Beginning in 1997 Metalle in Form, in its function as a systems supplier, has manufactured high-precision components and functional elements for equipment engineering. The parts and the components – after final inspection and ready for immediate use – are employed particularly in medical, laboratory, refrigeration, and instrumentation and control technologies. The work is concentrated on thin-gauge sheet metal up to four millimeters thick and on applications with maximum expectations in regard to the finish. Punching numerous cut-outs, embossing and forming impose great demands on the technology. What’s more, the manufacturing operation found itself confronted with ever more complex contours, shapes that could only be cut with the laser. In the past the company farmed out this kind of work and, in its own sheet metal processing operations, used the TRUMATIC 2020 punch press with SheetMaster Compact. Slowly but surely there arose a conflict with the company’s philosophy of offering customers the greatest possible depth in manufacturing and services. When it came time to replace the punch press Hilmar John saw quite clearly that the time for combined punch and laser technology had arrived – with all the challenges that this change in equipment and technology involves.

Hilmar John made a very conscious decision in favor of the TruMatic 3000. “The machine is absolutely right for the material we process – up to four millimeters thick with a variety of surface finishes. And at the same time it offers precisely the qualities we need to manufacture our products: accuracy, precision, flexibility – in both punching and laser cutting,” he explains. The TruMatic 3000 is equipped with a two-kilowatt TruCoax CO₂ laser, which proves to be a good choice with its superb beam quality, precise cutting results and superior edge quality. The laser cutting head even makes it possible to execute cuts in areas that have already been shaped. ControlLine keeps constant the clearance between the nozzle and the sheet metal. That enables reliable cutting for even the most unusual geometries. Tool rotation through 360° in turn supports flexible sheet metal layout since it is possible to punch at any angle. The TruMatic 3000 punches standard curves just as perfectly as three-dimensional contours or tabs. A further advantage: The pneumatically cushioned balls in the punch section guide sheet metal over the matrix virtually without scratches while the standard-equipment brush-topped tables also do their part to protect sensitive surfaces. This is an absolute necessity for many of the products that Metalle in Form processes.

With his signature on the on the sales contract Hilmar John commenced thorough and resolute preparations for the change to the “combination punch and laser” technology.  Following discussions with the works council he first hired on staff that had already worked with combination machines. “The other side of the coin is that eliminating manual tasks inevitably means that we have to part ways with less skilled personnel,” Hilmar John regrets. It was quickly clear that the move from “just punching” and “just laser cutting” to combined technology actually represented a quantum leap but one that – according to John – can certainly be mastered. The punch press operators were specially rained by TRUMPF once the machine had been installed. And concerns that this faster machine would not be fully utilized have proved to be unwarranted. “We still have a little leeway. That has to do with process reliability, machine running times and the like,” John reports. The savings potentials in the TruMatic 3000 are demonstrated especially in process reliability. The parts do, indeed, have to be perfectly prepared, engineered, programmed and nested. But then the machine – thanks to automatic charging and removal – runs almost by itself, unattended, at full process reliability. “After four months in service we find that there are still learning effects in almost all sectors. But we are already seeing progress along the learning curve in ongoing operations. I am looking forward to further increases in production output in the foreseeable future. All in all, combined punch and laser technology is worthwhile since it has great potential and opens up entirely new options,” Hilmar John sums up.