During its INTECH in-house exhibition in March 2023, high-tech company Trumpf will present its a new solution for laser blanking. The TruLaser 8000 Coil Edition can fully process up to 25 tons of coiled sheet metal without human intervention. This is particularly interesting for companies that want to flexibly produce larger quantities. These include automotive suppliers and manufacturers, switch cabinet manufacturers, elevator producers or manufacturers of ventilation and air conditioning systems.
"With the TruLaser 8000 Coil Edition, Trumpf is once again helping its customers to implement the future trend toward more sustainability in manufacturing while at the same time increasing efficiency. Compared to conventional machines for laser cutting, companies can save almost 1700 tons of steel per year with this solution, which corresponds to around 4000 tons of CO2 and 1.6 million euros in material costs," explains Richard Bannmüller, CEO at Trumpf Lasertechnik Deutschland.
Advantages even for high volumes
The new laser blanking system from Trumpf enables companies to take advantage of laser material processing even for large quantities.
"Actually, high-volume manufacturers often use presses for sheet metal processing. However, they then need an adapted or even new tool for every small adjustment to their components, which takes a lot of time, and costs money. Because the quantities of individual series are declining significantly in many areas of industry, such a changeover is costly and time-consuming. With the laser, such changeovers work without new tooling and are therefore much more flexible, easier, faster and less expensive," says Oliver Müllerschön, the project manager responsible for the system at Trumpf. The new system was developed in cooperation with Siemens and the mechanical engineering company Arku. Together with Trumpf, Siemens is responsible for the control system and Arku for the coil system.
One of the first users of the new solution is the fischer group in Achern. The laser blanking system from Trumpf is being used by the company as an initial user to produce high-strength structural components made of aluminum for car body construction.
"For us, the use of a laser blanking system is a first. The high flexibility and quality of the solution, as well as the fact that we hardly need any tools compared to presses, are a great added value for our production," says Hans-Peter Fischer, managing director and owner of the fischer group.
Optimized use of material
Coil manufacturing allows users to nest components more efficiently. Since conventional sheet metal panels are limited by four outer edges, production workers are often unable to utilize the entire sheet. The resulting material scraps must either be disposed of or melted down by the workforce.
In contrast, users can place an almost endless number of components on the coil, which can be up to 1.5 kilometers long, resulting in material savings of around 15 percent. Construction and logistics costs are also noticeably reduced compared with conventional presses for sheet metal processing. Profitability in production is significantly increased by the elimination of tooling costs, optimum material utilization, reduced assembly costs and high flexibility in production.
The changed material flow compared to conventional 2D laser machines leads to significantly lower cycle times and new automation options for large production runs. The system can be used flexibly for any contours, as it is designed for thin sheet and can process sheet thicknesses of up to 6.5 millimeters.
Lower cycle times thanks to automation
The production line is fully automated. For example, when cutting the sheet, the innovative sheet transport system ensures particularly fast material throughput, significantly increasing productivity. The system also uses many proven Trumpf functions, such as "Smart Collision Prevention" which ensures that tilted sheet metal parts do not damage the laser cutting head.
The entire system can be monitored and controlled from one operator module. The sheet removal and deposit positions are automatically programmed and displayed on the screen. The portable operating module can be used for setup and service purposes at all central points of the plant.
Unloading by robot
Unloading of the entire system is handled by a robot, which means that sheet metal parts are removed quickly and reliably. the input data for prefabricated cycles or part programs that run on the Sinumerik is calculated by the Trumpf software TruTops, which will be transferred to Oseon in the future. Specific robot movements or their programming do not have to be specifically entered by users, so no prior knowledge or training is needed to handle the robot.
The unloading control system was developed by Trumpf in collaboration with Siemens. Among other things, the new Sinumerik One CNC control software is used, which is fully integrated in the TIA Portal. The TIA Portal forms the central component of an end-to-end digital engineering process. With the data from the TIA Portal, the digital twin of the automation can be mapped via Create MyVirtual Machine. The digital image of the controller, machine behavior and kinematics allows the system to be virtually tested and commissioned directly from the TIA Portal.
Shorter time to market
"Sinumerik One is the core element for the global transformation of the machine tool industry and for future-proof manufacturing in the increasingly digitalized industry. Through the seamless interaction of virtual and real portfolios, Sinumerik One enables machine builders like Trumpf to significantly reduce time to market, and users to increase machine performance," explains Uwe Ruttkamp, Head of Machine Tool Systems at Siemens.
The loading module was developed by ARKU, the innovation and market leader for straightening machines. It holds coils up to 2150 millimeters wide and can be loaded with different materials. Sales of the system have already been launched by Trumpf.
