BLM 10 ENG.qxp:BLM intero ITA imp - BLM Group
BLM 10 ENG.qxp:BLM intero ITA imp - BLM Group
BLM 10 ENG.qxp:BLM intero ITA imp - BLM Group
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INSPIRED for<br />
TUBE<br />
www.blmgroup.com<br />
No. <strong>10</strong> - 2009<br />
<strong>ENG</strong>
Contents<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
2<br />
pdf version and other news can be found in:<br />
www.blmgroup.com<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
Inspired for tube By<br />
Communication<br />
<strong>BLM</strong> GROUP<br />
Antonio Farese<br />
Emanuela Colombo<br />
Giovanni Zacco<br />
Cristina Guzzetti<br />
e-mail: pr@blm.it<br />
tel. +39 031 7070 200<br />
4<br />
8<br />
<strong>10</strong><br />
14<br />
18<br />
20<br />
22<br />
Contents<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
Produced by<br />
<strong>BLM</strong> GROUP<br />
Via Selvaregina 30<br />
22063 Cantù (CO) Italy<br />
www.blmgroup.com<br />
Number<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
Nr. <strong>10</strong> - 3/2009<br />
JOBSHOP<br />
Small companies grow<br />
EVENT<br />
A more complete range<br />
AUTOMOTIVE<br />
Each project has its own “cell”<br />
JOBSHOP<br />
As added value ... The lasertube<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
LT8 the new frontier<br />
in lasertube systems<br />
HEALTHCARE<br />
Strong, stable and light<br />
JOBSHOP<br />
“Doing something others don’t”<br />
Design and Graphics by<br />
Studio Grafico Page<br />
Vincenzo De Rosa<br />
Fabrizio Santini<br />
Printed by<br />
Intergrafica Verona S.r.l.<br />
Verona<br />
Fotografie<br />
Fabrizio Santini<br />
Aeffe<br />
Reproduction, even only in<br />
part, of the articles and illustrations<br />
published in this<br />
newsletter is strictly prohibited<br />
unless otherwise<br />
authorised.
OPINION<br />
Emanuela Colombo, Anna Mascheroni, Pietro Colombo, Paolo Colombo<br />
Where Innovation Delivers Real Value<br />
From 16 to 27 March 2009 <strong>BLM</strong>GROUP will be<br />
holding INTUBE09, the <strong>Group</strong>’s Open House,<br />
an event that usually occurs every two years<br />
open to all customers. The theme of this event<br />
is “Where Innovation Delivers Real Value”.<br />
The most complete and innovative range of<br />
tube, wire and section manipulation technology<br />
in the world will be exhibited on 7,000 sqm<br />
floor space..<br />
Each solution on display shows how it is possible to deliver real value using the <strong>BLM</strong><br />
GROUP’s machines and systems in order to:<br />
reduce manufacturing costs<br />
develop new products<br />
integrate multiple operation into a single process<br />
assure all the required flexibility to win new business in changing environment.<br />
Other reasons why you should not miss this appointment are :<br />
first time that all seven models of the Lasertube family are exhibited altogether<br />
live laser cutting demo of tubes from <strong>10</strong> to 508 mm and combined tube-sheet metal<br />
the première of the latest generation of LT8 lasertube cutting system for tubes up<br />
to 220 mm<br />
the complete line of all-electric tube bending and tube end forming machines<br />
the new on-line Web Remote Teleservice (WRT), e-Learning, e-Support and Webinar<br />
new applications to cut tubes made of high-reflecting material by means of fibre<br />
laser source<br />
last but not least it is the first time that the Open House is being held at the Levico’s<br />
premises of <strong>BLM</strong> GROUP, still unknown to many customers involved in tube forming<br />
only.<br />
Pietro Colombo<br />
President & CEO<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
3
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
4<br />
At AL.PI Srl, Italy, 80% of the stainless steel tubes used in the production<br />
process is worked by laser on three lasertube systems.<br />
Small companies<br />
grow<br />
AL.PI Srl, located in Rosà in the province of Vicenza<br />
has been in the precision metal fabrication<br />
and stainless steel, iron and aluminium tube<br />
processing business since 1985. The family-run<br />
company with 15 employees is managed directly<br />
by the owners Mrs. Luciana Meneghetti, Managing<br />
Director and her daughters Daniela and<br />
Sara Alberton, head of the administration and<br />
personnel departments respectively and by Davide<br />
Moresco and Lago Simone, production and<br />
technical manager.<br />
The activity is substantially divided into two production<br />
lines: the traditional one that gave ori-<br />
gin to the company in the processing of hydraulic<br />
tubular components for industrial cleaning systems<br />
used in restaurants, bars and community<br />
centres; and the most recent division relating to<br />
the service sector for furniture, solar and photovoltaic<br />
panel supports, automobile and farm<br />
equipment components.<br />
Lasertube planning<br />
The extensive know-how that has been grown<br />
from the processing of stainless steel for washing<br />
machine components using materials such<br />
as AISI 304 and 316 that are not easy to cut,<br />
punch, lathe or weld has been a launching pad
for the introduction of lasertube processing and<br />
for the development of the service centre.<br />
80% of the tubes currently used are laser<br />
processed according to the specifications using<br />
three ADIGE systems. Other operations include<br />
fabrication of structural steelworks, end machining,<br />
forming and TIG/MIG welding with associated<br />
tightness tests.<br />
“Even in our specific field - explains Davide Moresco<br />
- stainless steel tubes are replacing sheet metal because<br />
of the benefits: greater savings in raw materials<br />
thanks to thinner walls and greater structural<br />
resistance of the tubes. The use of open profiles<br />
(flat, C and L sections) now can replace sheet met-<br />
al even where hollow sections are not required.<br />
“Since the first Lasertube LT652 system that was<br />
installed in 2001, we have come a long way as<br />
far as technology is concerned” recalls Davide<br />
Moresco. “Customers have understood the potential<br />
of using tubes and are now able to design<br />
components for laser cutting”.<br />
“Turnkey” oriented<br />
A development that has not been easy with a lot<br />
of imagination and DIY. Daniela Alberton tells us<br />
of “how in 2002 AL.PI Srl exhibited at the first trade<br />
fair, inventing samples and displays ad hoc.<br />
Nowadays, we still exhibit proselytising the laser-<br />
Alberton Sara,<br />
Meneghetti Luciana,<br />
Alberton Daniela.<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
5
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
6<br />
tube processes that continue to be valid systems<br />
and make us stand out”. To see the level of imagination<br />
come to life all you have to do is take a look<br />
at the chairs and benches that furnish the office<br />
entrance, which are made entirely of stainless<br />
steel tube.<br />
“Thanks to the service centre, our most varied<br />
clientele can benefit from all the know-how we<br />
can provide not only as far as cutting is concerned,<br />
but also complete ready to be assembled<br />
pieces. Our strength” continues Davide<br />
Moresco “is to be “turnkey” oriented as much<br />
as possible. We follow everything through starting<br />
from the design stage”.<br />
These are not <strong>imp</strong>ulsive words, even<br />
if they are said with the typical boldness<br />
of a young person. When you<br />
know how to process stainless steel<br />
and you have three lasertube systems<br />
of three different generations (LT652,<br />
LT712D and LT722D), you can quite<br />
safely say that you know how to run the<br />
machines. In addition there is also the<br />
new potential of the ArTube program-<br />
ming software, the latest ADIGE development for<br />
its lasertube systems.<br />
Meticulous craftsmanship<br />
and top technology<br />
The new facilities that AL.PI Srl moved to a few<br />
months ago seems to be more like a laboratory<br />
than a mechanical workshop. Even the components<br />
produced in small and medium batches<br />
give the meticulous characteristics of craftsmanship<br />
combined with top technology of the machining<br />
processes. It is sufficient to take a look at<br />
the wide range of samples to understand how a<br />
broad range of technologies can be gathered<br />
combining the “cut & bend” feature on a round<br />
tube to achieve tight bends from a single piece,<br />
or creating a tank by using 150 mm diameter<br />
tubes, cut and testing them for water tightness.<br />
The company is currently in the process of ISO<br />
9001 certification, but has been working in compliance<br />
with the standards for some time now; an<br />
acknowledgement that has already been confirmed<br />
by the market that day after day makes<br />
AL.PI Srl a successful small company.
Moresco Davide, Alberton Daniela, Lago Simone,<br />
Meneghetti Luciana and Sgarbossa Laura.<br />
AL.PI S.R.L.<br />
Via dell’Artigianato, 24<br />
Zona Ind. San Pietro<br />
36027 Rosà (VI) - Italy<br />
Tel (+39) 0424.89.85.89<br />
Fax (+39) 0424.89.85.90<br />
info@alpilaser.it<br />
www.alpilaser.it<br />
Jobshop<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
7
Event<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
8<br />
With the acquisition of Officina Meccanica Montorfano Sas the <strong>BLM</strong> GROUP<br />
now adds high-tech wire and tube bending systems to its production range<br />
A more complete range<br />
With the acquisition of Officina Meccanica Montorfano<br />
Sas Cantù (CO), a company specialised<br />
in the manufacture of patented double-head<br />
wire and tube bending systems, <strong>BLM</strong> SPA<br />
broadens its range of technological systems<br />
even further.<br />
As of 13 January 2009 all the design, produc-<br />
tion, sales and technical personnel has been<br />
incorporated in the <strong>BLM</strong> SPA headquarters at<br />
Cantù.<br />
Full-speed ahead!!<br />
Officina Meccanica Montorfano Sas has been<br />
in the business for over 40 years and is a completion<br />
to the range of high-tech tube bending<br />
systems with its high-production bending solutions<br />
for wire, bar, flat sections and for reinforced<br />
electrical heaters.<br />
The patented double-head automatic bending<br />
machines of the DH2000 series double the productivity<br />
and complete complex processes on<br />
wire and/or tube from precut bars or coils in a<br />
single cycle without any need for setup or adjustments.<br />
The advantages are many, but to name but a<br />
few:<br />
High productivity thanks to the bending operation<br />
of the two heads at the same time<br />
Left-hand/right-hand and variable radius bending<br />
on the same head using the same tool<br />
Central locking of the piece to make closed<br />
and/or folded shapes and better control of<br />
piece deflection<br />
Bending of twin pieces with automatic cutting<br />
to separate them after being bent<br />
Suitable for pieces with prewelded or flexible<br />
parts and for bending reinforced electrical<br />
heaters<br />
José Alexio Santiago
<strong>BLM</strong> SPA<br />
Via Selvaregina, 30<br />
22063 Cantù (CO) Italy<br />
tel. +39 031 7070200<br />
fax +39 031 715911<br />
e-mail: vendite@blm.it<br />
The main applications of the wire bending machines are:<br />
Automotive Seating components, brake - wiper - steering column tubes even preassembled<br />
with hose, jack lever reinforcements, torsion and anti-break-in bars<br />
Domestic appliances Wire racks and grids for ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators and gas hobs, tubular<br />
serpentine, reinforced electrical heaters<br />
Internal-external furnishing Bathroom fittings, wire and tube chairs, kitchen components and accessories<br />
Shop equipment Trolleys, baskets and display stands<br />
Industrial building Bar structures, reinforced concrete bars, structural grids, industrial heaters<br />
Hospital equipment Bed components and healthcare equipment, drip stand<br />
Children and toys Pushchair and pram frames and frames for toys, such as handles, pedals, etc.<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED FOR TUBE Event<br />
9
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Automotive<br />
<strong>10</strong><br />
The production philosophy at Caparo<br />
Tube Components Ltd, UK is based<br />
on dedicated automatic cells supplied by the <strong>BLM</strong> GROUP<br />
Each project<br />
has its own “cell”<br />
According to Caparo Tube Components Ltd’s Managing<br />
Director, Phil Begley, two major orders were secured during<br />
2007 because <strong>BLM</strong> GROUP UK Ltd undertook to<br />
supply the necessary production equipment within extremely<br />
acute delivery targets. The total investment<br />
amounted to £1.4 million, with 90% of the equipment and<br />
tooling being ordered from <strong>BLM</strong>. “I was confident that<br />
Paul Lake and his team would deliver and install to plan,”<br />
says Phil Begley. “Both the CTC and <strong>BLM</strong> engineering<br />
teams worked extremely hard to deliver numerous projects/parts<br />
within a timescale of weeks, which was an<br />
amazing achievement and why we have continued to<br />
work with <strong>BLM</strong>.”<br />
Caparo Tube Components Ltd (CTC), part of the £1 billion<br />
turnover Caparo <strong>Group</strong>, manufactures a range of tubular<br />
components and assemblies, predominantly for<br />
the European automotive sector. Although the West Midlands<br />
site’s history extends back to 1927, it houses a manufacturing<br />
facility that uses 21st century technology to<br />
produce a varied range of bespoke assemblies, fabrications<br />
and components.<br />
In its role as a first and second tier supplier CTC offers<br />
customers what Simon Baxter, Sales Manager, describes<br />
as “full support throughout the product design and development<br />
cycles and on to the delivery of the finished<br />
component”. To achieve its stringent quality and traceability<br />
objectives, the ISO 9001/ISO 14001 accredited<br />
company has put in place a manufacturing sequence<br />
than extends from the supply of steel strip and steel tube<br />
production in the adjacent Caparo Precision Tubes, to<br />
tube bending, forming, laser profiling, welding, press<br />
work, machining, finishing and assembly within CTC. In<br />
this way full traceability can be assured, and accreditation<br />
to the TS 16949 automotive industry standard means<br />
that components can be delivered straight to line.<br />
Each cell is a dedicated cell<br />
The majority of CTC’s output is delivered through manufacturing<br />
cells dedicated to specific customer projects.<br />
One example is fuel filler pipe assemblies. The main pipe<br />
cell comprises of a <strong>BLM</strong> E-TURN 40 all-electric left- and<br />
right-hand CNC tube bending machine and two <strong>BLM</strong><br />
AST<strong>10</strong>0NC CNC tube end forming machines. The 35<br />
mm diameter main fuel filler pipe is given a double bead<br />
form (hose connection) on the first AST<strong>10</strong>0 and then bent<br />
to shape on the E-TURN 40 tube bender. The other end<br />
of the tube, which will become the main filler neck, is<br />
expanded on the second AST<strong>10</strong>0 using three punches<br />
and rotary trimmed, using a unique ‘swarfless’ capability<br />
and/or rotary facing tool to remove the required <strong>10</strong> to<br />
15 mm trim length, before the tube end is curled over to<br />
form the cap lip.<br />
The use of multi-station end formers minimises, or in<br />
this case eliminates, changeover times and allows the<br />
use of more than one punch to produce high quality, highly<br />
accurate end forms. This single set-up approach has<br />
the added benefit of eliminating the compounded errors<br />
that inevitably result from the traditional multi-machine approach.<br />
A second manufacturing cell comprising of a <strong>BLM</strong><br />
AST25N multi-station tube end forming machine and a<br />
<strong>BLM</strong> Dynamo MR<strong>10</strong>0E five-axis tube bending machine,<br />
produces the 15 mm diameter breather pipe, with the first<br />
operation again producing a double bead form on one
Simon Baxter<br />
end of the tube prior to bending. End forming tools for<br />
other diameters and forms of breather pipe can be premounted<br />
if required, thereby eliminating non-productive<br />
changeover time, while the mounting of different diameter<br />
tooling on the Dynamo tube bender also eliminates<br />
downtime when changing from one size of tube to another.<br />
With a cycle time typically of 1.5 seconds per bend,<br />
CTC is confident that it has now achieved the highest<br />
possible output while maintaining optimum repeatability.<br />
Right first time<br />
Dean Newey, CTC’s Operations and Engineering Manager,<br />
believes that the all-electric drive technology featured<br />
in <strong>BLM</strong>’s E-TURN and E-BEND CNC tube benders<br />
has revolutionised the tube bending process. “The accuracy<br />
and repeatability that we can achieve using <strong>BLM</strong>’s<br />
technology in our tubular components is far superior to<br />
anything else we have seen before and changeovers<br />
take just a few minutes. As such, we are confident that<br />
we are offering our customers the best possible quality<br />
products on top of considerable production efficiencies”,<br />
he says. “Our bends are ‘right first time’ and the process<br />
of tube bending is no longer a ‘black art’.”<br />
As an example, he instances a high volume order placed<br />
with CTC because a competitor had experienced seri-<br />
ous quality and supply issues. The downside was that<br />
the deadline to begin production seemed <strong>imp</strong>ossible<br />
to meet. “Following on from our initial contact with <strong>BLM</strong>,<br />
we had off-tool samples within four weeks and the new<br />
E-BEND 90 installed and working at full rate within six<br />
weeks. From day one we produced what we knew was<br />
going to be a demanding job within a tolerance of ±0.5<br />
mm with no problems whatsoever and running the machine<br />
24/7. The component involved was a 70 mm diameter<br />
by 3 mm wall thickness steel tube component<br />
with three tight radius bends. Even more remarkable was<br />
that we never had to change the bending parameters,<br />
even though the material specification varied slightly from<br />
batch to batch.”<br />
The choice of the E-BEND 90 was made because of the<br />
requirement to produce left- and right-hand suspension<br />
cross member components. As it is a multi-stack<br />
machine, left- and right-hand tooling can be mounted<br />
in a single set-up. As well as eliminating costly tool<br />
changeovers, CTC was able to bend left-hand and righthand<br />
parts in sequence, which <strong>imp</strong>roved the process<br />
flow and provided better control of subsequent manufacturing<br />
operations.<br />
The bending cycle time was also an <strong>imp</strong>ortant consideration.<br />
This was kept to the absolute minimum as the E-<br />
CAPARO TUBE<br />
COMPONENTS<br />
PO Box 14<br />
Rood End Road Oldbury<br />
West Midlands B69 4NN<br />
+44 (0)121 543 2<strong>10</strong>0<br />
sales@caparoprecisiontubes.co.uk<br />
www.caparotubecomponents.com<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009<br />
11
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Automotive<br />
12<br />
BEND 90’s VGP 3D software could simultaneously<br />
move and control each of the machine’s 13 axes individually.<br />
For example, the clamp position on a traditional<br />
hydraulic bending machine is either open or<br />
closed, and the distance between these two positions<br />
can be as much as 150 mm. This means that<br />
after each bend the clamp has to retract and, in<br />
some cases, the bend arm cannot return to zero<br />
until the clamp has reached its open position.<br />
This can take up to 1.5 seconds, which does<br />
not seem much, but on volumes of, say,<br />
150,000 components this wasted time<br />
soon adds up.<br />
However, on the all-electric E-BEND 90, and any other<br />
of <strong>BLM</strong>’s all-electric tube benders, the clamp movement<br />
on or off can be controlled infinitely. This means that a<br />
‘clamp off’ distance of 150 mm does not need to be made<br />
on every bend. Instead, it may be as little as 5 or <strong>10</strong> mm,<br />
thus contributing significant cycle time savings.<br />
Targeted investments<br />
Typical tube products manufactured by CTC for automotive<br />
applications include fuel filler pipes, steering rack<br />
tubes, car seat frames, suspension components, car<br />
cross beams, oil and water pipes, chassis components,<br />
and side <strong>imp</strong>act door beams. The preferred tube manipulation<br />
route, according to Simon Baxter, is to set up<br />
a new stand-alone cell that is either specific to a product<br />
(as with the suspension arm cell) or to a family of products<br />
(as with the fuel filler pipe cells). This, he says, provides<br />
an ideal opportunity to evaluate current methods<br />
and, when appropriate, to invest in new technology. “We<br />
installed the fuel filler main pipe cell because, although<br />
we could do the work on existing equipment, the projected<br />
volumes meant working a three-shift system and<br />
excessive overtime as well as leaving no room for customer’s<br />
schedule variations. The new cell has also given<br />
CTC the additional capability needed to attract similar<br />
work from other customers.”<br />
This has proved to be perceptive as the automotive industry<br />
is currently reducing its output. However, the decline<br />
has been countered by an increase in aerospace<br />
work and orders gained from other industry sectors. Investment<br />
continues because many automotive and aerospace<br />
projects have long lead times and CTC quotes for<br />
new business on the premise that, according to Simon<br />
Baxter, “if we don’t have the capacity now, we will make<br />
sure that it is in place before the project is ready to run”.<br />
He says that the choice of machine tool is influenced<br />
by price but points out that CTC also takes account of<br />
the performance of existing machines and the service<br />
and support provided to keep them running. “We cannot<br />
afford for a machine to be down, not least because<br />
there may be penalty clauses involved,” he says. “It is<br />
better to have some overcapacity, although we don’t want<br />
machines standing idle for long periods of time.”
“As a supplier, <strong>BLM</strong> GROUP ticks all the boxes,” says<br />
Dean Newey. “What really appeals is the flexibility and<br />
reliability of these machines, which is a ‘must have’ given<br />
the demanding and fast changing nature of the automotive<br />
business. With thousands of machine installations<br />
world-wide <strong>BLM</strong> has shown that it can provide<br />
a total solution, whether it is for tube bending, end forming,<br />
sawing or laser tube cutting, and as individual machines,<br />
dedicated cells or integrated manufacturing<br />
solutions.”<br />
CTC has a total of 17 <strong>BLM</strong> machine tools, 12 of which<br />
have been installed in the last two years, including a <strong>BLM</strong><br />
LT 712D CNC tube laser installed in 2007. This is a significant<br />
indication of Caparo’s commitment to investment<br />
in modern day, high technology equipment to provide<br />
customers with high quality products at the lowest possible<br />
price per part. One job, a rectangular hollow section<br />
radiator support beam, would previously have required<br />
tube to be cut to length on a production saw,<br />
deburred, manipulated on a tube bender, the holes drilled<br />
or punched, each end trimmed to 45 degrees, and a final<br />
deburring operation.<br />
This component is now completely laser profiled - all<br />
the holes cut and both ends mitred - in a single hit<br />
on a fully automatic basis before being completed<br />
by the final bending operation. In addition to cycle<br />
time savings, several operations have been taken<br />
out of the process and this has eliminated the re-<br />
quirement for dedicated hard tooling and fixturing.<br />
“As there is no tooling involved with the laser it is very<br />
quick and inexpensive to make changes to any component<br />
and to produce prototypes,” says Simon Baxter.<br />
“The laser can also etch a component, whether for<br />
identification proposes or to act as a positioning guide<br />
for a subsequent bending operation or to provide a<br />
guide to correct assembly.”<br />
Caparo Tube Components Ltd shares its Oldbury site<br />
with Caparo Accles & Pollock Ltd, which manufactures<br />
high integrity, thin wall, stainless steel and titanium<br />
tubular assemblies for the aerospace, medical,<br />
automotive and power generation sectors.<br />
Caparo Accles & Pollock is now planning to expand<br />
its advanced bending, welding and forming capability<br />
and, says Phil Begley, “<strong>BLM</strong> is the obvious<br />
choice to supply the two additional tube bending machines<br />
that will be needed in 2009”.<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED FOR TUBE Automotive<br />
13
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
14<br />
At Danieli Laser Cut s.r.l., Italy, the lasertube system is the real added value.<br />
It was fundamental to have believed in its potential before others.<br />
As added value ...<br />
The lasertube<br />
Danieli Laser Cut s.r.l., a family-run business,<br />
located in Castelgoberto, in the province of Vicenza,<br />
has grown over the years to turn into one<br />
of the most far-sighted examples of laser job<br />
shops in Italy for processing sheet metal and<br />
tubes.<br />
“Sheet metal” and “tube” are two distinct divisions<br />
as far as the internal logistics are concerned<br />
even though one is the natural complement<br />
of the other. The need to provide the<br />
best layout and the most rational production<br />
flow made it necessary to organise the work in<br />
well-dedicated areas.<br />
Experience makes<br />
a difference<br />
Danieli Laser Cut was among the first Italian<br />
companies to install a lasertube cutting system<br />
and since 1996 its role has evolved from being<br />
a pure “OEM supplier” to become a partner,<br />
working closely and alongside the customer,<br />
thanks to Dino Danieli, a constant promoter of<br />
the process.<br />
“Work is not only technology, but it is also the<br />
result of close relations with customers and the<br />
service that one is able to guarantee” says Mr.<br />
Danieli. “However, it is necessary to invest and<br />
keep updated on the technologies so that you<br />
can become versatile and respond punctually<br />
to the market requirements that are increasingly<br />
demanding and changing, trying to perceive<br />
the potential requirements ahead of time in order<br />
to buy targeted machines and solutions and<br />
not make the wrong choices”.<br />
Both decisions, first to invest in sheet metal cutting<br />
and then in tube laser cutting technology<br />
follow this direction; but the second investment<br />
made in February 2004 was the real added value.<br />
Having believed in the potential of lasertube<br />
systems before anyone else was fundamental.<br />
“Demands are now almost exclusively for the
supply of finished and complete products, which<br />
means that tube processing cannot disregard<br />
sheet metal and vice versa” states Dino. “The<br />
two technologies are complementary and interact<br />
to create an inseparable union, which led<br />
us to choose flat cutting with the first laser system<br />
specifically for tube cutting. The choice<br />
turned out to be a winner as the Adige LT702D<br />
lasertube system distinguished the company<br />
because at the time (and we’re only talking<br />
about five years ago) there were only a few competitors<br />
who could process both elements with<br />
good quality.<br />
Those who, like us, foresaw the possibilities of<br />
the lasertube system are a step ahead. The gap<br />
of experience gained and the know-how acquired<br />
from the beginning certainly make a difference”.<br />
Conceived, created and<br />
achieved With tube<br />
Nowadays, there are not many job shops who<br />
are convinced and have the right tools to<br />
process tube; but those who, like Danieli, invested<br />
a long time ago represent the ultimate<br />
expression in technological terms of engineering<br />
and skills to provide new solutions to their<br />
customers, who use tube as an innovative design<br />
concept and the most economical component.<br />
“Since we have been using the lasertube system<br />
- explains Dino - almost all the structures<br />
we produce have been conceived, created and<br />
made with laser cut tubular components. The<br />
advantages are undeniable both in terms of the<br />
considerable precision with which the parts are<br />
coupled, and the cost reductions. The <strong>imp</strong>lementation<br />
and production cycle is shorter and<br />
more economical compared to a structure made<br />
of sheet metal. At that point, we were looking<br />
for tube cutter with bigger O.D. capacity in order<br />
to widen our range”.<br />
The market immediately highlighted the <strong>imp</strong>ortance<br />
of being able to process sections even<br />
greater than 150 mm that could be cut on the<br />
LT702D so that more complex applications<br />
Dino Danieli<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009<br />
15
Jobshop<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
16<br />
could be approached. For example, we are talking<br />
about artistic coverings of buildings, where<br />
Dino’s inspiration and his origin and skill as a<br />
surveyor have found a fundamental ally in the<br />
new LT8 lasertube installed towards the end<br />
of last year.<br />
Growing by diversifying<br />
the sectors<br />
Today, Danieli Laser Cut’s shop offers two flat<br />
bed laser cutting systems, one of which has a<br />
high production capacity with linear motors, a<br />
combined punching and laser cutting machine<br />
and two Adige lasertube cutting systems that<br />
cover a working range from 12 to 220 mm tube<br />
diameter.This means that there are five different<br />
laser systems, each one designed for a specific<br />
use and job, which further confirms Dino’s<br />
far-sightedness.<br />
“I find it restrictive and wrong to invest in systems<br />
and solutions that are the same. This is<br />
why I never purchase the same machines as I<br />
believe that the purpose of any investment is<br />
not only to respond to an effective requirement,<br />
but also to give the possibility for the company<br />
to grow in different business sectors. However,<br />
notwithstanding the difficult economic situation,<br />
diversifying allows us to face the crisis<br />
without any problem.<br />
The LT8 lasertube, for example, has been operating<br />
in the company for eight months and I<br />
don’t think we have ever cut the same profile for<br />
two days in a row”.<br />
Both Adige machines work continuously for nine<br />
hours a day and, of course, we try to deviate all<br />
the cutting that exceeds the working capacity<br />
of the LT702D onto the LT8. In fact, considering
the new concepts of the LT8, it has certainly<br />
turned out to perform better.<br />
At times we are tempted to reroute almost all<br />
the work on the LT8, particularly when there are<br />
tubes that have numerous holes and cuts. In<br />
this case, if we compare the LT8 to a classical<br />
lasertube, using the same section, over 40% reduction<br />
in the cutting time is guaranteed. Moreover,<br />
it is also extremely easy to programme<br />
thanks to the new ArTube software.<br />
“Notwithstanding this - points out Danieli - I am<br />
personally pleased to have both systems. The<br />
first lasertube allowed us to gain experience<br />
that has served in using the LT8 in the best possible<br />
way and to sound out and examine the<br />
market to understand the right direction and<br />
technology to invest in”.<br />
18 km of tube<br />
From the applications point of view, one of the<br />
first jobs carried out in the tube/sheet metal processing<br />
field was the <strong>imp</strong>lementation of 500 automatic<br />
ticketing machines installed throughout<br />
the metro network of Milan. “Each of these units<br />
consists of a stainless steel tubular structure and<br />
stainless steel panels” says Danieli. “This was a<br />
standard product that enclosed all our processing<br />
skills: cutting, bending, assembly work,<br />
welding and painting.<br />
But the furniture sector proved to be the real<br />
launching pad. Here the lasertube system allows<br />
us to <strong>imp</strong>lement processes that had never<br />
been possible before and this “authorises” designers,<br />
even the most innovative and adventurous,<br />
to let go their imagination. Nowadays, I<br />
do not think there is any industry that we are not<br />
already in, from electronics, electro-mechanical,<br />
bycicle and motorcycle, automotive, agricultural<br />
and earth moving field, that would be potentially<br />
interested in lasertube”. Danieli Laser Cut<br />
is doing a great job in <strong>imp</strong>lementing fume damping<br />
structures in electric power stations or supporting<br />
structures for photovoltaic panels. Needless<br />
to say that there are also examples of s<strong>imp</strong>ler<br />
applications, but even here Dino still manages<br />
to surprise. In fact, he states “recently we<br />
processed 18 km of tube for a customer who<br />
had to make s<strong>imp</strong>le holes on 6m bars”.<br />
Jobshop<br />
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
DANIELI LASER CUT S.R.L<br />
via dell’industria, 6<br />
36070 Castelgomberto (VI)<br />
Tel. +39 0445 940067<br />
e-mail: info@danielilasercut.com<br />
web: www.danielilasercut.com<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009<br />
17
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Technology<br />
18<br />
The LT8 consolidates ADIGE’s leadership in the lasertube<br />
cutting increasing the gap with other existing systems<br />
LT8 the new frontier<br />
in lasertube systems<br />
ADIGE S.P.A.<br />
Via per Barco, 11<br />
38056 Levico Terme (TN) Italy<br />
tel. +39 0461 729000<br />
fax +39 0461 7014<strong>10</strong><br />
e-mail: vendite@adige.it<br />
Performance<br />
The LT8 combines the<br />
utmost flexibility and<br />
excellent performance in a<br />
single system. The vast<br />
dimensional range of tubes<br />
that can be worked (from 12<br />
to 225 mm O.D. and up to<br />
8,5m in length) makes it<br />
possible to cover a wide<br />
spectrum of services. At the<br />
same time, the<br />
performances that can be<br />
achieved are currently<br />
unmatched even on small<br />
size tubes.<br />
Innovative machine<br />
software<br />
The LT8 programming<br />
software has been<br />
designed using innovative<br />
criteria. Working cycles<br />
have been optimised to<br />
achieve excellent<br />
performance and an<br />
“intelligent” on-board<br />
operator user-friendly<br />
interface guides the<br />
operator.
Unloading system<br />
Unloading from a<br />
lasertube system is a<br />
delicate phase, which LT8<br />
handles extremely well<br />
thanks to various options<br />
that consider the variability<br />
of tube sizes and<br />
geometry to be processed.<br />
A special centring feature<br />
allows superior<br />
consistency on long<br />
pieces while a separate<br />
conveyor belt guarantees<br />
maximum productivity.<br />
3D head<br />
With the increase in size<br />
and thickness of tubes<br />
that can be processed,<br />
the need for a 3D cutting<br />
head often becomes an<br />
indispensable tool to fully<br />
meet the user’s<br />
requirements.<br />
The LT8 is equipped with<br />
a fast moving “3D” head,<br />
which is extremely<br />
effective and precise in<br />
cutting a considerable<br />
thickness.<br />
Loading systems<br />
The idea was to provide<br />
the LT8 with several<br />
distinct loading stations –<br />
front and rear. They allow<br />
to follow the need of the<br />
operator either by<br />
interrupting a bulky<br />
production temporarily so<br />
that a small number of<br />
tubes can be cut urgently<br />
or so that a production<br />
batch can be prepared<br />
while the previous one is<br />
still being processed.<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED FOR TUBE Technology<br />
19
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Healthcare<br />
20<br />
At Sidhil Ltd, UK community care bed design benefits from<br />
laser processing resource<br />
Strong, stable and light<br />
Healthcare equipment manufacturer Sidhil Ltd’s<br />
initial venture into CNC laser tube cutting and profiling<br />
has proved so successful that all three variants<br />
of the Halifax, West Yorkshire company’s electrically-operated<br />
community care bed are<br />
designated Solite laser. This new design - whether<br />
it is the Vari-Height, 2-Section or 4-Section variant<br />
- features a series of interlocking joints and<br />
such is the accuracy and consistency of parts<br />
processed on the <strong>BLM</strong> ADIGE LT 712D Lasertube<br />
that these joints require the minimum of welding.<br />
The result is that the Solite laser bed is strong<br />
and stable yet light and aesthetically pleasing.<br />
James Ibbotson is the person responsible for <strong>imp</strong>lementing<br />
change within the manufacturing environment.<br />
He joined the company in 1998 as a<br />
management trainee, working in various departments<br />
before eventually becoming Sidhil’s Operations<br />
Director. A decade later he describes the<br />
decision to invest in laser machining as a direct<br />
response to increasing competition from overseas<br />
and the need to drive down costs here in<br />
the UK. This objective has been achieved following<br />
the tube laser’s commissioning, with the<br />
LT 712D matching the annual output of previous<br />
highly labour-intensive methods within a few<br />
months. Several people have been redeployed<br />
from the tube manipulation section, payback is<br />
estimated as 30 months and there have been significant<br />
other benefits.<br />
Better use of the material<br />
“We now have consistent quality with no defects,<br />
because once programmed, parts are always to<br />
specification,” says James Ibbotson, “and relevant<br />
production information can be called up at<br />
any time. This contributes to <strong>imp</strong>roved material<br />
utilisation because the machine will cut and profile<br />
several equal length parts before moving on<br />
to another program to cut a shorter part from the<br />
remaining tube length, leaving just a stub of waste<br />
material in the machine’s chuck.<br />
“Laser cut parts slot together exactly without the<br />
need for deburring prior to welding, while the laser<br />
produces perfectly round holes that avoid problems<br />
when the four component sections of the<br />
Solite laser, the heaviest weighing just 22 kg, are<br />
bolted together. This is crucial because the bed<br />
is designed to be easily assembled or disassembled<br />
by one person working alone without<br />
the need for special hand tools. There are no<br />
longer gaps between parts that need to be filled<br />
when welding, so the process is much faster with
no wastage of welding gas or wire and the <strong>imp</strong>roved<br />
surface finish of each joint contributes to<br />
more efficient powder coating.”<br />
Prior to installing the <strong>BLM</strong> ADIGE Lasertube, Sidhil,<br />
one of several companies within the familyowned<br />
£60 million turnover Siddall & Hilton group<br />
founded 1<strong>10</strong> years ago, had decided it was more<br />
cost-effective to buy in specific lengths of tube<br />
for its high-volume product ranges rather than cut<br />
all its tube material in-house on several CNC saws.<br />
Now, however, Sidhil has standardised on less<br />
expensive random lengths for all its production<br />
requirements because, as James Ibbotson explains,<br />
“the laser machine can sort and cut random<br />
lengths with very little waste and much faster<br />
than the auto saws we used in the past”.<br />
A “gentle” transition<br />
This <strong>BLM</strong> ADIGE LT 712D is equipped with<br />
Siemens Sinumerik 840D CNC and can process<br />
round, square, rectangular and flat-sided oval<br />
section tube up to 152 mm diameter, courtesy of<br />
a 2500 W laser source. The Siemens control allows<br />
the operator to manage all the main functions,<br />
including program downloads, while fast<br />
set-up and change-over times - around three minutes<br />
- means small batches can be managed as<br />
cost-effectively as longer production runs. Because<br />
Sidhil wanted a smooth transition from its<br />
previous manufacturing methods, it sent four people<br />
to the ADIGE factory in Italy for on-the-machine<br />
training. “From day one they were able to<br />
operate the new machine,” says James Ibbotson,<br />
“and while there was a continuing learning curve,<br />
production in Halifax was never affected.”<br />
The reward for Sidhil’s £½ million investment in<br />
laser tube cutting and profiling has been steady<br />
growth, with the company selling more community<br />
care beds than its competitors, and a net<br />
increase in the number of people employed. “We<br />
believe the underlying reason for our success is<br />
that Sidhil is consistently meeting customers’ expectations,”<br />
says James Ibbotson. “Long gone<br />
are the days when a four to five week delivery<br />
schedule was acceptable: customers want their<br />
bed, cot, bedside table, chair or trolley delivered<br />
within two to three days of ordering, and this is so<br />
much easier to achieve now we have the flexibility<br />
and capability to manufacture tube components<br />
for any of these products at any time.<br />
“We do source some products from overseas and<br />
we do keep a three-day buffer stock to be on the<br />
safe side, but the Lasertube is a very reliable and<br />
consistent machine and is clear evidence that we<br />
haven’t made the mistake of turning our UK factory<br />
into a warehouse. In fact, we have not stopped<br />
production here in Halifax, night and day, six days<br />
a week, with a single shift on Sundays, in the two<br />
years since the <strong>BLM</strong> laser machine was commissioned.”<br />
SIDHIL LIMITED<br />
Sidhil Business Park, Holmfield,<br />
Halifax, West Yorkshire HX2 9TN<br />
Ph +44 (0)1422 233030<br />
info@sidhil.com<br />
www.sidhil.com<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009<br />
21
INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
22<br />
PROFILAS, in the Czech Republic, has made lasertube its cornerstone in<br />
supplying not only finished pieces, but various beneficial solutions<br />
“Doing something others don’t”<br />
On a snowy winter evening near Prague, Mr. Jan<br />
Beran owner of PROFILAS shows us the business<br />
facilities that he set up about three years ago for<br />
job shop machining.<br />
From outside the view is a little spectral, but very<br />
charming: the company is located in an area that<br />
was once a large steel mill and is now an infinite<br />
array of semi-deserted buildings that are taken<br />
one by one and restructured by new businesses<br />
like PROFILAS.<br />
Mr. Beran used to be division director of a large<br />
building company and handled mostly structural<br />
steel constructions. He tells us fondly of his experience,<br />
of his great interest in the mechanical<br />
field and how he came to a turning point and set<br />
up his own business.<br />
“At first, it wasn’t at all easy”, he says, and it’s not<br />
hard to believe him, “but there were several signs<br />
that I had done the right thing at the right time”.<br />
Of course, the idea of innovation, in the sense of<br />
“doing something that others don’t” that guided<br />
Mr. Beran through the whole development stage<br />
to become a sort of corporate mission was right.<br />
Two lasertube systems,<br />
in only a few months<br />
The choice of automating the production<br />
process with the installation of CNC laser cut-<br />
ting systems should be considered a winner.<br />
With great pride, Mr. Beran tells us of the great<br />
leap compared to his previous experience<br />
where everything was done manually as the<br />
processes had extremely little automation. The<br />
new business immediately started with the installation<br />
of an LT120 ADIGE lasertube system,<br />
but only a few months later the company unexpectedly<br />
found itself in a condition to have to<br />
purchase a second one.<br />
In fact, the advantages deriving from the use of<br />
lasertube systems were immediately evident: a<br />
considerable reduction in production times and<br />
costs compared to traditional technologies;<br />
great production versatility to give the possibility<br />
of penetrating new market sectors and the<br />
possibility of supplying its customers not only<br />
with finished pieces, but a varied range of solutions<br />
and benefits compared to traditional technologies,<br />
which is what Mr. Beran considers the<br />
most <strong>imp</strong>ortant. “I don’t like doing routine work”<br />
he says, without hiding the satisfaction of supplying<br />
his customers with something different<br />
and certainly interesting.<br />
Using the system’s 3D programming software
shows how in the construction solutions of elements<br />
that needed pipe joining, new types<br />
of joints can be suggested thanks to the laser<br />
system that immediately fascinated customers.<br />
“Start-up of the system was not critical as I was<br />
already familiar with plasma systems and systems<br />
for sheet processing.<br />
Of course, tube processing is rather different,<br />
but I wanted to learn about the product thoroughly<br />
so that I could programme it and operate<br />
it myself. I have a good relationship with the<br />
technicians of the service centre who guarantee<br />
an effective service”.<br />
Innovation<br />
In conclusion, perhaps it was pointless asking his<br />
opinion on the right strategy to overcome this world<br />
crisis. In fact, his comment was consistent with<br />
everything he said up to now: innovation.<br />
One must “do something that others don’t”. But<br />
not only that. The secret is to “satisfy the customer<br />
in terms of delivery times, costs and quality. If I<br />
make a mistake, I try to put it right before the customer<br />
even so much as notices it and if the customer<br />
makes a mistake I do everything possible<br />
to find the best solution to put it right”.<br />
Jan Beran<br />
PROFILAS<br />
Halkova 2972<br />
272 01 Kladno<br />
Czech Republic<br />
Tel/Fax +420 312 645057<br />
profilas@profilas.cz<br />
Number <strong>10</strong> - March 2009 INSPIRED FOR TUBE Jobshop<br />
23
INSPIRED FOR TUBE<br />
TUBE BENDING<br />
ENDFORMING<br />
CUTTING, DEBURRING AND WASHING<br />
CUTTING AND END MACHINING<br />
LASERTUBE<br />
COMBINED LASER CUTTING OF TUBE AND SHEET METAL<br />
HANDLING<br />
3D MEASURING<br />
MANUFACTURING CELLS<br />
NON TOUCH MEASURING SYSTEMS<br />
SOFTWARE FOR PROCESS CONTROL<br />
Via Selvaregina, 30<br />
22063 Cantù (CO) Italy<br />
tel. +39 031 7070200<br />
fax +39 031 715911<br />
e-mail: export@blm.it<br />
Via per Barco, 11<br />
38056 Levico Terme (TN) Italy<br />
tel. +39 0461 729000<br />
fax +39 0461 7014<strong>10</strong><br />
e-mail: export@adige.it<br />
Viale Venezia, 84B<br />
38056 Levico Terme (TN) Italy<br />
tel. +39 0461 720007<br />
fax +39 0461 720214<br />
e-mail: adigesys@adigesys.it<br />
Also available in pdf format on:<br />
www.blmgroup.com