Global market leaders in sheet metal processing trust B&R
The EuroBLECH exhibition came to an extremely successful close for automation specialist B&R. Industry professionals experienced B&R solutions at more than 80 booths at the 22nd international sheet metal processing exhibition. Global leaders in the industry presented one innovation after another featuring B&R technology. "The extraordinary number of reference customers furnishing their machinery with B&R technology bears witness to the benefits it offers for sheet metal processing," explains B&R's metal industry expert Wolfgang Rabl. "Sheet metal processing takes full advantage of our solution's greatest strengths – flexible software for CNC and robotics paired with integrated safety technology and a scalable hardware portfolio make B&R’s solutions perfectly equipped to handle the needs of this industry."
Cutting, bending and stamping with integrated robotics
B&R solutions can be found in both hydraulic and fully electric bending machines. They are also used in cutting machines that operate with laser, plasma, oxy-fuel and water jet cutting technology. Manufacturers of specialty bending machines for pipes, profiles and wires have experienced the advantage of B&R automation, as have suppliers of all types of stamping machinery. B&R technology melds perfectly into fully integrated cells that perform robotic bending or a combination of processing steps such as laser cutting and bending.
Flexible, open system with know-how protection
"Especially in the metal processing industry, machine manufacturers want as much flexibility as possible in order to offer machines with options that differentiate them from the competition. An automation solution needs to accommodate these requirements," says Rabl. And standard solutions simply don't cut it. This is precisely what machine manufacturers value about B&R systems – an open automation system makes it easy for them to implement their own specialized technology. This core process expertise is safe-guarded on the machine using well-proven methods. The future of a solution is just as important as the technology behind it, especially when it comes to securing the investment in engineering and preparing for future requirements.
Energy savings, integrated safety technology and condition monitoring ensure reliability and efficiency
With its integrated safety technology and its economic and easy-to-implement condition monitoring solution, B&R is setting trends that will bring sustained benefits for machine manufacturers. B&R has also answered the call for energy-efficient solutions loud and clear – with innovations that can bring up to 80% energy savings. Prominent features of these solutions are the ACOPOSmulti servo system and innovative variable speed hydraulic drives.
Increased demands on safety technology in fiber laser solutions
More and more manufacturers of laser cutting machines are using fiber lasers. This technology offers clear advantages, such as low electrical connected load, faster cutting speeds, and immediate readiness after being turned on. Many materials are also easier to process with a fiber laser. Yet these advantages come with severe risks involved in using a fiber laser, which is why robots are frequently used to manipulate the workpieces. The corresponding demands on safety technology are extremely high. Integrated safety technology from B&R, based on the open standard openSAFETY, has all the right features to meet these stringent demands.
Robotics integrated in the machine controller
"With our software-driven Generic Motion Control solution running on a PC-based controller, machine control and robotics control can operate on the same hardware platform," says Rabl. This results in machines with a greater degree of automation and increased flexibility.
Ethernet POWERLINK for optimum synchronization
Laser and drive systems are synchronized down to a few hundred nanoseconds. Well-known suppliers of fiber lasers have implemented POWERLINK as the new communication standard and presented their first machines at the EuroBLECH exhibition. "Visitors were clearly impressed by the performance and precision," reports Rabl.
