New all-electric press brake

The new EGB-e series, an all-electric press brake, is set to “revolutionize” manual bending, according to supplier Amada. Among other things, it is characterized by easy handling.

The EGB-e series is a response to market demand for a highly productive machine that is also extremely easy to operate. This is intended to alleviate the problem that many companies have in finding and retaining qualified specialists. The EGB-ATCe automatic tool changer from the EGB-e series is equipped with the latest technology to support operators, ensure maximum accuracy and protect the environment. New features include a brand new servo drive and an electric crowning system, a new three-finger backgauge with AR technology, voice control for the first time and a further development of Amada’s angle measurement technology.

The new AMNC-4ie control centralizes and integrates the management of all new solutions to achieve the highest productivity and efficiency on the market. In addition, services such as the HMI tablet, augmented reality for positioning the parts, voice commands, a new protractor for automatic adjustment of the bending angle and fully automatic offline programming are fully integrated, drastically reducing non-productive time and relieving the operator, who only has to handle the part to be bent. With more than 20 years of experience in the development of servo-electric drives, Amada offers a new solution that provides the highest speed and dynamics on the market for both the top beam and the backgauge. To make the machine easy to operate, even for less experienced operators, it is important to automate as many processes as possible and simplify all manual processes. For this reason, Amada has developed the offline programming suite VPSS 4ie Bend, which automatically creates the bending program based on the correctly unrolled part and allows the operator to process it without manual intervention. This is controlled autonomously by the machine itself via the new and faster Bi-S II protractor. The BI-S II ensures that the position of the upper and lower press beam is balanced, thus achieving a high degree of bending linearity. The resulting angle is displayed on the HMI tablet, which is always in front of the operator, so that no more time is required for manual angle measurement. The all-electric and dynamic crowning system is controlled asymmetrically. This means that different corrections can be made on the left and right side of the bottom bar. This means that the parallelism of the beams can be maintained even when bending in an offset position, regardless of the relationship between V-size and material thickness. Tool set-up is another crucial process that has a significant impact on the overall productivity of the machine. In 2006, Amada reinvented bending and was the first company to automate the set-up process with the ATC of the Astro 100 II Cell. Since then, Amada has launched the HD-ATC in 2012, the HG-ATC in 2015 and the HRB-ATC in 2021, which have fundamentally changed the setup process and are successful worldwide.

The ATC was also developed to meet the market’s requirements to enable fast and easy production of small batch sizes and rush orders, as well as various types of production planning, such as batch processing of assembly orders. In this way, the ATC doubles productivity, protects the tools and improves the working environment. The ATC of the EGB-e series has been redesigned with a 30 percent higher capacity and a maximum V-size of 50 mm instead of 40 mm. These improvements have been achieved while at the same time reducing the dimensions in order to optimize space requirements. The Amada EGB-e has a new backgauge with three independent, narrow fingers. This enables fast and stable positioning, especially of parts with complex shapes, as the stop fingers can be used both as a backgauge and as a side stop. The fence situation is monitored using an augmented reality camera, which shows the correct positioning of the part to be processed on the tablet display and overlays it with the real-time view of the actual part. The tablet is a mobile device that displays the required information to the operator. These include the bending angle achieved, the stop position and warnings for handling parts for people with less experience in bending processes. The system ensures efficient quality control and minimizes non-productive time. Minimizing environmental impact is a key concern for our customers. In this context, Amada has developed a range of innovative solutions that enable a reduction in consumption and pollutants while simultaneously increasing productivity. The new AMNC4ie control system is able to detect the presence of the operator and automatically switch off the screen, the servo drives and the LED lights if the operator is absent for an extended period of time. Another option is the SF75 bending aid, which is available with one or two arms depending on the part size and weight. It reduces the operator’s workload and increases quality and safety. Web: www.amada.de