In October 2013, BLM Group delivered an Adige LT Fiber fiber laser to Mittametalli Oy in Heinola for laser cutting tubes, profiles, bars and flats. The tube fiber laser is the first of its kind on the Finnish market. In addition to energy efficiency, low maintenance costs, versatile cutting materials and high cutting speeds, the laser’s significant competitive advantages include the new software connection with BLM’s tube bending machines. This enables a unique complete service offering for tube processing in cooperation with Metallituote Summanen Oy from Lahti, which uses a BLM E-Turn 42 tube bender. Fredko Oy Ab has acted as the solution provider for the package and also provides local customer service support.
The Adige LT Fiber tube laser uses a 2 kW fiber laser source from IPG, a leading resonator manufacturer. The energy requirement and maintenance costs of a fiber laser are less than half those of a comparable CO₂ laser. Cutting times are also tens of percent faster. As a result, total costs and unit prices of parts remain considerably lower. With a fiber laser, laser cutting is possible not only for steels, but also for aluminium, copper and brass. When these fiber laser features are combined with the software expertise of the pioneering BLM Group and the automatic B-Right software connection between cutting and bending, it can truly be called a unique complete solution.
The E-Turn 42 tube bender delivered to Metallituote Summanen Oy approximately one year earlier is equipped with an integrated 3D tube measuring device, which ensures the dimensional accuracy of bending and corrects the program as desired based on the measurement results, taking elongation and springback into account. Now the new B-Right software feature makes it possible to bend a pre-punched tube so that the positions of the holes already take the bending-related changes in the tube into account dimensionally and in advance through the software connection.
In practice, this enables a fast and high-quality tube processing process in which even the first production part is dimensionally accurate, both in terms of the pre-cut holes and the bending. This kind of integrated tube processing software brings the advantages of automation also to small batches, without cutting and bending physically having to be carried out under the same roof, as the cooperation between Mittametalli and Summanen demonstrates.
With their cooperation and the latest technology in their field, Mittametalli and Summanen are seeking significant new openings in tube processing. The complete solution makes it possible to offer customers a competitive cutting and full tube processing service.
Fredko Oy Ab will continue to use its solution offering to bring new openings to the Finnish market, both in tube processing and in other sheet metal processing sectors. An important role in this is played by Fredko’s local customer service support, which, through its new service programmes, keeps machine utilisation rates high and maintenance costs reasonable.
Further information: Mittametalli Oy, Managing Director Jari Kolehmainen, tel. +358 40 501 4060; Metallituote Summanen Oy, Managing Director Tanja Lundén, tel. +358 40 588 4114; Fredko Oy Ab, Managing Director Pasi Pitkänen, tel. +358 10 839 1221
