BENDING AND FOLDING
Salvagnini panel bending technology at Penn Elcom . Panel bending operations at Penn Elcom .
FAST AND FLEXIBLE
A UK flight case hardware specialist invested in new panel bending technology to increase productivity levels .
“ Penn Elcom ’ s Hastings site houses a Salvagnini P1 , ( Mini Panel Bender with a bend length of 1,250mm ) and three P4lean automatic panel benders .”
Penn Elcom , a leading manufacturer of hardware for flight cases , speaker cabinets and 19-inch racking solutions , has phased its replacement of press brakes with advanced LEAN-series panel benders from Salvagnini . Investment of this level reflects the company ’ s global status as a US $ 60 million turnover business with a catalogue of over 3000 products in stage technology . The benefits it has registered from its new panel benders , it told ISMR , include ‘ significantly faster cycle times and vastly shorter lead times ’.
Penn Elcom has a standard range of over 3000 catalogue products such as flight case hardware ; speaker hardware ; 19-inch racking enclosures and accessories ; Neutrik connectors ; computer holders and staging and trussing systems . It can process a wide range of materials , with sheet metal operations which include laser cutting ; stamping ; punching ; deep drawing ; roll forming ; welding and bending .
“ We are the largest manufacturer of flight case hardware in the world ,” stated Roger Willems , Founder and Chairman of Penn Elcom . “ There can ’ t be many bands or orchestras that do not use our products . Everyone thinks we ’ re American , but I started the company in the UK .”
A focus on bending
Willems founded his business in the village of Penn , Buckinghamshire ( UK ) in 1974 . His first investment was a pre-owned power press costing £ 250 . In 2003 , Penn merged with Elcom , a U . S . flight case specialist and the company ’ s primary competitor . Today , Penn Elcom has UK manufacturing sites in Hastings ( where the Salvagnini panel benders are located ) and Tyne & Wear in the UK , as well as subsidiaries in 15 other countries .
The benefits it has registered from its new panel benders , it told ISMR , include ‘ significantly faster cycle times and vastly shorter lead times ’
Among the specialisms at the Hastings facility are products for 19-inch racking systems . These units are essentially standardised frames or enclosures used extensively in stage technology for mounting multiple electronic equipment modules . The 19-inch racking products manufactured
on-site include cabinets ; enclosures ; shockmount systems ; rack strips / rails ; shelves ; drawers ; panels and doors , all of which require folds . Until recently , the company relied on a selection of ten press brakes for all bending operations but , since making the transition to its first of four Salvagnini panel benders in 2017 , the site has made major advances . So what prompted the switch ?
“ The manufacture of 19-inch racking solutions at Hastings started about seven years ago , as we were having quality issues with products imported from China ,” explained Roger Willems . “ We had some high-end press brakes from reputable manufacturers on-site but , as demand grew , particularly for large panels , it became more challenging . For example , if you take a steel panel that ’ s 1.5m tall , weighs 15kg and contains 15 folds , it is physically difficult to manipulate it efficiently .”
Mr Willems knew of Salvagnini panelbenders , but always thought these advanced machines would be beyond his budget .
“ However , one night I was on the internet looking at panel benders and curiosity got the better of me , so I made my first enquiry for a Salvagnini ,” he explains . “ It struck me as quite a big leap from a press brake to a Salvagnini , akin to replacing a two-seater
48 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR April 2021