Laser light darts over the workpiece before the robot arm lays the panel in the machine. At H. Gewing GmbH, re-measuring components has become a thing of the past. The system can do that on its own: Apart from various TRUMPF laser cutting machines and a few punching machines, Gewing is using two TrumaBend V 230 with BendMaster for automated bending and three TrumaBend V 230.

Punches, welding units, milling machines, saws and lathes form an animated backdrop in the Gewing production halls. The way the BendMaster does its work seems almost leisurely in this setting. The robot arm moves quietly along its floor rails toward the metal sheets resting on pallets, without the typical staccato movements of other automated systems. A laser beam scans the edges of the topmost sheet. Once the Bend¬Master has determined the exact position of the sheet metal, it lifts the sheet with its suction cups, raises it in an overhead arc and places it in the TrumaBend V230 press brake. “A blank normaly weighs about 30 kilograms — and I am not unhappy about not having to lift it,” is how Ivo Kreisel, the operator of this bending unit, sees the new system.

The company, located in Münsterland in the north of Germany, has no shortage of orders. Not only from the nearby region, but from other countries as well. “30 to 40 percent of our customers are located in other European countries,” reports Hermann Gewing, CEO at H. Gewing GmbH. He founded this metalworking company in 1991, more or less in his garage, after working as a production manager in the plastics industry. “I had always wanted to go out on my own”, recalls Hermann Gewing, “under the premise that my sons would later take over the company’s operations.” And they supported him — not only in the decision to set up his own shop, but also in the company’s operations today. The one, Bernd, is a technician, while the other, Dirk, is a business administrator. Hermann Gewing continued to expand his company in many small steps – sometimes to the amusement of his neighbors, each time he extended his production hall by another 30 meters. His success proves how right he was. Today Gewing, with 210 employees, 15,000 square meters of production space and an extensive range of equipment, processes about 125 tons of sheet metal every day. Automating bending technology is the current project being undertaken by Hermann Gewing in order to offer his customers even better performance and quality. He installed the first BendMaster in April 2006, the second in January 2007.

“The great advantage of the automated bending process is that it works continuously, without a break,” says Hermann Gewing. “Whenever the blanks are positioned by hand the worker is going to have to take a break at some point. The automated system, by contrast, runs continuously and without interruptions.” Thus, owing to automation in the bending process, considerably higher piece counts can be achieved each day. This effect can also be multiplied, Gewing continues: “We handle many parts which weigh more than 10 or 12 kilograms. In that case, and if we are working with a manual press, a second employee is necessary. With the BendMaster, by comparison, I can not only get along with just a single worker, but that worker can also operate a second machine at the same time.” Thus the higher initial investment for the automatic system quickly pays for itself.

“I get all the programs needed to control the BendMaster and the press through the intranet, from the work preparation unit,” explains Ivo Kreisel. He shows how he uses the order number to call up all the data necessary to set up the machinery. “I don’t need more than a half hour to set the system up for a new product – and even less for a part that’s already been produced.” Gewing adds: “There‘s a lot of work that can be finished in advance, thanks to the programming done in the job preparation unit. And the reject rate is also reduced.”

More pictures