TPT January 2011

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56 January 2011 ›
Technology Update
OTO Mills SpA has been designing,
manufacturing and installing complete
systems for the production of tubes and/or
welded sections for around 30 years. The
company has a 70% share of the western
market for systems up to 8" and it is now
extending its production range up to 24".
The steady growth achieved by Oto Mills
SpA through all these years in a somewhat
challenging sector has been made possible
largely thanks to its ability to invest in its
expertise and bring excellent products to
market that meet the increasingly diverse
requirements of its customers. The key to
the success of Oto Mills SpA has therefore
been the ability to differentiate itself from its
direct competitors, by always endeavouring
to stay one step ahead, even in fields that are
constantly changing, like safety.
The new Machinery Directive, 2006/42/
EC, raises the bar in terms of machine
design and construction quality for ever
greater safety, while extending the
definition of a “machine” and thus driving
all manufacturers of tube and/or welded
section production systems to adopt the CE
marking and to comply with the applicable
safety requirements. Oto Mills SpA has
embraced this challenge too, making
safety a crucial component of its machines
that it builds into the process right from
the design stage, while promoting the
training and continuous development of
its own technical staff on the EN technical
standards.
Given that safety measures are a joint
effort between the designer and the user,
those measures that can be integrated in
at the design stage are to be preferred and
are generally more effective than those
implemented only later by the user. That is
why each of its designers is motivated and
engaged to develop the awareness that
manufacturing in safety must be possible,
and that if a hazard cannot be eliminated
then it must certainly be reduced: solutions
must be found at the design stage, as if left
until later they may become less effective
and too complex.
It is only this firm belief that enables Oto
Mills SpA to achieve the expected results,
which certainly include the need to ensure
that the machines possess the required
operating functionality and meet production
standards, while minimising the level of
risk for operators. Its increasingly powerful
manufacturing automation facilities help
increase productivity while ensuring safety
during the production process. The weak
link, however, remains the adjustment and
control process which, like maintenance,
requires very careful examination. Only
by putting these kinds of task under the
microscope, together with the willingness
to redesign or modify the parts that give
rise to excessive risks, can better and even
more significant results be achieved.
That is why Oto Mills SpA now makes
risk analysis the springboard for every
new design. The mechanical hazards
associated with the machine have been
addressed as a priority, and the vast
majority of the machines making up Oto
Mills’ systems may now be considered fully
safe, thanks to the continual involvement
of the various technical disciplines (from
electrotechnicians to mechanics) and a
team working approach.
Many important and significant results
have been achieved, and others are in the
pipeline, as the health and safety of its
machine operators is and will always be
an essential component, no matter what,
for Oto Mills SpA in its constant pursuit of
excellence.
Oto Mills SpA – Italy
Website:
CLOMEA is a manufacturer of bending
machines for metal profiles. Planning and
production, completely developed in-house,
relates to a range of sixty models of
bending machine with various powers and
technological solutions, up to CNC models.
Rollers and equipment are also an
integral part of CLOMEA’s production,
backed by years of experience and high-
level industry know-how.
The target of improving the performance
of machinery and flexibility of application in
various fields should not affect the simplicity
of use. In response to these needs and
following suggestions received from
customers, the company developed the
new numerical control CNW333, applicable
to all of its hydraulic bending machines.
The CNW333 is developed on the Windows
XP operating system, can operate in single
and multi-run, and is applied to hydraulic
machines both with two-speed rotation motor
as standard and with speed regulator, which
allows operation of four processing axes with
automatic speed calculation.
In addition to the functions already
present in the other versions, it provides
The pursuit of excellence
starts with safety
Numerical control for
hydraulic bending machines
CNW333
numerical
control system
(right), with the
CR238MRIMW
bending machine
a user-friendly programming system,
programming of up to 36 radii and automatic
positioning calculation for new bending
radii, facilitating processing performance
and programming.
Files can be managed directly in DXF
format in order to obtain the geometry to be
performed and to create network connections
for interfacing with other PCs.
CLOMEA Soc Coop –– Italy
Email:
Website: