A new machine for processing thin sheet material, claimed
to be the first of its kind, combines milling, tapping,
countersinking and machining operations
Do it all
FICEP has designed and manufactured its
first machine for processing thin sheet
material. The Tipo C25 is for processing
materials from 1.00 to 25mm thick. It can
punch, mill, drill, countersink, tap, ream,
mark and high definition plasma-cut, in one
processing cycle, and is designed to suit the
requirements of both the general fabricator
and the structural steel specialist.
Precision nesting can be done offline or on
the machine, using many different file
formats. The ability to nest closely and partwithin-part
means full sheet utilisation, and
reducing scrap. The nesting software delivers
a choice of start points and cutting paths,
simulates the cutting, and provides data that
can be used for monitoring times and
estimating.
The machine’s high speed punching
facility of up to 180 hits per minute can be
enhanced with a 14 position tool changer
with the capacity to use punching diameters
Plan-It Welding’s
management decided four
years ago to relocate to a new
factory in Blackburn. By
carrying comprehensive stocks
for quick delivery and
maintaining quality while at the
same time reducing its prices,
the firm has doubled turnover
since the move.
january 2008
up to 80mm; the high speed drilling unit can
also perform milling, tapping,
countersinking and machining ops. This
combination can be augmented with
Hypertherm HR 260 High definition plasma
or a 400 amp HT 4400 version.
The first Tipo C25 in the UK will be at
Severfield-Rowen, a major producer of
structural steelwork. It replaces three
outdated machines, to process thinner
material from 6 to 20mm. This is expected to
improve efficiency in the fittings area at the
Thirsk site, and means that the company will
now be operating eighteen pieces of FICEP
equipment in key manufacturing cells.
Important features of the new C25 are:
■ Monolithic construction, with everything
mounted on the mainframe, dramatically
shortening installation time.
■ Ability to cool, brake and handle the solid
melted material coming out of the plasma.
Lower power consumption and greater production capability enables a modern punch
press to cut the cost of furniture manufacture
Part of the furniture
THE cost of manufacturing sheet metal components
for office furniture has been significantly reduced at
the Blackburn factory of Plan-It Welding. This
follows the installation of a new turret punch press.
and the savings result from reduced power
consumption and the greater capabilities of the new
machine compared with the one it replaced - a 1988
model from the same manufacturer.
Comments senior supervisor, Andrew Mitchell:
‘We were on our power limit when we operated the
old Finn-Power TP300 hydraulic punch press;
whereas with the all-electric Finn-Power E5 we have
been able to install an additional drilling and cutting
cell in our aluminium section - and still draw less
kVA overall.’ The economy is a consequence of Finn-
Power’s regenerative braking system, which uses
capacitors to store energy from deceleration of the
machine axes, redirecting it to power other machine
functions rather than wasting it. Purchase and
disposal of hydraulic oil and filters are also avoided.
Lower energy bills are the icing on the cake; the
main benefit is ability to manufacture components
more efficiently than on the old press, if indeed they
could previously be made at all. Mitchell cites the
forming & fabrication
■ Rugged and retractable work clamps.
■ Separation of the cutting torch from the
other units, reducing the dirt ingress in the
punching head.
■ Integral raw material loading system.
■ Tool changer that is simple and
expandable.
■ Loading system that moves plates into the
work-clamps and then automatically sets the
machine to ‘zero’ reference.
■ Retractable work-clamps which
automatically open and retract when work is
being undertaken in their area, but return
and clamp again as required to maximise the
use of the plate.
■ Fast punching speeds with a force of 1000
kN.
■ A small parts evacuation conveyor,
available as an option.
■ FICEP’s proven Arianna CNC software
installed as standard.
www.ficep.co.uk
example of a star base for an office swivel chair. To
create a 6mm collar to accept the castors, 3mm gauge
mild steel sheet is pierced and tapped on the E5. The
TP300 could not cope with this, so it was necessary to
crop solid bar, then drill and tap the sections before
welding them into position on the base. By
redesigning just this one element of the chair to
exploit the greater versatility of the modern punch
press, production cost has been dramatically lowered.
Continues Mitchell: ‘The latest punch press is twice
as fast as its predecessor and handles 2.5 by 1.25 metre
sheets - four times the area that the TP300 could take.
Currently, therefore, the E5 needs to be operated for
only 36 hours a week to meet production demand, so
there is plenty of spare capacity as the business grows.
Moreover, the machine’s ability to perform different
machining tasks on components in one set-up has
reduced the number of separate operations needed
across our range of components, which also helps to
keep costs down.’ To date, over a thousand different
components have been programmed and produced on
the E5, either from drawings supplied by the
customer or, more and more, from CAD files.
www.pressandshear.com
MWP
65
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