• Digital Transformation

More news

SHEET HAPPENS VII: The art of taming stocks of sheet metal: Configuration and good practices

  • Advanced Manufacturing
Today we are looking at how to keep control of sheet metal stocks and remnants. Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed, trying to keep track of all the different sheet sizes and remnants you’ve been adding on the fly? Now, you keep getting a huge selection of sheet sizes options that appear every time you try to use “do all” in the automatic nesting and machining page.

Software for the coexistence of different sheet metal cutting machines at the same plant

  • Advanced Manufacturing
Typically, a second machine tool is added to plants in an attempt to increase production and/or diversify. However, we are also seeing it as a phenomenon aimed at resolving the issue with small series. This occurs when there’s a machine with a large automated production capacity which is expensive to interrupt in order to manufacture small series. To cover this gap and avoid interrupting serial production, many factories use an additional, cheaper machine, without automation but with greater availability.

Rob Powell, Commercial Director, Lantek UK talks about Industry 4.0 for sheet metal manufacturers

  • Digital Transformation
Industry 4.0 is the next stage on from the automation systems that many companies within the sheet metal industry are already embracing. We have supplied many CADCAM systems in the UK and we see that manufacturers understand the need for sheet handling systems such as stacker systems for the automated loading of multiple sizes and specifications of material and the unloading, stacking and sorting of finished parts using automated handling systems such as chutes and robots.