Innovation trumps autumn

Covid-19 gripped our society and industry, but was the driving force for many companies to invest even more in innovation. This also applies to Bystronic with Benelux headquarters in Meerkerk, the Netherlands, which introduced many new products and solutions in the field of laser cutting, bending, automation and software as part of the regional Competence Days and the online event "EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit. Among other things, the sheet metal working specialist showed how production environments can be intelligently connected to achieve even higher efficiency. Finally, with the acquisition of Weber Laserservice, Bystronic is focusing even more strongly on customer service and on refurbishing and trading "used machines.

In the age of Industry 4.0, the business environment in the sheet metal working sector is changing. Bystronic has formulated its vision of a fully automated and integrated Smart Factory to help its customers meet these challenges and consolidate their long-term competitiveness. "From the high-speed fiber laser cutting system to the loading, unloading and sorting system, the bending cell, the autonomous AGVs and the welding cell, an automated material flow and a seamless data flow enable end-to-end process automation, including the integration of third-party components," states sales manager Benelux Hans van de Meerakker. "With the intelligent Bystronic software, the network of intelligent components can be managed in a centralized and convenient way. This is also complemented by a wide range of new products and valuable functions."

Laser power of 8 or 10 kW

As of now, Bystronic supplies the BySmart Fiber fiber laser cutting system with new laser powers of 8 and 10 kW on the BySmart Fiber 3015 and the BySmart Fiber 4020. As a result, metal sheets can be cut even faster and more precisely. At 8 kW, the cutting speed in thin stainless steel from 3 mm is up to 60% higher than with a 6 kW laser source. At 10 kW laser power, the BySmart Fiber cuts through 10 mm stainless steel up to 2.5 times faster. At all thicknesses, the 8 kW laser increases productivity in stainless steel by up to a factor of 2, the 10 kW laser even by up to a factor of 2.5. In addition, users can achieve excellent cutting quality in materials up to 30 mm thick. This opens up additional possibilities for cutting orders in thick materials where the appearance of the cutting parts plays an important role. For automated laser cutting, the systems can be combined with the loading and unloading solutions Byloader, ByTrans, ByTrans Extended, ByTrans Cross and the BySort part sorting system, each in formats 3015 and 4020. However, coupling with automation solutions from other suppliers is also possible.

Laser power of 15 kW

The ByStar Fiber with 15 kW laser power, available with the ByStar 3015 and ByStar 4020, stands for unparalleled accuracy, stable laser cutting up to the highest power level and a wide range of applications. Cutting speeds compared to a 10 kW laser source increase by an average of 50% (when laser cutting with nitrogen). This laser source cuts steel, aluminum and stainless steel from 1 to 30 mm and brass and copper up to 20 mm precisely and securely. In addition, it is now also possible to cut steel and aluminum up to 50 mm, providing maximum flexibility for large runs and one-off customer orders. "The unique 'BeamShaper' feature ensures clean cutting edges and high cutting speed in various types of metal sheets with a maximum thickness of 30 mm. Indeed, the shape of the laser beam is adapted to larger plate thicknesses and varying plate quality," adds the sales manager. "Our new powerful flagship with the software 'ByVision Cutting' can be operated as easily as with a smartphone via a 21.5″ touch screen. Like the other laser cutting machines, this ByStar Fiber can be combined with various automation solutions for optimal machine utilization and maximum process reliability in unmanned production."  

More bending without lengthy installation

Working on a bending bench is no easy task. Not only the metal sheets, but also the tools are heavy. Therefore, changing them requires a lot of forces and time. An automatic tool changer significantly speeds up setup time and at the same time relieves personnel. Bystronic introduces the new Modular Tool Changer for the bending bench Xpert Pro and makes the bending process up to 30% more productive as well as more accurate. For each bending job, the six-axis robot automatically retrieves the appropriate tool set from the integrated magazine and inserts it into the clamping system of the upper and lower cheeks to the nearest mm. Thanks to the process software ByVision Bending, the robot automatically recognizes which tools are needed to produce a part. The smart sensor technology recognizes new tools and integrates them independently into the magazine. Furthermore, the bending table no longer needs to be cleaned, as a cleaning nozzle on compressed air prevents contaminants from preventing the exact positioning of the tools or damaging bending parts. Moreover, the tools remain usable for longer, because the robot handles them carefully and stores them neatly in the warehouse after each use.  

Bystronic 's new department Pre-Owned by Bystronic in Heteren

Bystronic is also thinking about customer service. The takeover of Weber Laserservice at the beginning of May this year should be seen in this light. "This company had been a certified partner for many years and had specialized in the maintenance, training, installation and trade of Bystronic laser cutting machines. It was also an important provider of used laser cutting machines," van de Meerakker states. "The 100% acquisition expanded Bystronic's team with a number of experienced and highly trained technicians, making us the largest and strongest service and support organization in the market, both on-site at the customer site and in the back office. Moreover, we now also have a special department for refurbishing and trading 'used machines'. With this pre-owned department, Bystronic Benelux is even better able to provide a good solution for all our customers."