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Cabinet makers invests in sheetmetal FMS

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Feb 21, 2001

More than GBP850,000 is being invested by Alan Nuttall, the West Midlands based UK market leader in shop fitting and refrigerated display cabinet manufacture for a fully automated sheet metal FMS.

More than GBP850,000 is being invested by Alan Nuttall, the West Midlands based UK market leader in shop fitting and refrigerated display cabinet manufacture for a fully automated sheet metal flexible manufacturing system (FMS) from LVD (UK) of Marlow.

The system, built around an LVD Omega 1500 turret punch press includes a right angle shear, automatic loading and unloading, material stacker, full component sort and conveyoring.

Once installed, projected savings against conventional CNC punching and guillotining will show cycle times at least halved and an overall 30 per cent increase in productivity.

Longer term, productivity savings are expected to rise by at least 40 per cent with added-value to the design process allowing design for manufacture to reduce costs.

Also, efficiency and single operation routines involving punching and shearing will progressively improve material utilisation and help in production planning.

Alan Nuttall has facilities in Hinckley, Dudley and Rugby, employs 500 people with a turnover increase on schedule from GBP46 million to GBP50 million in 2001/2.

It largely produces supermarket and superstore style display units and specialist hot and cold display/servery counters.

Here, the company has become the UK's largest supplier by a considerable margin and exports mainly to Ireland and the Far East.

For the last decade, the company has tended to purchase its CNC punch presses and press brakes from LVD (UK) of Marlow however, even against this background of experience, the FMS purchase was fully investigated to check out solution capability against value for money amongst other system suppliers.

Says Mike Steele, senior design and development manager: "Since the buyout by LVD of Strippit in America, the combined company is now one of the biggest punch press makers in the world.

Putting together the expertise of European and American technology you have a very experienced platform in sheet metal that is tried and tested and, in our opinion, was able to provide the best overall solution." He follows on to explain how the company's current methods involve a massive purchase of blanks as most components have square edges.

By using the integrated LVD shear with 1500 mm by 1000 mm fully programmable blade and the capability of progressive shearing across the entire sheet this will create dramatic savings.

In addition, the punch press, which has the capacity to handle sheets up to 1575 mm by 3050 mm without repositioning, regauging or reclamping, continuous uninterrupted production involving single operations will lower lead times and material utilisation.

The Omega has been ordered with 34 stations which includes six auto-index positions of 88.9 mm diameter.

Here, Nuttall's reckon change-over time will be very quick as the company's complete tool inventory should be able to be carried on the machine.

Says Mike Steele: "The only time we will need to change tools is to regrind or replace worn out units which significantly speeds setup and our efficiency.

As part of the contract, LVD is upgrading its CADMAN P (punching) and L (laser) programming software to accommodate the increased number of parts.

This is required as the FMS will be the central production unit for the whole of the Group's flat metal requirements.

Meanwhile, the existing LVD punch presses, and press brakes will be used for 'jobbing' tasks and special batch work while the FMS will be dedicated to seven days/week, 24 hrs/day production.