Sheetmetal
Sheetmetal
of new market conditions Meeting the challenges
protects the head from potential damage in the event of a cut part projecting from the sheet. “There are so many things we like about the Platino Fiber,” states Mr Dale. “It’s compact, intuitive to use and very economical with its use of nitrogen. The machine is also aesthetically pleasing and always impresses any customers we show around our facility.” Notably, the Platino Fiber 1530 features a series of powerful ‘Tech Suites’ that optimise and manage the cutting process. ‘Smart Cut’ boosts productivity when cutting thinner materials, using features such as on-the-fly piercing, intelligent piece-to-piece movements and advanced grid cutting that operates for both linear and radial patterns to give extremely high performance when producing perforated designs, such as grill and vent features. The complementary ‘Max Cut’ offers significant process time reductions when cutting thicker materials, shortening piercing times by as much as 90% and overall cycle times by up to 40%. Further enhancing both packages is the Prima Power ‘Night Cut’ system, adding advanced monitoring
and control to maintain consistent high performance during unattended operation. Alongside the Platino Fiber, the three Prima Power eP Series servo-electric press brakes add significant capacity for bending the increased volume of parts that Dale Sheet Metal is now able to produce. Two eP-0520 models provide 55 ton, 2 m capability, while a further eP- 1030 offers up to 105 ton of bending force for processing sheet up to 3 m in length. These three machines add to the existing bending cell at Dale Sheet Metal, which already included an eP-1336, 3.6 m/135 ton model. “With the press brakes, we were seeking fast and super-accurate machines,” says Mr Dale. “The eP series machines really deliver; we’re absolutely thrilled with them. We already had one on site, but the latest- generation machines are even better. Their repeatability is particularly notable, which is important as we need to make parts the same today as we made last month and last year. Also, the machines are super quiet. If we have operators on a 10-hour shift, excessive noise can become tiresome.”
lead-time requirements and a more diverse range of product designs placing greater demands on its manufacturing processes. “Our work balance shifted from processing a large amount of thin stainless steels to more mild steel and galvanised materials that are subsequently powder coated,” explains company owner Dave Dale. “Jobs have far shorter lead times and lower volumes. Shortages in the supply chain also mean that we have to be very dynamic and reactive in our approach.” The £6 million turnover business employs around 50 people and is growing considerably. Dale Sheetmetal invested in the new Prima Power equipment to increase capacity, not replace machines. “We looked at five potential machine suppliers and made a shortlist of three,” explains Mr Dale. “The Prima machines stood out for both their performance and competitive price. We’ve known Prima for a long time and already had some of their machines on site.” The new Prima Power Platino Fiber 1530 laser cutter meets all demands at Dale Sheetmetal. With its 1.5 x 3.0 m sheet capacity, the machine is equipped with a 6 kW laser source to process a wide range of materials up to 25 mm in mild or stainless steel, and 30 mm in aluminium. Further features of the Platino Fiber include a proprietary automatic focusing laser head as standard, with an adaptive collimator for automatic management of the focal position and diameter to suit the material. The collimator mounts to the machine’s highly stable cantilever arm by means of a magnetic system, designed to work alongside the system software, which
Although the most significant challenges of the pandemic appear to be diminishing, new global issues have since come along, presenting fresh difficulties and a changed market where costs, energy use, material utilisation, dynamic demand and environmental concerns play a key role. To meet the needs of this new business landscape, Kings Lynn based Dale Sheetmetal has undertaken a significant expansion of its manufacturing capacity and capability with the purchase of four new high-specification machines from Italian manufacturer Prima Power. Comprising of a new Platino Fiber 6 kW 2D fibre laser cutter, two eP-0520 press brakes and one eP-1030 press brake, the machinery brings new technologies, greater efficiency and a large increase in capacity and flexibility. The machines add to an existing complement of Prima Power equipment already in place at Dale Sheetmetal. Dale Sheetmetal is a family run, precision sheet metal subcontractor that serves refrigerator manufacturers, as well as many other customers in the wider refrigeration and cold store industry. Further active sectors include architecture, electronics and medical. The company’s core strength is making components and delivering directly to customer production lines on a JIT (just-in-time) or Kanban basis. During the pandemic, the company noted that although ordered piece volumes decreased, the number of orders grew, with much shorter
Machinery & Manufacturing 37
Machinery & Manufacturing 36
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