The broad product pallet of one customer includes solar, transportation, environmental and advertising technology. The midsize company, which operates a press, is characterised by its modern machine equipment and a high level of integration, among other things. The company invested in an SBZ 151 and our eluCad programming software for the profile machining.

The company emphasises independence and self-reliance in many areas - so, for example, a press is operated with a pressing force of 3,300 tons, which produces up to 18 m long aluminium profiles. The machined profiles can be coated and painted. To the "everything from a single source" concept belongs that the customer receives a completely final machined product, which can also be packed for shipping, if requested. The products can be shipped using their own vehicle park.

The customer decided on an SBZ 151 profile machining centre from elumatec and our eluCad programming software for the final machining. The SBZ 151 is a 5-axis machine for industrial machining of aluminium profiles. All processing options such as drilling, milling, thread cutting, sawing and creating notches are carried out on a stationary profile – in this way, precise processing can be carried out and sensitive surfaces are protected from scratches and other damage. Scratch-free profiles are especially important for the customer, which also supplies products for the visual area, e.g. luggage racks in trains.

The SBZ 151 has a total of 21 tool positions, including saws. Two tooling magazines that are attached directly to the retracting machining unit ensure fast tooling exchange and short processing times. A particularly economical advantage is provided by the two processing options of the SBZ 151 machine concept. Either complete machining of the rod with a subsequent cut, or dividing the work areas into two zones for efficient shuttle operation. The clamps can be simultaneously pre-positioned independently of running machining. This achieves very high flexibility and provides high material throughput. The SBZ 151 allows fast reclamping – thus another product can be produced on the machine without a large loss of time.

User friendly and functional

The eluCad programming software simplifies the profile machining. Programs, which were already used once in the customer's operation, can again be quickly activated. Thus repeating orders can be processed quickly in the same production quality.

EluCad is software that simplifies programming of profile machining centres. The programming software is characterized by flexibility, operator-friendliness and practice-oriented functionality. New profiles can be simply loaded into the programme, profile views an be uploaded from a profile database. Machining processes such as holes, circular pockets, slotted holes or grooves can be called up by pushing a button. For these standard processes, the programme queries data such as length, width, diameter or immersion depth in transparent input fields. The machining can be quickly and precisely placed with data for axis positioning. Equally as transparent, arbitrary programmable contours are created by querying for required parameters by the software. eluCad independently calculates the tracks for clearing standard processes or determines that firstly drilling is carried out and then threads are cut.

Optimisations save time and costs

The transfer of data from a manual design drawing into the eluCad programme is an option of data recording. EluCad can also transfer and further process data from different design or calculation programmes such as LogiKal via an interface.

If the required profile machining is programmed, eluCad generates the control program based on the detailed industry knowledge of the software developers. EluCad optimises programming of the target machine in many aspects: The software programme determines a tool selection for processing that prevents tool exchanges when possible. Only the results of work counts, and on the way there much time can be saved with fewer tooling changes.

Even path optimisation belongs to the strengths of eluCad: The programme calculates the shortest pathway between processing points. In all processing steps, the programme avoids unnecessary re-clamping of a profile bar, a pre-requisite for time-efficient manufacturing. Included in EluCad functions is collision control – for this the software calculates if machine parts or clamping elements are in the movement path of the machine. This prevents expensive machine crashes and downtimes.

If the machine operator masters the software used in daily work, they can work fast and achieve good work results. With an eluCad training and subsequent production supervision, which our customer also receives, the best pre-requisites have been established.