The bending process may seem deceptively simple, but transforming a blank into a 3-D part takes skill and can require complex fabrication techniques. Throughout the shop, machine output is closely connected to operator ability, but operators are particularly important in bending operations. Adding to the challenge, many shops find it difficult to hire enough skilled press brake operators, which adds to the stress and workload of their workforces. Fortunately, new tools and techniques are available for bending metal parts that make the process, and operators’ lives, a little easier.
Press brake expertise used to be handed down from operator to operator, but this transfer is happening less often. Still, operators are expected to quickly produce good quality parts – without rejects – and continually increase productivity. So how do today’s operators build up the knowledge they need to meet the current cost concerns and increased demands?
Fortunately, the experts at TRUMPF are ready to help. They’ve gathered decades of technical experience and expertise and are making it available to customers, and in some cases, the fabrication community at large.
Expertise at the ready
For those who want to become more of a press brake pro, there are a number of free web tools and downloadable apps designed to increase bending knowledge and productivity. A new app from TRUMPF – the BendGuide – leverages the company’s database of knowledge to help any press brake operator become a bending expert. The app offers users clear and practical tips and tricks as well as step-by-step instructions that inspire creative sheet metal part designs that save time and money.
The BendGuide provides virtual assistance by facilitating calculations of press force, tool weight, die width, open height check and other suggestions for innovative sheet metal bending.
One of the biggest challenges facing new engineers and designers in a factory environment is understanding how certain types of metal features are produced. The BendGuide directly addresses this issue by showing visual examples of sheet metal parts and the required tooling needed for their manufacture.
The BendGuide acts something like a “cheat sheet” that helps everyone get up to speed on manufacturing processes quicker. It can also be used as a reference guide, for example, in the case of an experienced designer who comes across a design they have never encountered before. In this way, the example parts within the BendGuide act as a stand-in for shared knowledge that normally would have been gained through work experience.
The BendGuide provides support for fabricators through the availability of advanced automatic calculations. For example, for a programmer preparing a new job for bending, the automatic calculation in the BendGuide can inform them of the expected tonnage requirements so they can schedule and match jobs to the proper equipment. Another way in which automatic calculations prove useful is in determining what combination of tools is required to form a specific bending radius.
In this way, operators can test the part design and verify its feasibility before any bending work is performed. This saves both scrap costs and time at the machine. Automatic calculations and other features available within the app can enable programmers and designers to work as bending experts – even without prior press brake experience.
Advancing better bends
Advances in technology are making it even easier for operators to set up faster and bend parts more accurately on the first try. One area where fabricators tend to struggle is with the skill level of machine operators. In response, TRUMPF has developed advanced bending technologies aimed at reducing the skill level required by operators to achieve a higher level of performance. Bending technology eases labor pressures and reduces the training burden by getting new operators up to speed on machine operations faster and helping them produce a good first part.
One of the biggest concerns for fabricators when training new press brake operators is the possibility of forming parts incorrectly and creating scrap. This issue is addressed by two advanced technologies. The first assistive technology is Automatically Controlled Bending, or ACB, which checks and corrects bending angles dynamically in real time, so that operators do not need to manually measure and correct bending parts.
Using ACB, press brake operators only need to measure springback on the first bent part; the program then applies the evaluated data to other parts, which can reduce cycle times by up to 35 percent.
Another technology designed to help press brake operators in positioning and bending parts correctly is the Part Indicator. This technology provides real-time visual feedback to the operator by showing whether a part is positioned correctly for each bending step. Operators can view an image that represents how the flat part should be placed against the backstop. If the part is placed against the backstop in an incorrect orientation, the machine control shows a red image and alerts the operator.
When placed properly, the part shows up on the machine control as a green image and the operator can bend it correctly and with certainty. This technology can eliminate the possibility of bending parts backward. The combination of these two assistive technologies, ACB and the Part Indicator, helps new press brake operators to confidently walk up to the machine and produce quality parts.
Setting up a press brake can also consume a lot of time for new operators who are still learning the best setup procedures. In many shops, bending machine setup is limited to senior team members while newer operators only bend parts.
Here again, technology opens up wider participation, this time through the introduction of automatic tool changing. The automated ToolMaster can rapidly set up the press brake with any tooling configuration and without the need for onsite expert feedback. Highly flexible and fast automation enables operators to produce parts without having to master the tool setup function. This not only reduces the setup skill needed, but also increases the production speed of the press brake.
Operator support
Software and training also build up the expertise of press brake operators. TRUMPF offers two kinds of software to make bending easier, TecZone Bend and TruTops Boost. TecZone Bend combines in-office programming with shop floor programming to create a program automatically based on 2-D and 3-D data and the NC program. The quick programming software and its relevant bending parameters guide the user intuitively and safely through the program.
Within seconds, TecZone Bend calculates programs and carries out collision monitoring in real time. For additional confidence, automatically created 3-D simulations illustrate the process for the operator. A special Tool Setup Optimizer option checks which parts need the same tools and how the tool stations can be combined most efficiently. This saves the operator time and effort and allows them to bend the maximum number of parts with only one tool setup.
In the office, TruTops Boost makes it easier to create programs for the press brake. It can even help programmers unfold complex 3-D parts and break down assemblies to program individual components. The software also automatically adjusts the programming and designs if changes are made to the parts, so operators can process them reliably, even when modifications are made.
Of course, one of the best ways to become more of a bending expert is through professional development. TRUMPF hosts more than 12 in-depth and hands-on training classes designed to build press brake expertise. The 55,000 sq.-ft. state-of-the-art training facility in Farmington, Conn., is staffed by more than 30 experienced professional instructors who conduct classes on machine operation, programming and maintenance. The company also provides extensive online training tools to those who cannot attend in person.
Today’s fabricators face a growing number of challenges, but technology is available to help.
TRUMPF focuses on helping manufacturers by developing high-quality machine technologies, investing in new software tools, and continuously improving the training and technical service experience of the customer. All this knowledge, expertise and technology is available to be leveraged to help any press brake operator feel like more of a pro.
