Smart press brake technology reduces errors

Air bending

Bending sheet metal in different angles using a limited set of tools.

Bottom bending

Bending sheet metal by enclosing the sheet between the punch and the die.

Bending short flanges

WILA's tooling solutions for achieving shorter flange lengths.

Bending with cut-outs near the bend line

Avoid deformations when bending near cut-outs.

Bending without galling

Bending galvanized sheet metal, aluminium or stainless steel on a press brake.

Box bending

Box bending requires forethinking your choice of press brake and tooling.

Heavy Duty bending

Tool Holders and Tooling for bending thicker or high strength steel.

Hemming

Finish sharp edges and strengthen parts of sheet metal products.

Large radius bending

Creating a bend with a large radius to material thickness ratio.

Mark-free bending

Reduce marking on the surface of the bent material.

Offset bending (Z-bending)

Making two equal and opposite bends in one hit.

An overview of all bending applications and techniques.

All applications

SMART PRESS BRAKE TECHNOLOGY REDUCES ERRORS

The production processes in manufacturing all always evolving. The need for greater flexibility to accommodate for smaller batch sizes and specialty parts has become commonplace in today’s market. These factors combined with less skilled operators, result in rejected parts, reduced productivity, and higher costs. What can be done to overcome these business challenges?

Train machine operators

Machine operators must place tools inside machines before starting production. This is accomplished by retrieving information from the bending program in the press brake controls. This program shows the position in which tools must be placed. The scale on the press brake is the only thing that offers some positioning guidance. After each tool, operators must look in the bending program to see where the next tools must be placed. This is quite time-consuming job and errors can be easily made.

Although training machine operators can reduce errors, it will not help to eliminate them. This process takes a lot of time and is costly. Additionally, when an operator leaves the company, the knowledge base and expertise leaves with them.

WILA's advice

You can help operators to position tools correctly by adding smart technology to your press brake. The WILA Smart Tool Locator^® has been developed to create error-free tool set-ups. The Smart Tool Locator^® consists of a scale with built-in LED lighting, and visually indicates where tools must be placed. It then individually shows each bending activity, so operators can easily perform all required activities. The benefits are significant increases in speed, precision and efficiency.

Would you like to know more?

Feel free to contact our Technical Sales Engineers. They are happy to give you advice on your specific situation.