Everything in-house through investment in machinery

If you do it yourself, you have everything under better control and can respond more flexibly to customer requests. This is precisely why AS Mechanics recently reinvested in its machinery. With the StM waterjet cutting machine, MVD bending machine and a plate roller from Akyapak, the all-round partner for industrial applications is also expanding its range of products. For this new investment, the Raemakers brothers also joined forces with The Tollenaere.

AS Mechanics, all-round technical supplier for companies, offers customized solutions for all kinds of industrial applications. The Sint-Truiden-based firm came into the hands of the Raemakers family in 2006, and since 2015 brothers Maarten and Martijn have continued their father Paul's life's work. "We do maintenance of machines and production lines as well as piping in steel, stainless steel and plastic. Furthermore, we have also built up years of experience in optimizing workshops and adding offices, labs and workspaces in existing buildings and are exclusive distributors of Paletti's full range of aluminum systems," says Maarten Raemakers. "However, our main activity is construction work. We cut, weld, bend, turn and mill the most common materials, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum and plastics, to produce simple solutions, such as stairs, to more complex constructions, such as canopies and walkways."

Brothers Maarten and Martijn Raemakers also invested in an MVD iBend bending bench for the more complex bending jobs.

1 investment, 3 machines

The Raemakers brothers want to do everything in-house, so they decided to significantly expand their machinery. Until now, the bending and cutting work was outsourced, which meant that the planning of a third party had to be taken into account. About two months ago, a high-quality waterjet cutting machine type WS 1530 PremiumCut 3D from StM was put into operation. This five-axis waterjet, equipped with a low-noise BFT Servotron high-pressure pump, effortlessly cuts all workpieces from steel, stainless steel, aluminum and rubber, among others, with a length of up to 1,500 mm, a maximum width of 3,000 mm and a weight of up to 1,500 kg/m². The rotating 3D cutting head with automatic height control can be positioned at an angle of up to 68° and rotate endlessly in any position, without the height guides getting in the way. "Just after the summer break, we delivered a plate roller and bending bench. The Akyapak ASM-S 140-15/5 is an asymmetric plate roller with three induction-hardened rollers for machining sheets up to 1,600 mm wide and up to 5 mm (pre-bending) and 6 mm thick (rolling)," explains Peter Wuyts, representative at The Tollenaere added. "The CNC-controlled MVD iBend C175-3100
bending machine, supplied with Delem DA69T 3D software, is ideal for more complex bending work on sheets up to 3,100 mm long and sheet thicknesses from 2 to 8 mm. The servo-controlled hydraulic system ensures precise and reliable operation."

The Akyapak plate roller is ideal for machining sheets up to 1,600 mm wide: up to 5 mm thick for pre-bending and up to 6 mm for rolling.

De Tollenaere from generation to generation

The water jet at AS Mechanics is running at full speed, and the plate mill and bending bench were also started up. "We are already customers of The Tollenaere from when my father was still in charge. When we decided to invest again, the choice of the same distributor was obvious," concludes Martijn Raemakers. "Even though things ran a little more smoothly with the delivery and commissioning of these machines, we are once again satisfied with the quality of products and service. You can also always come to The Tollenaere go to for expert technical advice and for quick resolution of questions or any problems."