Product category:
CNC punching and profiling
News Release from: LVD (UK) | Subject: LVD/Strippit 1500/H30 hydraulic punch press
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 20 September 2002
Specialist chooses best all-round punch
press
In a bid to stem the gradually rising flow of larger components being sent out for subcontract punching and bending, Solmek (UK) made the decision to invest in a larger capacity CNC punch press
In a bid to stem the gradually rising flow of larger components being sent out for subcontract punching and bending sheet metal specialist Solmek (UK) made the decision to invest in a larger capacity CNC punch press and wider beam CNC multi-axis press brakes from LVD (UK) of Marlow, Bucks And, following installation not only has an immediate leap in productivity been achieved with the machines run around the clock, new business worth over 1.25 million (pounds sterling) have been secured
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 25 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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As managing director Les Misselbrook explained: "While our existing CNC punch presses and press brakes performed well, they limited our capability to parts measuring up to 1.5 m long by around 4 mm thick.
This meant that any potential work outside this size envelope had to be subcontracted.
We were also faced with a growing percentage of work calling for parts up to 3 m long by up to 6 mm thick which already accounted for some 15 per cent of turnover, so we decided to extend our punching and bending capacity, have complete internal control over quality and further our lean enterprise, one-piece flow manufacturing philosophy." After compiling a short list of suitable equipment, Solmek finally decided to buy a 30 tonne LVD/Strippit 1500/H30 hydraulic punch press and two, 3 m beam PPEB 110 multi-axis press brakes from LVD (UK).
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Les Misselbrook outlines the decision: "We selected LVD as it offered us the best all-round package in terms of performance, price and extended warranty.
We also had good experience of its technical support and service back-up, as existing users of their previous generation Shape punching machines and the specification of the new machines was ideal.
For example, the large Strippit punch press can work consistently at 800 hits/min, which is important as we perform a lot of nibbling.
It was supplied with a brush table which helps reduce operating noise levels by at least 10 dBA and the 42-station thick-type turret means that we can produce all our current range of components without having to change any tools, which further reduces downtime." Solmek (UK), part of the Secal Group is a fairly new company formed in October 2000 following a management buy-out of the sheet metal division of Invensys Energy Systems.
It is part-way through a three year contract with Invensys where it will produce all the telecommunications company's sheet metal requirements, which currently stacks up to more than a third of the turnover.
Secal was one of the main investors in the original buy-out and it was not long before a restructuring programme saw Solmek become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group.
From its 33,000 square feet factory in Bognor Regis, Solmek produces a wide range of sheet metal components, cabinets, shelving, racking and brackets for the telecommunications, point of sale and retailing sectors.
Employing 31 people, it also has its own welding, painting and screen printing facilities as well as a power press section.
While the company operates one-piece flow production supplying to Kanban, JIT or a schedule basis, typical 'batch' sizes can range from one to 500 although the average number of sets produced tends to be around 10.
The size of workpiece sizes vary from 25 mm square by 1 mm thick, right up to 3 m long by 6 mm thick and around 70 per cent of parts require both punching and bending.
Production is running at up to 700 different parts/month and Solmek provides next-day delivery to four of its main customers.
Progressively installed over a three month period, the new sheet metalworking equipment had an immediate major impact on the business, not only increasing its production capability but considerably improving efficiency.
Both the Strippit punch press and the LVD press brakes now work in tandem for up to 24 hours a day on the various large capacity projects which include display racking, refrigerated cabinets, roadside enclosures, side panels, doors, and bus-bars.
Since their installation, around a further 10 per cent of the company's existing smaller components have also been transferred to these machines giving a more cost-effective production.
The new line up of production machinery has also enabled Solmek to win several major new contracts and move into new areas of potential business.
For example, the company is now producing contracts worth more than 500,000 (pounds sterling) for 'raw power-in' cabinets for the mobile phone sector which have to be highly durable and vandal proof.
The 1,200 mm wide by 1,500 m high by 600 mm deep side panel elements, for example, are fabricated in 3 mm thick steel which is well within the capacity of both the Strippit punch press and the PPEB press brakes.
More new business secured as a direct result of Solmek's increased sheet metal capability includes a ?250,000 contract to produce high quality, stainless steel hinged display cabinets and frames for restaurants and hotels.
Large radiator covers also punched and bent for the refurbishment of old people's homes.
"These could never have been tackled in-house before and various other projects are now in the pipeline," says Les Misselbrook.
The ability of the new LVD equipment to handle parts up to 3 m long by 6 mm thick combined with its high speed and precision operation, has given Solmek exactly the additional sheet metal capability it required.
The Strippit 1500/H30, for example, is a 1500 mm throat machine, with 2,500 mm X-axis table travel, a turret index time of 0.9 sec station-to-station.
Traverse speeds are quick which minimises lost production time of up to 102 m/min and positioning accuracy is ? 0.1 mm.
As Les Misselbrook concluded: "As a fairly new name in the sheet metal subcontracting sector, the installation of these larger and modern machines has really helped to establish us with the capability and flexibility to pursue new business opportunities." .
(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 19 September 2002).
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