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Tag Archives: Laser

BVL Machine Explanation

BvL Opens New Technical Center

BvL, a designer and builder of quality parts washer systems and partner with German Machine Tools of America (GMTA), recently opened a technical center at their company headquarters in Germany. The new technical center gives customers the chance to go through a real world cleaning process scenario on a demo system.

Various demo systems allow customers to select the cleaning agent, temperature, circle times and method. The hands-on experience shows them exactly how their parts will be cleaned. Technicians are available to answer questions and help customers try out different settings in a safe environment. They can also help them to make minor modifications and fine tune, if necessary.

For a short video on the new BvL Technical Center, please see the link below:

GMTA is the exclusive distributor for a number of top-quality German and other metalworking machine builders companies including Arnold, BvL, K+G, Praewema, Profilator, Rasoma, Samag and WEMA Glauchau. The company’s headquarters is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a subsidiary in Queretaro, Mexico.


For more information, please contact:

GERMAN MACHINE TOOLS OF AMERICA (GMTA) 
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone:  734-973-7800
Fax:  734-973-3053
Web:  www.gmtamerica.com
Email:  sales@gmtamerica.com
Attention:  Walter Friedrich, President

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GMTA Presents Several Products at Motion + Power Show

German Machine Tools of America (GMTA) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will showcase several of its machine tools and metal fabricating equipment at the Motion + Power Technology Expo.  The show will take place September 14-16, 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri and is produced by AGMA.  It connects top manufacturers, suppliers, buyers and experts in the mechanical and gear power, electric power and fluid industries.

The company represents several high quality, high performance lines including Arnold, BvL, K+G, Profilator, Rasoma, Samag and its latest addition, Stiefelmayer.  Arnold laser technology provides a complete line of laser welding machines for the automotive, aerospace and other markets. BvL offers parts washing systems, equally suited as a one-off station for large castings/forged products or as a continuous washing and drying line. K+G are high-tech machine tools for internal or external grooving, turning and milling.

Profilator is a world-renowned brand of machines for gear pointing, cutting, rounding, deburring, polygon slot facing and the SCUDDING® process.  Rasoma is a builder of vertical turning centers and inverted spindle turning machines for milling, drilling and special machining. Samag machining centers and deep hole drilling machines are used in the automotive, off-highway and moldmaking industries. Stiefelmayer lasers cut products such as motor laminations, as well as laser hardening, fiber and diode types. Lastly, GMTA offers its own line of baskets, trolleys and lift tables.

Visit GMTA at booth 3513, co-located with STAR SU


For more information, please contact

GERMAN MACHINE TOOLS OF AMERICA (GMTA) 
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone:  734-973-7800
Fax:  734-973-3053
Web:  www.gmtamerica.com
Email:  sales@gmtamerica.com
Attention:  Walter Friedrich, President

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GMTA Offering Stiefelmayer Lasers in North America

Full line of fiber and diode laser machines for cutting and hardening

Stiefelmayer

Ann Arbor, MichiganGerman Machine Tools of America (GMTA) proudly announces the signing of an agreement with Stiefelmayer GmbH (Denkendorf, Germany) to represent that company’s line of laser machines in North America.  Stiefelmayer offers lasers for various cutting applications, including motor laminations, plus laser hardening. 

The agreement is effective immediately and was announced by GMTA President Walter Friedrich from the headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Friedrich commented, “The Stiefelmayer line is a highly regarded brand in Germany.  Coupled with our Arnold line of laser systems, the new lasers will give us a formidable offering to the North American market, especially in automotive and the burgeoning EV market.” 

Stiefelmayer further prides itself on their blue effective® program of energy saving technology and sustainability, designed to create both environmental and economic benefits to the user. 

The Stiefelmayer laser is particularly well adapted to cutting precision shapes in thin substrates, including mild steel, stainless, copper and brass.  Motor laminations are a particular specialty and this fact matches the drive to EV in the American auto industry. 

For full specifications on the Stiefelmayer machines, please visit:
https://stiefelmayer-lasertechnik.de/en/laser-technology/home.html

For a video of the Stiefelmayer laser used to produce motor laminations, please watch:


For more information on this announcement, please contact: 

GERMAN MACHINE TOOLS OF AMERICA (GMTA) 
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone:  734-973-7800
Fax:  734-973-3053
Web:  www.gmtamerica.com
Email:  sales@gmtamerica.com
Attention:  Walter Friedrich, President

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Schuler Installs First Laser Blanking Line for Asia

Ansteel orders system with two cutting heads to process steel and aluminum coils for the automotive industry

Chinese steel maker Ansteel has ordered the first Schuler laser blanking line for Asia.

Canton, Michigan – Ansteel is one of the largest steel producers worldwide and also known as the “cradle of steel industry” in China which contributed significantly to the rapid economic growth of the People’s Republic. Now, the company will also be the first Schuler customer in Asia to install a laser blanking line. This is also the first system worldwide that features two cutting heads for the processing of coil material with a width of up to 1,880 mm (74”).

Laser cutting systems for blanking lines have proven their reliability and high output in the series production of outer body parts already in Europe – another one will be delivered to the U.S – and are particularly suitable for production processes with frequent product changes, since no dies are needed. Schuler’s innovative DynamicFlow Technology enables a highly dynamic cutting process and high strip speeds for the coil material which is continuously moving forward. This process leads to an increased output and higher system availability, while also ensuring gentle transport of sensitive materials such as aluminum.

The new Laser Blanking Line 2.18 has two powerful cutting heads and can be used to produce blanks for various components made of coil material with a width up to 1,880 mm (74”). It is a cost-optimized alternative to the Laser Blanking Line 3.21 with three cutting heads, which is particularly suitable for the efficient production of outer skin blanks with a coil width of up to 2,150 mm (84”). It provides a wide range of options to optimally adapt the system to customer needs and has been successfully in production for several years now.


For more information, please visit:
www.schulergroup.com/laserblanking

 

For further information on Schuler Inc., North America, please contact:
Jeferson Valerio, Director of Sales
Schuler Incorporated
7145 Commerce Blvd.
Canton, MI 48187 USA
734-207-7200
info@schulerinc.com
www.schulergroup.com

 

About the Schuler Group – www.schulergroup.com

Schuler is the technology and global market leader in the field of forming technology. The company provides presses, automation solutions, dies, process expertise and service for the entire metalworking industry and for lightweight automobile construction. Its customers include automobile manufacturers and automotive suppliers, as well as companies from the forging, household appliance, packaging, energy and electronics industries. Schuler is a leader in coin minting presses and implements system solutions for various high-tech industries. The company generated 1.233 billion euros in sales in the 2017 fiscal year and has a presence in roughly 40 countries with approx. 6,600 employees. Schuler is majority-owned by the Austrian ANDRITZ Group.

  

About Ansteel Group Corporation Limited – http://en.ansteel.cn

Ansteel is a state-owned steel producer headquartered in Anshan, Liaoning. The company originated from a merger and reorganization of Anshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation, which was the first large-sized steel maker of the New China, and Pangang Group Co., Ltd., the largest vanadium manufacturer in the world. Ansteel has seven production bases in China as well as in Karara, Australia. The production capability amounts to 39 million tons of raw steel, 3,000 steel grades and more than 60,000 specifications of high-tech products which are sold to dozens of industries such as automotive, machinery, home appliances and so on in over 60 countries and regions.

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HAN-KWANG INTRODUCES SERIES PL FULLY AUTOMATIC LONG BED FLYING OPTIC LASER SYSTEM

60” x 120” workpiece capacity complements state-of-the-industry laser and machine control technology

Han-Kwang USA announces immediate availability of its new Series PL, specifically Model PL 3015, a long bed, 2D flying optic laser system capable of handling 60” wide x 120” long workpieces.  With a long bed gantry arrangement, less motion is required on the machine, providing greater working stability and reduced maintenance requirements.

Model PL 3015 features rapid single axis speed of 4724 ipm, simultaneous X-Y axis speed of 7900 ipm and maximum cutting speed of 1181 ipm, all with positioning accuracies better than +/- 0.004” per 118” of travel and repeatability to 0.001”.  A dual shuttle pallet system is onboard to maintain optimum productivity in processing.

This Han-Kwang laser system features a powerful Panasonic CO2 laser resonator in 2, 2.5, 4 and 6 KW versions, as well as the builder’s patented beam radius control, which optimizes the beam diameter for various material substrates and thickness variations, resulting in improved part quality.  Additionally, the constant beam delivery system on the Han-Kwang laser provides better consistency in the beam quality at the focal point.  These features and benefits to the user are delivered in the S5 high-speed cutting head found on the machine.  The advanced Han-Kwang sensing board and head design improve cutting speed for all sheet metals, according to the manufacturer.

A plasma monitoring unit constantly tracks cut errors to further reduce out-of-tolerance conditions in the cutting cycle, while a built-in lens crack sensor monitors the state of lens contamination, with instant alerts through the onboard Siemens CNC to provide operators and maintenance personnel useful and immediate alarm notifications.

All machine mechanical movements and laser cutting operations are controlled by the powerful Siemens SINUMERIK 840D CNC.  With its open architecture, 10GM hard drive and plain language commands, the CNC enables faster start-up and reduced time to first part for the programmers and operators alike.  Further, a remote service support feature allows online communication to the CNC manufacturer for troubleshooting assistance.  

An optional rotary axis is available for tube cutting up to 12” OD with this Han-Kwang laser system.  Fully automated materials handling systems, pallet towers and other equipment for production improvement are also offered by the company.

For more information, the name of a local Han-Kwang dealer or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:

HAN-KWANG USA INC.  1120 Garfield Street Lombard, IL 60148 Phone:  630-916-0200 Fax:  630-916-0300 Web:  www.hankwangus.com Email:  salesusa@hankwang.co.kr Attention:  Robert Won or Erik Kim

Siemens CNC controls all machine movements, allows remote service support

Editor note:  Robert Won, director for North American operations, is available for interviews to discuss the company, its laser technology and other aspects of the industry.  Han-Kwang is Korea’s largest laser builder and the company has embarked on an aggressive marketing effort in North America.

Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company tdaro@bernardandcompany.com 847-934-4500

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WEST-MARK MAKING BIG MARK IN SEVERAL MARKETS

WEST-MARK MAKING BIG MARK IN SEVERAL MARKETS By bringing laser and tower automation in-house, California fluid transport, fire apparatus, display builder sees the light!

West-Mark is literally a tale of many chapters, especially when it comes to laser fabrication.  Started originally in 1967 as a manufacturing and repair facility for dairy transport tankers, it quickly expanded to become a leading West Coast builder of fluid transport vehicles for many industries, including petroleum, firefighting, military, construction, food, liquid sanitation, even arctic equipment, through its branch in Anchorage, Alaska.  Today, the company enjoys a diversified customer base and, in addition to the Alaskan location, operates manufacturing, fabrication, assembly and repair facilities in Ceres, Atwater and Bakersfield, California.  Over 150 employees provide West-Mark customers a broad range of vehicles for sale or rent, plus the company maintains full service and repair operations.

In the late 1990’s, another market sprung up for the company, namely, the fabrication of display enclosures for entertainment venues, kiosks, elevators, airports, shopping malls and other retail/commercial establishments.  Using the engineering and manufacturing skills that had proven successful in the industrial markets, the company opened its “Digital Factory” in Atwater, where today it produces an assortment of enclosures and freestanding kiosks, under the Perfected Protection™ brand name.

West-Mark had long been an integrated design, fabrication and assembly company, according to Fabrication Director, Chris Portmann, “…but we saw one area that needed better control and cost containment, namely, the laser cutting of the various stainless steel, carbon steel and aluminum materials we processed.”  The company was utilizing the services of three local laser job shops and occasional bottlenecks would occur, in addition to the cost factors involved.  As the company was continuing to grow, these production challenges grew, as well.  West-Mark knew a change was in the wind.

At a meeting with one of their trusted machine/equipment dealers, Metal Process Engineering, West-Mark was introduced to the Han-Kwang plate laser with integrated material tower automation.   In one of those classic “light bulb” moments, a decision was formulated and the sale proceeded.  The company also hired an experienced laser operator from a local shop.  The benefits soon became apparent.

As Portmann explains, “Very quickly, we realized we could run a lot faster to save time and money.  Beyond that, we could be more responsive to the one-off and short run job requirements we get, all the time, in our operation.  Because of the software we use and the products Han-Kwang provided us, we were able to integrate those short runs into the nesting strategies with our longer run jobs.”  The tower automation provided West-Mark the flexibility to do several more things in its production.  They could stack frequently-used materials on pallets into the tower for quick access and start-up, owing to the powerful CNC onboard the Han-Kwang laser, while the fully automated cycle capability allowed West-Mark to quickly move into a lights-out manufacturing strategy, thereby providing additional cost containment in personnel and power consumption.

The machine configuration utilized here is Han-Kwang’s Model FS 4020, a long bed gantry style, flying optic plate laser with twin 6’ x 12’ shuttle pallets and an 8-high materials tower, all controlled by the industry’s most powerful CNC, a Siemens Sinumerik 840D.  Materials processed at West-Mark on this laser include 304 and 316 SS, plus A36 and 570 carbon steel as well as 3003 and 5054 aluminum.  Portmann pointed out that the company uses Masonite® blanks to protect the high quality surfaces of materials during unload sequences and that this extra protection step has not slowed the laser’s production in any substantial way.

West-Mark utilizes Inventor® CAD and Radan® CAM systems, typically, plus the proprietary nesting software provided by Han-Kwang.  Since West-Mark launched its 3D software use at approximately the same time as they purchased the laser, the company’s programmers and operators shared a learning curve, but Chris Portmann noted, “It was a ‘law of unintended consequences’ situation, because the market slowed at the same time we were acquiring the new machine and software packages, so our guys were able to learn in the slow times.”  He further observed the company has enjoyed an ability to be more responsive to customer needs and that has led directly to more new business for West-Mark, including doing laser processing for other local firms in the area.

A particular benefit of the Han-Kwang laser, according to West-Mark personnel, is its ability to process aluminum tread plate with the diamond side up, so the dross falls onto the back side of the material, compared to the typical laser cutting diamond side down, where the dross falls on the visible side of the material.

A rather direct fellow, Portmann sums up by saying, “When we need another laser, there will be no question about getting another Han-Kwang.  Their machine quality, application assistance, operator and programmer training, plus the overall improvement they made in our company’s production makes that decision an easy one.”  Portmann called out Eric Kim at Han-Kwang as having been particularly helpful in the start-up and application of the laser and tower automation at his company.

West-Mark, in addition to the Digital Factory production of enclosures and kiosks, builds fuel tankers, buffaloes and bowsers, water tenders, firefighting apparatus, grease trap and septic tank vacuum trucks, DOT Code tanks, even aircraft refuelers, working in a variety of industries, as well as for the Department of Defense, National Park Service, Department of Interior, U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and the civilian supply chain.

In the production of its high-precision metal parts, assemblies and fabrications, the company operates a full complement of laser, shearing, rollforming, head forming and flanging, brake forming, punching, milling, welding and quality inspection equipment.

West-Mark service operations range from leak repair and testing to full retrofit and field replacement.

For more information, please contact: WEST-MARK 2704 Railroad Avenue Ceres, CA 95307 Phone:  209-537-4747 Fax:  209-537-1753 Toll-Free:  800-692-5844 www.west-mark.com www.digitalfactory.com Chris Portmann, Fabrication Director cportmann@west-mark.com

HAN-KWANG USA INC. 1120 Garfield Street Lombard, IL 60148 Phone:  630-916-0200 Fax:  630-916-0300 Web:  www.hankwangus.com Email:  mailto:salesusa@hankwang.co.kr Attention:  Robert Won, Eric Kim or Jane Lee

Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company tdaro@bernardandcompany.com 847-934-4500

Release:  HAN-KWANG USA INC.

Date:  March 8, 2010

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HAN-KWANG INTRODUCES FULLY AUTOMATIC TUBE CUTTING LASER SYSTEM

Model TL 6015 Tube Cutting Laser System

Automated loading and parts handling system complement state-of-the-industry laser and machine control technology

Han-Kwang USA announces immediate availability of its new Model TL 6015, a tube cutting laser system capable of handling 24’ long, 6.5” diameter workpieces up to 1/4” wall thickness in mild steel and 0.200” in stainless steel.  Equipped with a powerful 2.5KW Panasonic laser and a versatile Siemens 840D CNC to control all functions of the machine, the TL 6015 can significantly increase the tube production in any department or shop, especially when used with Han-Kwang’s proprietary “Flex 3D” tube cutting software .  The unit comprises an automatic bundle loading system with tube V-support, auto-centering rotary chucking system, laser cutting station and automatic parts removal station.

Maximum positioning speed on this new laser system is 4700 ipm for the X-

Han-Kwang S5 Cutting Head, featuring Auto Focus Control; adjusts focal length of cutting lens to automatically compensate for material variations and rapid changeover

axis and 120 rpm for the rotary A-axis.  Max acceleration rate is 1G, while the laser beam is precisely controlled by the unique Han-Kwang Auto Focus Control (AFC).  This AFC technology allows the machine to automatically adjust the focal length of the cutting lens to accommodate variations in the materials being processed or changes in material feed, which eliminates the downtime normally associated with manual adjustments.

A new generation of sensing board in the S5 laser cutting head on the TL 6015 translates into faster cutting speeds on round, square or rectangular shapes.

In a recent design modification, the entire loading section of the machine has been enclosed, as depicted in the attached illustration.

For more information or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:

HAN-KWANG USA INC. Phone:  630-916-0200 Web: www.hankwang.com

Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company tdaro@bernardandcompany.com www.bernardandcompany.com

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HAN-KWANG INTRODUCES FULLY AUTOMATIC TUBE CUTTING LASER SYSTEM

Automated loading and parts handling system complement state-of-the-industry laser and machine control technology

Han-Kwang USA announces immediate availability of its new Model TL 6015, a tube cutting laser system capable of handling 24’ long, 6.5” diameter workpieces up to 1/4” wall thickness in mild steel and 0.200” in stainless steel.  Equipped with a powerful 2.5KW Panasonic laser and a versatile Siemens 840D CNC to control all functions of the machine, the TL 6015 can significantly increase the tube production in any department or shop, especially when used with Han-Kwang’s proprietary “Flex 3D” tube cutting software .  The unit comprises an automatic bundle loading system with tube V-support, auto-centering rotary chucking system, laser cutting station and automatic parts removal station.

Maximum positioning speed on this new laser system is 4700 ipm for the X-

axis and 120 rpm for the rotary A-axis.  Max acceleration rate is 1G, while the laser beam is precisely controlled by the unique Han-Kwang Auto Focus Control (AFC).  This AFC technology allows the machine to automatically adjust the focal length of the cutting lens to accommodate variations in the materials being processed or changes in material feed, which eliminates the downtime normally associated with manual adjustments.

A new generation of sensing board in the S5 laser cutting head on the TL 6015 translates into faster cutting speeds on round, square or rectangular shapes.

In a recent design modification, the entire loading section of the machine has been enclosed, as depicted in the attached illustration.

For more information or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:

HAN-KWANG USA INC. Phone:  630-916-0200 Web: www.hankwang.com

Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company tdaro@bernardandcompany.com www.bernardandcompany.com

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