The innovative press brake technologies we’ve introduced recently caught the eye of the editors at FabShop Magazine. In their November edition, they examined some of the breakthroughs and how they can impact a shop. Among others, they discussed how the advances can help with automatic tool changer (ATC) flexibility, tool cleaning, augmented-reality operator assistance, and drive system efficiency.
ATC flexibility
“One thing we discovered was every tool changer is fixed for a certain material range,” Our national press brake product manager, David Bray, said in the article. “You can only use the tools that are in the tool changer and it is relatively complicated to change those tools. You aren’t changing them out on a weekly or monthly basis. When you order the tool changers, whatever the capacity of the changer, you are limiting to the tools you have in there.”
The TC32 addresses this directly. It can go 32 m with standard tool storage and an optional 52 m for tool storage. Plus, the tools do not have to be in the changer for the press brake to be used, providing flexibility to use the machine as a standalone press brake.
Tool cleaning
Another one of the more common things we heard from customers in our research was the need for a better way to clean tools. The TC32 cleans tools and the bed automatically, before loading them and before putting them back in storage, eliminating secondary operations.
Augmented-reality operator assistance
Learning to operate a press brake has never been easier. The VIDERE system displays real-time, real-size, and real-location information that is displayed directly to the operator. David described it in the article saying, “This augmented reality system displays the control info, such as the tooling, the bend sequence, and the 3-D part, on the front of the machine. It allows the operator to see factors like how the part is being presented, the setup, and how to orient the part. If you have an operator that has never run a press brake, it can teach the operator how to bend the customer’s parts in real-time at the machine.”
Drive system
The BH Dual Drive system controls high-speed up and down movement with a ballscrew and controls bending with the servo-hydraulic piston. While competitive press brakes must travel a certain distance to reach the maximum speed, this system is at full torque and speed as soon as the foot peddle is hit for extreme accuracy and efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, the system also saves energy by storing the energy of the down movement and returning it during the up.
To read more about these features and others, click here to read the full FabShop article.