamping blanks, on the other hand, there is always a certain margin - and that is wasted material. "Ultimately, the coil-fed laser blanking line offers us a high degree of flexibility," explains Schweizer.
After being welcomed by ARKU Managing Director Dr. Jochen Kappler, visitors to the TecDay were able to find out more about the technology during presentations. On behalf of ARKU, Johannes Decker, Sales Manager Coil Lines at ARKU, explained why leveling before laser cutting is so important. "Every coil has certain defects that you want to remove," he says. In the simplest case, it is the coil curvature, but depending on the supplier and quality, there are other defects as well. The coil curvature and other bends in the sheet metal indicate residual stresses that impair further downstream processes.
Prepare the sheet metal for processing
In order to optimally prepare the sheet metal material for further processing, the sheet metal workers should level it in the best possible way. In the ARKU leveler, rollers plastically deform the sheet metal, with the bend becoming smaller and smaller towards the outlet. "The size of the leveling rollers ultimately determines which material can be leveled on the machine," explains Decker.
Oliver Müllerschön, Head of Specialized Sales Laser Blanking at TRUMPF, presented the coil-fed laser blanking line in more detail on behalf of TRUMPF. The Ditzingen-based machine manufacturer sells it under the name TruLaser 8000 Coil Edition. "The advantages for users are higher productivity due to the elimination of blank changing times, lower material costs and less material waste," he emphasizes. TRUMPF has calculated that the purchase prices for coil material are around 15 percent lower than for comparable blanks. In addition, material utilization is improved by 20 percent thanks to optimal nesting.
Coil-fed laser blanking line relatively easy to install
The installation of the coil-fed laser blanking line itself does not involve any major modifications. For example, no pit is required; the system is built on the existing shop floor level. A bridge serves as a buffer station between the leveling and laser cutting processes. This buffer is necessary because laser cutting takes place on a stationary sheet metal part. "We deliberately avoid cutting the sheet metal on the fly. This allows us to achieve much more precise cuts," says Müllerschön. During this time, the leveling process continues at minimum speed, as marks would be created on the sheet if it stopped.
Following the successful TecDay, ARKU Maschinenbau will provide further information on coil processing specifically for laser cutting companies at its InfoDays Leveling + Deburring. At the same time, visitors will be able to experience the latest leveling and deburring machines for sheet metal parts and parts handling live. The in-house exhibition will take place from April 22 to 26 in Baden-Baden.
