With the Mobile Bending Cell, Bystronic takes the next evolu-tionary step in the field of bending. There is now a mobile automation module for the Xpert 40. The result is a compact solution for automated and manual bending.
Text: Oliver Hergt Photos: Stephan Dürer / Daniel Moreno
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INNOVATION MOBILE BENDING CELL
easy”“Make bending
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INNOVATION MOBILE BENDING CELL
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I n production, the variety of shapes, sizes, and batch sizes of the parts that are to be bent are increasing. And the main concern is always to
produce these parts as quickly and cost-effective-ly as possible. Hence, the requirements placed on a modern bending system are as follows: “Adapt to this variety. Help the user to produce quickly. Au-tomate as many processing steps as possible. But also provide the user with the possibility to work manually if the need arises.” In a nutshell, one could say: “Make bending easy.”With the Mobile Bending Cell, Bystronic now pro-vides a solution to all these requirements. The technology behind the new Bending Cell is com-prised of the Xpert 40 together with bending ro-botics. It combines a fast press brake and mobile automation. With the Mobile Bending Cell, users process large series with the automated bending mode. However, they can also manually bend small series and individual parts whenever necessary. When not in use, the bending robotics system can simply be moved to one side.
Plug & Bend principleThis automated bending system is unique. And it provides users with a great deal of freedom for varying order situations. The Mobile Bending Cell functions according to the Plug & Bend principle. In practice, this means the compact Xpert 40 can be set up and put into operation in virtually any environment. And, if required, it can also quickly
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be moved and set up at another location. The mo-bile automation system seamlessly interfaces with the Xpert 40. And the entire Mobile Bending Cell system is extremely compact. Just plug in and start bending. Users can set up the robotics system on the Xpert 40 in just a few minutes. Simply place the automation unit in front of the press brake. In just a few simple steps, the robotics system at the cen-ter of the Mobile Bending Cell automatically aligns itself with the press brake.As part of the Mobile Bending Cell, the fast Xpert 40 bends three times as many parts as a large press brake. Its compact chassis and the ByMotion con-
Sufficient space for varying parts: The Mobile Bending Cell’s intake station for raw parts can be adapted flexibly by the user.
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Expert advice“The great advantage of the Mobile Bending Cell is that it enables precisely the degree
of automation you require. Not all users have sufficient orders to always utilize the full capacity
of a permanently installed bending automation system. A flexible system, in contrast,
enables much greater freedom.
My advice: Use the benefits of the Xpert 40 in manual bending mode during the day.
The press brake is versatile and fast. This enables you to bend small series and complex
parts simply by hand.
During the night, you can take advantage of the benefits of the fully automatic Mobile
Bending Cell. Once it has been set up, the Mobile Bending Cell autonomously processes
your production parts during the unmanned night shift.”
Gerrit Gerritsen, Bystronic product specialist for bending
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The six-axis robotic arm that is integrated in the Mobile Bending Cell inserts the parts that are to be bent into any position with high precision.
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trol provide the press brake with a high level of dy-namics with bending speeds of more than 25 mil-limeters per second. Over a bending length of one meter, the Xpert 40 generates a press capacity of 40 tons. This is as if the weight of a six-axle articu-lated truck were balanced on the bending line of a sheet metal part.The necessary precision is ensured by ByMotion, the press brake’s control software. It regulates the interplay between speed, power, and balance. This enables bending results with the highest de-gree of repetition accuracy. And this is a particu-larly important aspect when bending large series in the automatic mode. Here the requirement is to bend the thousandth part at the end of the series precisely the same as the first part.
Dynamic Drive SystemThere is another important factor for users when bending: “Do not waste energy. Conserve re-sources.” This is precisely what the Mobile Bend-ing Cell’s Dynamic Drive System makes possible. It ensures dynamic bending sequences without wasting energy. Integrated functions such as the Energy Saver and an intelligent automated start-stop system further increase the efficiency. Both functions support manual as well as automatic bending.
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Upon request, users can also access the ByVision Bending user interface using a tablet computer. This enables the easy adaptation of individual parameters of the bending process.
Easy touch controlAnd then there are those users who stand in front of their bending system and think: “Come on. Don’t bore me with complicated operating procedures.” And they are right. In a modern industrial environ-ment, bending and automation should seamlessly converge, without delaying the user with tedious operating procedures. Hence, Bystronic has inte-grated the control of the mobile automation solu-tion directly into the press brake’s user interface.This allows users to control all the Mobile Bending Cell’s bending and automation workflows on a sin-gle touch screen. And this with just a few swipes of the finger. Bystronic ensured that the design of the ByVision Bending user interface, which is installed on the machine, is process oriented and intuitive. Once it has been programmed, when in the auto-matic mode, the Mobile Bending Cell launches the necessary bending program, and the operator can quickly insert the right tools. Subsequently, the ro-botics system inserts the parts that are to be bent into the appropriate bending station with high precision.Upon request, Bystronic also offers various option-al functions that allow the control of the Mobile Bending Cell to be extended to mobile devices. For example, users can access the ByVision Bending user interface using a tablet computer. This en-ables individual parameters within the bending process to be reviewed, and, if required, changed from anywhere within the factory.Another optional function is the Observer moni-toring service. The Observer provides users with an overview of all the processes in the Mobile Bend-ing Cell. An integrated camera system supplies a live stream and process data to mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers, and lap-tops. ■
INNOVATION MOBILE BENDING CELL
“ Bending and auto-mation seamlessly converge, without delaying the user with tedious operat-ing procedures.”
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INNOVATION MOBILE BENDING CELL
In order to manually bend with the Xpert 40, users simply move the automa-tion unit to one side.
Compact bending automation for varying order situations: With the Mobile Bending Cell, users manually bend complex small series and use automatic bending for large series.
The most modern robotics take over the automated bending tasks.
The technology behind the new Bending
Cell is comprised of the Xpert 40 together
with bending robotics. It combines a fast
press brake and mobile automation.
With the Mobile Bending Cell, users process
large series with the automated bending
mode. However, they can also manually bend
small series and individual parts whenever
necessary.
Users can set up the robotics system on the
Xpert 40 in just a few minutes. Simply place
the automation unit in front of the press
brake. In just a few simple steps, the robot-
ics system automatically aligns itself with
the press brake.
Automation in bending
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