Picture: The new, easy-to-operate machine control from Schwarze-Robitec clocks the individual working steps synchronously for time-optimised production.

 

The rising costs for raw materials and energy make it clear: to remain competitive in the future, it is imperative to handle resources particularly carefully, to tighten production process and thereby increase efficiency.

The resource Man can also be supported with labor-saving solutions, thereby also increasing repeating accuracy. To design tube processing especially resource-conserving and efficient, Schwarze-Robitec has developed a series of sustainable solutions over the last years.

These include, for example, the integrated residual length optimisation for tube bending machines for the automobile industry suppliers, which reduce residual tube lengths to a minimum, thereby making considerable material savings. Trials have shown that the material input, depending on the respective tube system, could be reduced by up to 20 percent.

The Terminal-End-Bender, which is used for the manufacture of tube systems in power plant construction, bends in both directions conducted subsequently at the rear end of the produced tube coil without having to interrupt the fully automatic manufacturing process. Therefore, the Terminal-End-Bender essentially helps to save time.

A further new development of the tube bending specialist are the rapid clamping systems for bending tools in series and mass production, which enable fast and easy tool change.

Unproductive set-up times are reduced significantly.

The bending machine CNC 60 E TB MR which is equipped with multi-tools, allows production of different radii as well as bend-in-bend systems. It is particularly suitable for the manufacture of exhaust pipes with a bending radius of 1 x D without straight intermediate lengths between two bends.

Thanks to the multi-bend tools, set-up times are reduced to a minimum. Further cost savings can be achieved with the separating system integrated in the bending system. Here, several individual tubes are coupled to one bending program and are separated after bending with maximum speed by means of the separator.

As clamping and support lengths are not required, there is considerably less material loss and scrap.

Time saving and work-simplifying control

Time saving was a central aspect in developing the new machine control. The control software brought onto the market in 2014 reduces non-productive times to a minimum, as the original sequence of the bending process is broken up and the individual steps are arranged synchronously.

The integrated diagnostics and maintenance tool guides the operator comfortably through all setting and optimisation steps and checks all data reliably for validity. If the machine operator forgets to define a parameter, the tool will remind him of it. Equipped with a touchscreen it can be operated intuitively which also contributes towards making work easier and leads to a productivity increase of up to 25 percent.

The operation of the machine while this is running and during the set-up is designed extremely simple. The well thought-out operating concept makes it possible to familiarise new employees in only a few hours.