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Software shows the way forward in stainless steel customization
Inoxplus has made a name for itself by specializing in stainless steel. Among other things, it supplies its own products for commercial kitchens.

Software shows the way forward in stainless steel customization

Joining the Bumaco Group accelerated things for Inoxplus. It gave the company the opportunity to spread its wings to Rotselaar and set up a state-of-the-art stainless steel workshop there. For this, it joined forces with TRUMPF and V.A.C. MACHINES. 

Inoxplus started its specialization in stainless steel appliances for commercial kitchens, in Drogenbos. Among other things, it supplied its own products for commercial kitchens that it marketed through a dealer network. However, it lacked space and proper machinery. Manager Dimitri Gaune: "The machines were still being programmed online, which made the laser cutting machine and the bending bench an increasingly large bottleneck. Moreover, this approach required an enormous amount of knowledge from our operators. We were looking for a way to better secure that knowledge and thus also gain in flexibility and quality."

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Dimitri Gaune (left, Inoxplus) and Francis Sercu (V.A.C. MACHINES): "An excellent and patient sparring partner, who really helped us chart our course with the right advice."

Establish future-proof structure

With joining the Bumaco Group, in 2019, everything gained momentum. "We had the opportunity to move to a new building and invest in new machinery," says Gaune. But Gaune and his team wanted to do more than just catch up, such as establish a structure that would prepare Inoxplus for the future. "In terms of capacity, but also in terms of organization. A future in which flexibility, quality and speed are the keywords and in which we supply both the installation companies in the group, as well as third parties."

Excellent sparring partner 

Inoxplus' catalog today features more than 2,000 products. Offering: rinse tables, racks, bases & extractors. "Stocking makes little sense, stainless steel prices are too volatile for that. Therefore, in order to be short on orders from customers, the first step toward that future was investing in new machinery." Before COVID-19 broke out, Gaune was in talks with V.A.C. MACHINES. "An excellent and patient sparring partner who helped us chart our course with the right advice." As a result, Inoxplus went for a new laser cutting machine and bending bench.  

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The pieces at Inoxplus are not 4 meters but the length of the bending bench allows them to be finished in one go.

Software as a game changer

But the real gamechanger was TRUMPF's TruTops BOOST software. "Because it gave us an efficiency boost in the way we work. Our draftsmen now work out the 3D model and then send it to BOOST. If the drawn part cannot be made fold-technically, the software will indicate this and the draughtsman adjusts his design. TruTops BOOST makes an unfolding according to the available tools and automatically simulates a bending and laser program. A relief because it allows us to operate quasi-error-free."

User-friendly folding bench

That ease of use continues on the new 4 m TruBend 5170 with ToolMaster. Where the tool changer, automatically readies the tools after the bending program is called up. "With the 3D visualization on the control, the operator can then see how to hold the piece to bend it correctly. The ACB Laser angle measurement system monitors for correctness. The result? Less paper and more production. Setup times went way down, while the quality of the pieces coming off the bending bench improved. We hear that from customers and fitters alike. Our pieces are not 4 m but the length of the bending bench and different bending stations allow us to finish them in one setup. With only one bending bench, we are currently increasing our production by 50%."

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Due to the lack of space, an arrangement was chosen where the fiber laser source and cooling are located above the TruLaser 1040.

High-speed laser

Inoxplus opted for the TruLaser 1040 Fiber. "We mainly work with thin stainless steel sheets here. V.A.C. MACHINES showed us that we can still achieve the desired results even with lower power. We now cut up to six times faster than before, without the need for additional post-treatment and also a lot more energy-efficient." The main challenge here was finding sufficient space. A Podest setup was therefore chosen, with the source and cooling above the machine. Fits like a puzzle piece.

Always thinking along

The machines went directly to the new site in Rotselaar, where they arrived in May 2022. They were already firmly put to the test: Inoxplus calculated that since becoming part of the Bumaco Group 50%, it has been turning over more sales with the same people. "We were in the midst of the raw materials crisis at the time, but V.A.C. MACHINES handled that extremely professionally and always worked with us to find solutions. In that, too, they proved themselves to be the right partner."

TRUMPF can be visited during Blechexpo in Hall 1, Booth 1404. 

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