FOCUS ON METALWORKING
A small furniture bracket being folded on the STR Verde. Operator training for all of the BLM-supplied machines was carried out on-site in the UK and Italy.
Gresham’ s STR Verde press brake supplied by BLM under a commercial and technical partnership agreement between the two Italian manufacturers. and cutting parameters to maintain a burr-free finish,” outlined BLM.
David Openshaw highlighted the time-saving nozzle changing system that is designed to reduce set-up time when switching between different material thicknesses.
“ Featuring an automated, 18-position magazine, the system can swap a nozzle in seconds so that the machine uses the optimal geometry for the specific laser power and gas pressure required for the job. Nozzle wear monitoring uses a camera to inspect nozzle condition and automatically initiates a replacement if it detects degradation that could compromise the quality of cut,” confirmed BLM.
A key feature of the BLM STR Verde 2.6- metre / 100-tonne press brake is the LED-guided tool position indicator. Instead of measuring or estimating where to place punches and dies, a strip of LED lights along the upper beam illuminates the exact location that each tool should ideally be placed.
“ This not only reduces set-up times but also acts as a guide during the actual bending process, highlighting where the operator should place the workpiece for each sequential bending operation. Complex parts with multiple bends are handled correctly every time, without the risk of human error. To guarantee accuracy from the very first piece, the press brake uses an infrared laser to measure the bend angle. As the machine initiates a bend, high-speed sensors detect the interior angle of the profile in real-time. If the material exhibits any springback or variation in thickness, the system triggers an automatic bend correction, dynamically adjusting the ram depth mid-cycle to hit the exact programmed angle. Once a perfect result is achieved, a program-save function allows the optimised parameters to be stored in the machine’ s library,” added BLM.
As STR has integrated EsaBend 3D software into the press brake control, the operator transfers a STEP file of the component to
be bent, derived from a 3D solid model in Gresham’ s Autodesk Inventor CAD / CAM system. The control software unfolds the STEP file, identifies the specific tooling available in the shop, applies any crowning and springback adjustments that are typical for the material to be bent, and generates the G-code.
“ This handshake between Inventor and the press brake ensures that the first part off the machine is accurate, as are all those subsequently produced,” confirmed BLM.
The BLM LS7 flat-bed laser cutting machine at Gresham.
In conclusion
With over 600 part numbers in its system, Gresham’ s manufacturing operation is complex and material usage is high. Bringing production in-house has ensured more efficient use of sheet metal, as intelligent nesting of components minimises material wastage while tube stock utilisation is also maximised.
David Openshaw concluded:“ Each part of every sheet processed in-house is now turned into components, which was not possible when some orders for a limited number of brackets and small parts were formerly placed with a subcontractor. Likewise, with laser-cut tubular parts that were previously bought in, the BLM LT7 can process an entire length of stock and subsequently reuse any off-cuts, eliminating the inevitable scrap at a subcontractor when an ordered batch had been run off. Whether it was sheet or tube parts that were being produced externally, the unused material was, of course, charged to us
which raised the cost per part. That is now a thing of the past.”
He added that the Bolton factory operates a 40-hour week, Monday to Friday, so there is plenty of potential for raising production output as future needs dictate, especially as the flatbed laser’ s capacity is less than half utilised at present. Even the busiest machine, the tube laser, currently needs to run for only threequarters of the time.
The business case for integrating production entirely in-house is validated by David Openshaw’ s reflection on the company’ s evolution. Twenty-five years ago, when he joined Gresham, annual turnover was £ 18- million and there were 300 staff on the shop floor. Today, there are one-third the number of machine operators and assembly personnel, and turnover has doubled. n
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EsaBend 3D software runs in the STR press brake control to streamline the bending process.
26 | ismr. net | ISMR April 2026