Automation focus for Bystronic

Bystronic 1060-1_tmbCentre of attention on the Bystronic stand at Southern 2017 was the Xpert 40 press brake. The one-metre / 40-tonne capacity machine is the Swiss company‘s smallest press brake, and one of its fastest selling; over 300 have been sold worldwide in the last two years, 26 of them in Britain and Ireland.

Of particular interest at Southern Manufacturing was the new Mobile Bending Robot available for feeding the Xpert 40, turning it into a compact, automated bending cell for producing 3D sheet metal components. The automation module is wheeled in front of the press brake and simply interfaced to it in a plug-and-play arrangement. In a matter of minutes, users can set up the robotics and load sheet metal blanks for bending.

Programming is carried out conveniently offline and ByVision Bending software allows data to be imported without interrupting the job currently in progress. The result is a cell with a high degree of process reliability that lends itself well to minimally-attended, multi-shift operation.

Retro-fittable to any Xpert 40 press brake in the field, Mobile Bending Robot allows automatic production for larger runs of components, yet rapid access for manual bending of smaller batches and one-offs by quickly setting the robot module aside. All quantities can therefore be produced as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, ideal for subcontractors and other shops where order quantities are unpredictable.

An interesting feature of the cell is that, as the automation module is on wheels and the press brake itself is small enough to be moved by fork lift truck, the entire assembly can be relocated anywhere in a factory to suit variable production needs.

For more information, visit www.bystronic.com

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