TPT July 2010

Competitive advantages with tool changer

WHILE the “pit stop” of conventional large sawing machines is manually performed, changing the saw blades of the new tube cut-off machine MC3 from Linsinger is an entirely automatic process. The advantages for customers are obvious: higher productivity, increase of job safety as well as improved convenience and reduction of errors. Linsinger show- cased in public for the

The tube cut-off machine MC3

first time the Linsinger Tube Cut-off Machine MC3 at Tube Düsseldorf. Linsinger reached its high aims to cheaply and quickly cut tubes as well as profiles in fully automatic production lines by replacing the conventional large saw blade with three small circular saws. The three small diameter circular saws are mounted on a rotating frame and always cut simultaneously into the tube. The effect: significant shorter cutting times and enormous cost savings. It is possible to save ca. 50km tubes in the course of a machine life cycle due to the small cutting width (ca. 3mm) of the three saw blades. In comparison, a large sawing machine would produce about 2,650m more scrap per year with its cutting width up to 10mm. In addition the tools contribute to lower costs. One cut of the sawing machine MC3 costs altogether not more than 44 cent. This is 69 cents less than the costs of one cut with a large saw blade. This cost saving alone gives a payback period for the basic machine of three years. True to Linsingers motto “Always On Top”, the research and development team took it to the next level and developed an additional feature. Described as follows: the completely automatic tool changer with a robot. The robot was originally designed to remove the cut-off parts and to select and remove testing rings. Now it has a multifunctional program which is able to change three saw blades within 90 seconds. Comparable with a pit stop in Formula One motor sports – the shorter the pit stop time, the faster across the finishing line. The incredible saving times correspond approximately one year of extra production during a three shift operation with 20 years life cycle in comparison with a manual saw blade change of a large sawing machine. Next to this immense increase in capacity the increased automation also reduces the number of errors. The operator-free tool changing operation is initiated by control system tool life tables fully automatically. All tool life and cutting performance data are electronically stored for easy access. Linsinger offers fully automated production flow to support sustainable production cost reduction to the benefit of customers in their endeavours to reach the pole position and win the race for the most efficient tube production.

Linsinger – Austria Fax: +43 7613 8840 38 Website: www.linsinger.com

41

www.read-tpt.com

J uly 2010

›