Leveling is important for sheet metal processing, and automation is becoming more and more important. The trainees at ARKU have combined both in their own project and presented it at the recent Leveling + Deburring InfoDays 2022.

With their own eyes, our InfoDays visitors were able to witness the benefits of sheet metal leveling. An unleveled sheet metal part was bent  (see left angle in the image below) and showed a significant dimensional deviation compared to those parts which were bent after being leveled  (see right angle in the image below).

The bent pieces - of course only the straight ones - are utilized as sensor holders in the EdgeBreaker® 6000 deburring machine. They were manufactured fully automatically in a completely self-made production cell. In this cell, sheet metal strips with a thickness of 5 millimeters are first fed into a parts leveling machine, the EcoMaster® . They are then removed via a robot and placed in a self-built press brake. This press brake had already been built by ARKU trainees during an earlier project. After the angle has been bent, the robot removes it and places it on a conveyor belt to a parts chute for discharge.

Our trainees fully automated the process during their latest project. They also built the parts magazine for the blanks, the parts chute and the fixture for the robot, all on their own. The planning, layout, development of the appropriate kinematics and the creation of the robot programming and software for the entire process were also part of the project. "We are proud that our trainees have mastered the automation processes. After all, automation helps our customers, who are often struggling with the shortage of skilled workers," says Albert Reiss, Managing Partner of ARKU Maschinenbau GmbH.