PRODUCT REVIEWS
CTL lines with stretch levelling
Athader has been supplying coil processing lines for over 28 years . For stretch levelling it works with partner Leveltek International , which has been designing , manufacturing and installing stretch levelling systems for 27 years .
“ Athader-Leveltek cross-cutting systems with stretch levelling and flying shear reduce installation costs . Construction work is minimal because the stretch leveller is set up on a flat concrete floor and no foundation trenching is required . The use of a flying shear , instead of a start-stop shear , eliminates the need for a pit . Average line speed is also increased by nearly 50 % compared to a start-stop shear ,” Athader told ISMR .
“ By using a non-marking process developed by Leveltek , that grasps and stretches the unwound strip , our equipment eliminates shape defects such as edge waves , centre buckles , quarter buckles , camber and mandrel breaks . This restores coils which would otherwise end up as scrap . Unmarked , unscratched surfaces after stretching are guaranteed ,” it added .
Athader-Leveltek offers new cut-tolength and coil-to-coil lines , as well as the retrofitting of existing cut-to-length lines . The Leveltek stretch leveller fits into new or revamped installations .
“ One of our most recent contracts involves the delivery of a hands-free slitting line with tooling robot and an inspection line with integrated , fully automated robotic packaging system . Automation of the line is designed to meet level 2 requirements ,” concluded Athader .
Stretch levellers are designed to eliminate visible shape defects . Athader ’ s Leveltek process is also designed to eliminate ‘ memory ’, the distortion that can occur in cut parts after laser or plasma cutting of visibly flat sheets by plastically elongating the strip past its yield point . The only measurable effect on the coil is a slight reduction in material width , and a slight increase in length . n
. athader . com
Additive manufacturing control
Prima Additive , the Business Unit of Prima Industrie Group ( Borsa Italiana , Star segment ) which manufactures industrial metal Additive Manufacturing systems , and Materialise , a specialist in 3D printing solutions , are intensifying their collaboration for the optimisation of metal additive manufacturing systems .
The collaboration between the two companies has led to the optimisation of the Print Genius 150 , the additive manufacturing system from Prima Additive with Powder Bed Fusion technology featuring two lasers working on the same area . On this machine , Prima Additive has integrated Materialise ’ s MCP ( Materialise Control Platform ) hardware control to obtain realtime control functions and a streamlined combination with external systems to assist the process , such as monitoring and control systems .
“ A major result of the systems integration is the development of a laser workload balancing algorithm that allows users to exploit the two lasers to the maximum and in a balanced way , improving their workload . Using this algorithm , the two lasers work in each layer for the same amount of time , automatically distributing the work in a homogeneous way and eliminating moments where only one of the two lasers is at work ( maximizing the benefit of having two lasers on the same machine ). The first Print Genius 150 from this collaboration was installed at the University of Leuven , Belgium , in April 2021 ,” Prima Additive told ISMR .
The Prima Additive 150 Family is a flexible and smart machine platform for additive manufacturing and the development of new alloys and qualification of new materials and applications . All machines in the 150 Family are equipped with different sensors that monitor the process in real-time , a double preheating system to heat the surface of the powder bed both from the top and from the bottom through the heated plate ( up to 300 ° C ) as well as the option to integrate lasers with different wavelengths ( e . g . green lasers ). Users can set laser parameters and layer thickness in realtime during the operation .
“ The Materialise Control Platform is machine-embedded hardware and a software-driven platform for advanced control of laser-based 3D printing processes . The MCP provides all the tools required for an easy-touse , open and configurable system to connect , control and monitor all process-related hardware ( Laser , Scanhead and Dynamic Focus ). Consistent with Industry 4.0 , the MCP is equipped with OPC ua and REST API communication protocols . It allows users access to real-time data for analysis and means they can profit from the real-time , closed loop control function embedded in the MCP to further optimise the 3D printing process and reduce costs by improving process repeatability while increasing printing efficiency ,” added Prima Additive .
“ This first joint project between Prima Additive and Materialise is the first brick in a research and business partnership that will see both companies continue to invest in even more profitable technological collaboration for the development of higher-performance and easy-to-use machines , aimed at making additive technology more usable for SMEs and for all the companies that want to integrate this technology profitably into their production ,” commented Paolo Calefati , Head of Additive Manufacturing and Innovation , Prima Industrie . n
. primaadditive . com
ISMR December 2021 / January 2022 | sheetmetalplus . com | 61