Panel bending in the industry is synonymous with large series. LVD, manufacturer of sheet metal working machines and automation, is now entering this market with a panel bending machine that has the right features to cost-effectively bend small to very large runs. A game changer.
At Blechexpo, LVD presented a first. With its fully automatic panel bending machine, the newcomer to the market proved that things can be done differently and better. Claas Van Assche, Product Manager Panel Benders, says: "In classic bending we have the widest range of products on the market, with bending machines from 1.2 m up to 14 m. We always start from our customers' applications to develop the right technology in the right configuration. By knowing what they want to do with it, we offer the machines they need to do that. We are now bringing that story to panel bending as well."
A mission in which LVD amply succeeds with seven models: Multifold 1211, 1225, 2111, 2125, 2511, 2540 and 3211, which can fold panels up to 3,200 x 1,700 mm. The blacksmith's secret is in a number of unique features that help reduce turnaround time.
"A fully servo-controlled system, for example," Van Assche is the first to point out. "Thanks to automatic sheet feeding, positioning, tool setting, servo bending, sheet positioning and rotation, little can go wrong and the bending process is fast and precise." The machines further feature up to six different input stations. While one product is already bending, you can already prepare the next one. From there it goes to the reference station, where the sheets are perfectly positioned. "By having four processes - loading, referencing, folding and output - run in parallel, there is no delay," he says. For the folding itself, the tool changer automatically sets up the tools, but most pieces and fold types (positive and negative folds, open and closed feed, vertical feed, offset folds, radius folds, closed folds) can be finished with one set of universal tools. "It only takes 25 seconds. Everything is about eliminating or greatly reducing changeover times."
Everything is developed in-house by LVD: from the bending technology to all the automation around it. The new panel benders are also a lot more affordable and productive than what was on the market. For certain products, productivity is two to three times higher than standard bending machines. "We started from the output: how can we keep the cost per piece for customers as low as possible. You don't do that by automating everything, but by automating smartly. Only what yields the most, so that complexity is also limited and reliability increases. We believe that in this way we can make panel bending interesting for a larger playing field." After all, those with the right products for it - think fire doors, elevators, electrical cabinets, HVAC, clean room panels, furnishings for barracks, hospitals, schools and offices, shelving, white goods, solar panels, battery enclosures - will find in panel bending a technology to quickly and efficiently process large and complex geometries.
With this addition, LVD can now offer the full bending spectrum to its customers. "Look not at the machine but at your application and what is the right technology for that. Sometimes bending will be more interesting, for other situations panel bending will be more rewarding. That's the strength of our broad offering, we can always advise customers objectively on the best solution that generates the most value for them. Last year we introduced our panel benders. This year we want to start talking to customers who can benefit from this technology. The next step is to integrate panel bending into our CADMAN® software, which allows us to optimize the whole material and process flow in your plant."
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