FOCUS ON BENDING
AN EYE ON
INNOVATION
We highlight a selection of the latest new press brake bending systems , tooling and technology innovations in the global market .
Bending on a press brake at KMF Sheet Metal in the UK .
“ Industry 4.0 , automation , safety , environmental factors , increased accuracy and ease of operation are key elements in today ’ s press brake designs .”
A
press brake bends sheet metal by lowering a punch onto sheet metal that has been positioned on top of a die . The metal may be bent several times by the press brake until the desired form has been achieved . There are several types of press brake ( such as pneumatic , servo electric , hydraulic and mechanical ).
The press brake controls the movement of either the punch ( upper tool ) or the die
( bottom tool ) and provides the press force using hydraulic rams or electrical servo motors . The press brake ’ s bending force , known as tonnage , determines how much pressure can be applied by the punch during a bend . Higher tonnage allows for bending thicker and harder metals , and lower tonnage is most appropriate for thinner metals .
Market analyst , Technavio , estimates that press brake market size will grow up to US $ 413.87 million , at a CAGR of 4.96 % during 2021-2025 . It expects 39 % of market growth to originate from the APAC region during the forecast period . To make the most of the opportunities and recover from post COVID-19 impact , it recommended that market vendors focus more on growth prospects in the fast-growing segments , while maintaining their positions in slow-growing segments .
New bending innovations
Industry 4.0 , automation , safety , environmental factors , increased accuracy and ease of operation are key elements in today ’ s press brake designs . In this article , we highlight a selection of the latest new press brake systems , tooling and technology developments in the global market .
ADIRA Metal Forming Solutions SA is headquartered in Portugal and operates the business under various segments such as press brakes , shears , software and AM . The company offers products such as PF Fast PH Heavy Duty , GreenBender , Bluebender , and PA Hexa C ( hydraulic press brake ). At EuroBLECH 2018 in Hanover , ADIRA presented a hybrid press brake ( PF016040 ) with a new generation of Green dynamics technology ( based on the Hoerbiger hybrid ePrAX ® control ), a fully electric Bluebender press brake ( BB003515 ) with a new generation of Bluedrive systems and , for the first time , an electric press brake ( BB005020 ) with automatic tool changer ( ATC ) to reduce set-up time and maximise machine productivity .
Japanese manufacturer AMADA offers products such as HG Series , HG-1003ATC , HD-NT Series and EG Series . Its HG1003ATC bending system , for its V-factory digital sheet metal processing solution , is a servo / hydraulic hybrid drive system which features an Automatic Tool Changer ( ATC ) and an automatic bend indicator sensor plus an AMNC 3i control and ID scanner .
Its HG press brake features a patented hybrid drive system and a new ‘ Smartphone style ’ 3D control unit . New Product Designer software can unfold 3D sheet metal models and automatically apply unfolding data and feature recognition ready for manufacture .
Its EG series electric press brake incorporates AMADA ’ s patented dual servo technology which enables high-speed precision part manufacture with additional operator-focused benefits . Its HFE 3i , HG ATC and HG ARs press brake series encompass most bending scenarios from a manuallybased scenario to a fully automated , robotsupported production cell . Its HG ATC series with automatic tool changer , complex parts in batch sizes starting at quantities of one can be produced whereas with the HG ARs , even large batches of highly complex parts ( in unmanned operation ) can be produced .
Amada ’ s compact HFE-5012M2 pressbrake has been developed to offer fast and comfortable bending of small parts with medium complexity . The machine provides 50 tonnes of bending force and a working width of 1270mm . The open height of the frame has been increased , enabling deeper box bending . AMADA ’ s FAST ( Finger with Active Security Technology ) stop fingers can be fitted onto most new AMADA bending machines and
ISMR July / August 2021 | sheetmetalplus . com | 53