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November 2013

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Fast Automated Bending Cell



"TRUMPF Inc. has announced the release of the TruBend Cell 7000, a fast system for the automated bending of small parts," said a company spokesperson. "With an average cycle time of four seconds per bend, it delivers parts twice as fast as conventional bending cells. The system will be on display for the first time in North America at FABTECH."

The TruBend Cell 7000 is comprised of several components: a TruBend 7036 Cell Edition press brake, the BendMaster bending robot, the LoadMaster Bend material handling unit, a pallet system and tracks, all within an enclosure that requires only 69 sq. ft. of floor space.

The TruBend 7036 Cell Edition features a press force of 36 metric tons and an electric torque motor for high-speed acceleration. Intelligent back gauges built from lightweight materials enable parts to be positioned quickly, to achieve a maximum pressing speed of 2 in/sec. The ram is divided into two 20" sections to provide clearance for the grippers on the BendMaster. With enhanced precision and repeatability, these grippers can position components with a sheet thickness up to 0.3", according to the company.

The LoadMaster Bend's multi-vacuum gripper prepares the bending part parallel to the current bending operation. A high-speed vision system identifies the orientation of the blanks. The flexible loading arrangement allows for up to 24 different blanks or 4,800 parts to be delivered to the machine. The standard system configuration includes unloading of finished parts to boxes or bins. Alternatively, the system can be equipped so scratch-prone parts are individually unloaded to a conveyor belt.

The TruBend Cell 7036 Cell Edition, BendMaster and LoadMaster Bend are coordinated to achieve a cycle time of 4 seconds per bend with the TruTops Bend programming software. Offline programming supports and optimizes the tool selection, bending sequences and precise gripping position. Algorithms determine the shortest traverse paths to reduce the time per bend.

As an option, the ToolMaster Bend can be implemented to change bending tools as part of the automated process. This is particularly useful for small batches because the cell can process the different orders without an operator. The BendMaster uses the ToolMaster Bend to select the appropriate tools without having to change grippers. Reading an ID chip inside the tool, the integrated Tool Identification System (TIS) automatically identifies the tool type and position and communicates the data to the controller in the tool clamp and in the support tracks of the ToolMaster Bend.

"The new TruBend Cell 7000 is ideal for all industries that process small blanks, in either short or long production runs, such as appliance or electronics manufacturers, HVAC and electrical equipment builders, as well as food service and agricultural OEMs," said the spokesperson. "Contract manufacturers can also benefit from the ability to process diverse small parts with high productivity and unmanned operation."

For more information contact:

TRUMPF Inc.

Farmington Industrial Park

Farmington, CT 06032

860-255-6000

www.us.trumpf.com

FABTECH Booth #S-1701

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