Machinery & Manufacturing
Supporting the aluminium upturn
The recent increase in the number of aluminium fabricators entering the sector comes as little surprise to machinery experts Haffner Ltd , as Managing Director Matt Thomas explains .
Working in machinery sales gives us a front-row seat to industry trends as they unfold in real time . So , it was little surprise to the team when recent industry data showed a 4.7 % increase in the number of aluminium fabricators since 2019 – a trend mirrored by the rising demand for our FMC range of aluminium fabrication machinery from Fom Industrie .
With many PVC-U fabricators expanding into aluminium window and door production , a popular choice for this transition has been the FMC 120 CNC Machining Centre . This machine features three controlled axes and a worktable with pneumatic positioning at 0 °/ 90 °/ 180 °, capable of performing precise drilling and milling on aluminium or steel profiles up to 3mm . Its design ensures great stability and precision , with waste easily collected due to the machine bed configuration .
The independent axes are controlled by servomotors by means of a high precision , milled recirculating ball screw and preloaded lead screw for the Z axis ( vertical ) and the Y axis ( transversal ).
Sliding of the X , Y , Z axes is along high precision linear guides and is interpolated . The machining head allows machining on three sides of the profile and on the two ends with the aid of milling disks and blades .
It ’ s sold exclusively in the UK by Haffner and is an impressive machine that combines compact working dimensions and high machining performance , enabling fabricators to seamlessly integrate aluminium bi-folds , windows and doors to their current PVC-U production .
We are also seeing that fabricators who moved into aluminium a few years ago are now looking to enhance their automation to help them scale up operations and meet growing demand . For these fabricators , we can offer everything from single mitre saws to full blown machining centres .
The natural follow-on machine for this type of customer is the Haffner AL 220 / 80 Aluminium Machining Centre .
The AL-220 / 80 Profile Machining Centre is a standout solution integrating all cutting , milling , drilling and marking operations into a single machine . The machine offers an impressive combination of volume and precision and can stack seven profiles up to 6.5 metres with automatic profile cutting at all angles between 45 ° and 135 °.
The machine offers an attractive step-up because it enables fabricators to achieve more output with fewer personnel .
There is also increasing interest in automating the fabrication of curtain walling and roof lanterns to capitalise on these architectural trends . Our machinery options support fabricators at every stage of their aluminium journey , ensuring they can meet current and future market demands .
At Haffner , we prioritise understanding each fabricator ’ s specific needs and objectives to offer the machinery solutions they need . For example , our recent collaboration with Selectaglaze on the FMC 340 CNC Machining Centre involved extensive consultations and live demonstrations , ensuring their team was confident in their machinery purchase and its potential benefits . Duncan Saunders , Head of Production at Selectaglaze , noted : “ Haffner gave us the best service and technical advice , helping the team to decide which machine best suited our needs .”
Our approach even extends to working with customers to develop specifically tailored machinery that meets a precise need . We do this because we firmly believe that machinery should fit the expectations of the fabricator and not vice versa .
In short , whatever your situation , Haffner is here to help with intelligent advice , proactive customer service and exceptional machinery that helps you move forward with aluminium .
www . haffnerltd . com
96 JUNE 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM