Laser Blanking Lines Exceed Expectations
New systems from Schuler do the job without dies producing up to twice the number of contracted blanks
Laser blanking lines don ’ t require dies , but can ’ t match the productivity of conventional blanking lines : This commonly held assumption has now been proven false based on real production data collected by a Schuler customer . Over the course of the first year in production , Schuler ’ s newly developed systems outperformed the contractually agreed upon yields by 20 to 100 percent , depending on the specific part produced . This means that , in some cases , output was double the contracted amount .
A single shift was all it took to produce over 8,500 outer body blanks , and there is still room to increase that figure furthermore . It ’ s enough to supply a Schuler servo press line with a production capacity of 18 strokes per minute . Particularly where sensitive surfaces like those found on aluminum blanks are involved , the laser blanking line provides nearly the same output as a conventional die-based press blanking line .
Cutting edges with increased quality and less burr
Another benefit is that since the blanking shape can be changed at the push of a button , customers save money by eliminating the costs of purchasing , storing , maintaining and repairing expensive dies and the work required to equip their machines . The laser blanking technique also provides higher-quality blank edges . Aside from these advantages , the first year of production showed a significant reduction of contamination caused by detached burrs ( flitter ) accumulating in the forming die .
A number of laser blanking lines featuring DynamicFlow Technology are already in use in the automotive industry . Customers have been impressed by the ability to save material ( thanks in part to flexible nesting ), and by the fact that costly building foundation work is no longer necessary . One high-end OEM recently
.. placed an order for another line from Schuler www . schulergroup . com / Laserblanking
Under actual production conditions , the laser blanking line outperformed the contractually agreed upon output by up to 100 percent . Image Source Schuler
12 TUBE NEWS January 2018