Kaltenbach made a significant number of new ‘world first’ advanced machine efficiency claims at the IPS2011 (International Partners in Steel) event, held at the Kaltenbach Group headquarters in Lorrach, Southern Germany during May. Along with some 40 partner companies, 3,300 visitors from 52 countries saw the launch of the latest sawing, drilling, coping, profiling and coating systems, together with an array of closely linked machine technologies. Solutions reports.

The technologies demonstrated were for general engineering, metal stockholding and in particular structural steel sector applications. A comprehensive array of new machines were launched, all of which claim to provide significant gains in processing efficiency, including a number of world firsts.

Significant developments in sawing were demonstrated which included a reported 300% advance in the industry’s typical processing speed of structural steel; high speed complex sawing of multiple mitres in bar, tube, profiles and flats via an all new universal saw; new, fast 3-axis drilling machines; as well as advances in shot blasting and auto-painting systems; and a new robotic welding system for the auto-welding of fittings and components onto columns and beams.

Kaltenbach Logistical Processing Control (KLPC) was a theme that ran throughout the new machines and processes in line with Kaltenbach’s methodology of fully integrating an array of structural steel processes and controlling their individual and combined capabilities as a single line. Using the latest integrated software and control systems, material can be specified, loaded, monitored, processed and controlled from start to finish, as a fully integrated system.

Sawing highlights

The KBS1051 mitring, structural steel bandsaw received its official launch at IPS2011 with the bold claim of being the world’s fastest bandsaw. IPS2011 attendees were given live demonstrations under normal production sawing conditions which showed an HEM400 steel beam being repeatedly cut in an impressive 83 seconds – said to be up to 300% faster than typical industry norms.

The bandsaw fully exploits the marked cutting performance benefits of TCT blades (bi-metal blades can also be used), using powerful servomotor, ballscrew down feed technology. Combined with Kaltenbach’s AFC (Auto Feed Control), which achieves dynamic, auto-sensing and adjustment of the band cutting angle during the cutting cycle, throughout a changing cross-section, optimised cutting performance is achieved, with minimum cutting edge contact area.

The KBS1051 has a high speed, multi-positional mitring range of -30°/90°/45°, with maximum material capacity of 1,030mm by 500mm down to 30mm by 10mm minimum. The first of these machines has been installed in the UK this year along with a number of worldwide installations.

Kaltenbach’s new Auto-Sorter system, AS1051 was also demonstrated, interlinked with the KBS1051 bandsaw to form a fully automated structural sawing system which includes the auto-removal of trim cuts and remnants, eliminating the need for time consuming operator intervention and the use of a crane for heavier sections.

KKS 463 NA circular saw
The KKS 463 NA is a completely new universal, automatic, high speed mitring, up stroking circular saw, designed to achieve high speed, high precision, rapid throughput of straight and mitre cut material, for flat, angle, bar, profiles and thick-walled tube. It has a specially developed, single body rigid machine bed and is fitted as standard with high speed input and output gripper feed systems.

The saw can rapidly make complex multiple mitre, front and rear cuts in any one position which includes three cut, mitre straight mitre configurations, using a mitre range of ±60°, with any gusset produced pushed automatically from the saw table. Front cuts, remnants and finished parts are all automatically pushed off the machine bed and sorted into pre-programmed positions, without material distribution delaying the ongoing material positioning and speed of the next cut. The positioning input speed of material is auto-selected by material weight and can reach speeds up to 1m/second.

The KKS463 uses a 460mm diameter bi-metal blade and Kaltenbach’s patented up stroking technology as used in more than 40,000 Kaltenbach machines worldwide, but for the first time, a completely new downward clamp system has been introduced that eliminates the sacrificial clamping block of the established machines.

The new clamp sits close to either side of the circular blade and pivots left to right in unison with the blade, in accordance with any mitre position selected. A sawing feed rate of up to 33mm/second is possible with tubing. The KKS463 also eliminates the typical set-up procedures traditionally associated with many circular saws. The machine auto-determines material width and height and automatically makes a parts calculation and any required correction in case of material variance. Width tolerances of raw material are evenly balanced to ensure high precision cuts throughout the material length and the saw auto-selects (or via manual intervention) the optimum cutting speed and feed rates and ensures optimal cutting throughout the process. A new innovation, applied when cutting thick walled tube, auto-adjusts the blade feed rate during the cutting cycle to optimise cutting conditions throughout a changing cut section.

Control is via colour touchscreen. Material capacity is 153mm diameter, 140mm square or 250mm by 75mm flat, with a range of options for automatic bar in feed magazines or conveyors.

KKS451 NA circular saw
The KKS451 NA universal up stroking 450mm diameter blade machine was also demonstrated at IPS2011. With less sophisticated feed and sorting options than some other KKS machines, including the new KKS463, it provides high precision mitre cutting of ±60° for flat, angle, solid, tube and profiles up to 150mm diameter for mild steel and stainless. User friendly operation is via the machine’s integral touchscreen.

KBS2101 bandsaw
The all new KBS2101 bandsaw was also launched at IPS2011 and is the largest of Kaltenbach’s bandsaws with a material capacity to handle 2,050mm by 800mm structural steel welded beams. The saw’s rapid mitring NC controlled capability is from -40° to 30° and, using a powerful 11kW band drive and Kaltenbach’s ball screw and servo-motor band feed technology the KBS2101 will readily cut single, layered and bundled material. A range of optional equipment is available, including: Band Deflection Monitoring to control any band deflection as a the blade begins to wear; laser line cutting edge indicator; and a KHS integrated automated marking system.

MSK471 circular saw
The MSK471 is a high speed, straight cutting, 370mm circular blade sawing system for the rapid cutting and processing of solid bar up to 152mm diameter or 140mm square, profiles or bundles, using bi-metal or TCT blades. A range of options are available, including in feed magazines and out feed sorting and handling systems, plus a pick and place sorting robot for cut material. It is an ideal high production saw for metal stockholders or companies with regular batch runs. Control is user friendly and intuitive via a colour touchscreen mounted on a pendulum console and routine maintenance and general access is simplified via the machine’s generously sized, easy access sliding doors.

Related innnovation

There were a number of complementary, sawing related machines unveiled at IPS, particularly for the structural steel sector where structural saws are typically linked as an integrated process, together with a number of other line processes such as drilling and surface preparation.

On show was the latest Kaltenbach SPS fully integrated shot blasting and painting system – the Sprint 1504, which provides high levels of process speed, economic use of paint, consistent paint coverage and fast drying times, plus further advances in dust filtration and other general environmental standards.

The Sprint 1504, fully integrated with new inTEC auto-painting technology is claimed to achieve significant advances in the even control of paint coverage, including over fabrications, with associated cost and finish benefits. Shot blast cleaned and preheated material entering the painting tunnel passes through a new laser sensing system that rapidly creates a 3D profile of the material, which is graphically shown on the machine’s colour touchscreen panel.

A new CNC automated multi-gun paint spraying system is directly influenced by the 3D laser readings. The results achieved are said to provide significant reductions in paint usage and therefore operating costs, with excellent even paint coverage throughout and the minimum of any evenly applied over spray that a material configuration demands.

A newly developed robotic welding system, the KWR 601, was shown for the first time at IPS2011. It enables perfect seam, robotic welding of lugs, end plates and webs or similar items to columns and beams. A CNC scanning system tracks and maps the precise contours of the material to be welded before the robot auto-welds the entire material. The system is said to eliminate one of the last remaining labour intensive processes in structural steel fabrication.

A new flagship, heavy-duty, 3-axis, 18 tool, high performance NC structural drilling machine, known as the KDL range was also announced at the show and the established KF plate profiling system was demonstrated with a new, high speed robotic pick and place system that removes and auto-sorts finished parts.

Kaltenbach
www.kaltenbach.com