A DEBURRING AND STRAIGHTENING MACHINE IN ONE LINE AT SUER STAHLTECHNIK

Automation is increasingly looking at improving business processes. This is essential for the business of the future. Therefore, the increasing demand for an alignment machine combined with a deburring machine is not entirely unexpected. At Suer Stahltechnik in Raesfeld, Germany, the 85P.1600 Peak Performer from KOHLER is in a production line with the 1,600 mm wide 42 RB series from Timesavers. "One employee can operate both systems. It saves time, space and energy."

Suer Stahltechnik is a young company. It was founded in 2020 by Leonard Suer. With a total of 12 employees, they provide high quality sheet metal work. From laser cutting to deburring. From edging to milling. The entire processing of sheet metal is done in Raesfeld. A product that has gone through the laser cutter is not yet finished. "We would like to deburr it, drill it, electroplating it, threading it. We take over all the machining for our customers so they don't have to do it themselves." The customers are mostly from the same German state: North Rhine-Westphalia. They mainly work in mechanical engineering, steel and hall construction, but also in railing and stair construction or even the automotive industry.

Grow

Suer Stahltechnik is committed to their customers. What sets them apart from others? They are still young and enjoy taking on challenges. Leonard: "If a customer comes to us, tells us where they want to go and asks if we want to be their partner, we say: we will do it." For example, Suer recently purchased another machine to meet a customer need. The customer wanted a product they could not initially make. Together they discussed what needed to be done. That led to an additional machine.

Deburring

By speaking with several sanding belt and brush manufacturers, Suer was pointed in the direction of Timesavers International. After the first conversation with the salesman, it was clear to them: it's going to be Timesavers. Then the choice fell on a 42 RB series with a working width of 1,350 mm. This was later replaced for the same series, but with a working width of 1,600 mm. The machine with rotating brushes is ideally suited for deburring, edge rounding to a radius of 2 mm, laser oxide removal and finishing. Oxide removal is crucial for coating and galvanizing. The applied layer adheres much better to a clean surface. 1A-Maschinen GmbH, dealer of Timesavers machines, played a major role in the project. They provided the deburring machine in combination with AMI roller tables and Absaugwerk GmbH's extractor.

Curved parts and plates

The German company had been working with Timesavers' deburring machine for two years. They were satisfied with it. Yet they kept running into the same problem. The parts they fed through the deburring machine were not completely straight. When laser cutting, tension is introduced into the sheet metal. When that tension is released, the metal deforms. That can happen during follow-up processes such as welding or assembly. The post-processing that is then required can lead to higher costs. To save such costs, the stress must be removed from the sheet metal. Hence the purchase of the Peak Performer 85P.1600 from KOHLER Maschinenbau.

Pointing

KOHLER was able to provide the best service when integrating the Timesavers deburring machine and their cutting part straightening machine. The Peak Performer 85P.1600 features a comprehensive cleaning system. Here, the straightening rollers are electrically pushed out of the machine. This simplifies the cleaning process. This is very important for Suer Stahltechnik because they process different types of metals. In addition, the machine has an electromechanical control of the straightening gap. Different forces occur at different cross-sections of the material to be aligned. The patented control recognizes these and counteracts them immediately. The straightening gap remains constant and ensures the best straightening results. In addition, the blade straightener is equipped with a barcode scanner, reversible straightening rollers for longer service life, and more features such as overload and edge protection systems.

One process

To save space, Suer wanted to link the cutting part straightening machine to the deburring machine. This way, it forms one process. The control panels of the KOHLER and Timesavers machine are integrated into one system, with three cameras. This allows one employee to manage and oversee the entire process. "It saves time, space and energy. And it works very well," Leonard says. KOHLER's cut part straightening machine ensures flat and tension-free sheet metal. Max Burgert, product manager at KOHLER, explains that straightening involves more than just straightening a sheet. By reducing and balancing the tension in the material, further work becomes more process reliable and efficient. Next, the straightened part passes over the roller table into the deburring machine. There, deburring, edge rounding, oxide removal and finishing take place. At the push of a button, the conveyor belt reverses again. Thus, the part is fed back to the front.

Collaboration

The companies KOHLER, Timesavers, 1A-Maschinen and Suer Stahltechnik look back on a fine collaboration. It went beyond just delivering a product. It was about providing the best process. Regular consultation was indispensable during the development and delivery of the production line. Raoul Knoop, machine operator and workshop leader: "What I really liked was that they responded to every customer request. That you could say: I would like to have it this way and that. Is that feasible? And they also tried and realized it. Moreover, they worked very closely together. That worked very well. That really worked very well."