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Laicor checks out productivity improvements with new press brake |
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 In 1974 Andy Laitila was in his early 20’s living in his native Finland when he and his wife planned a two-year visit to Canada. This “two-year visit” soon became a life-changing adventure. Laitila fell in love with Canada and soon adopted the country for his new home, raised a family, and founded Laicor Fixtures, a manufacturer of retail checkout counters and cabinets based in Peterborough, ON. The same determination that brought Laitila to Canada also enabled him to succeed in the business world.
Prior to founding Laicor Fixtures, Laitila was president of a leading
checkout counter manufacturer from 1979 to 1994. Under Laitla’a
stewardship, the firm grew from a four-person start-up company to
become one of North America’s largest checkout counter manufacturers.
Laitila’s
experience in the checkout industry would prove valuable in later
establishing his own business. In 1996, Laitila founded Laicor as a
contract manufacturer fabricating stainless steel components for larger
companies. In 1999, Laicor entered the checkout market.
Initially,
Laicor’s fabrication equipment consisted of a single-station mechanical
punch press, a shear, a press brake, and some other basic machinery. As
the company grew, they added equipment to keep up with the growing
production. But the most dramatic purchase took place in 2005 with the
acquisition of the Finn-Power Shear Genius flexible manufacturing cell.
The Shear Genius is a combination turret punch press and right angle
shear. In its product lines, Laicor fabricates galvanized, stainless
steel, and aluminum in multiple thicknesses from 20 to 11 gauge.
The
impact of the Shear Genius was quickly apparent at Laicor. “We went
from old machines and old production styles to a more modern and faster
method,” explains Laitila. “The Shear Genius more than doubled our
productivity. There were immediate savings since we used to have two
people doing the process on the older machines that the Shear Genius
does with one man.”
According to Mika Laitila, manager,
engineering and design, other benefits of the Shear Genius include high
versatility and accuracy. “We run very low lots,” explains Mika. “With
the Finn-Power Shear Genius and NC Express software, we are able to run
dynamic nests. You will not see the same nests numbers going through
the Shear Genius twice. It’s always different quantities, different
lengths, and orders intermingled. Because the clamps hold the sheet
for both punching and shearing, the parts have higher accuracy. We were
able to nearly double our productivity on our older hydraulic press
brake because the parts are now continually being produced on
dimension.”
Later, after realizing that to achieve the full
benefit from the Shear Genius, Laicor also had to upgrade an older
existing press brake. After careful evaluation, Laicor selected the
Finn-Power E Series servo-electric 80-ton press brake.
The
Finn-Power E Series servo-electric press brake is a fast, accurate
bending solution. By applying mechanics and electronics, a unique,
patented, mechatronic drive was developed. This drive is based on the
pulley principle resulting in a very even distribution of forces in the
top beam, high accuracy, increased productivity, and decreased energy
consumption, and few maintenance requirements.
The patented
servo-drive system offers many advantages. For example, when performing
batch work of any size, the rapid advance, programmable working speed,
programmable stroke parameters, and rapid return speed of the ram
enables maximum cycling rates without compromising control. The fast
positioning speeds ensures that the backgauge will be ready when the
part is presented for each operation. The Power Belt System virtually
eliminates ram deflection and the need for compensating bed crown.
“The
high accuracy combination of both the E press brake and the Shear
Genius cell further increased our productivity,” says Laitila. “The
press brake operator can trust the drawings and doesn’t have to measure
everything because he knows the parts will be accurate. There are also
downstream benefits for us. About half of our shop is assembly. We have
holes on every part, so if the bend is off 1/16 in. we could have major
problems. However, the accuracy of the E brake is phenomenal. Our
accuracy on the E brake is within .003-.004 on every part.”
Another
feature of the E brake-the Wila Quick-Change Tooling System-also
offered important benefits. Laicor’s first employee and long-time press
brake operator/programmer Robert Dickson had developed carpal tunnel
syndrome in a wrist and elbow from changing tooling on the older
hydraulic press brake. “The tool changes on the old machine were
causing me problems,” explains Dickson. “The tooling had to be cranked
on and off with a wrench.
“We’re a short run shop and it’s not
unusual for us to make up to 150 setups per day. That’s a lot of
cranking. The E press brake has Wila Quick-Change Tooling which is much
easier. You just snap it in...and push a button to pull it out. My
wrist and elbow pain have subsided since the installation of the E
brake.” Laicor’s E series brake is equipped with the Wila mechanical
upper tooling clamping system which features several advantages
including quick fastening with patented safety click system and
interchangeable high precision tools.
In addition, the E series
press brake supports all the available tooling styles to provide the
quickest means of tool setup available. The ram is universally
machined to accept a variety of optional clamping systems for different
style tooling.
The E brake has performed especially well on the many
short runs that Laicor undertakes. “The E brake is unbeatable on small
runs,” says Dickson. “I can make a part on the E brake in the time it
would take me to set up the older hydraulic machine.”
The Finn-Power E brake is available in tonnages from 27 to 220 (250 kN to 2000 kN) and bed sizes from 4 ft. to 13.5 ft.
Other
benefits that Laitila singles out include reduced maintenance, with no
hydraulic oil leaks to contend with, quiet operation, and energy
saving. The E brake uses much less energy than hydraulic models. It
only consumes energy when the beam actually moves. This can result in
energy savings of up to 50% compared to conventional hydraulic press
brakes.
Laicor takes pride in its products’ unique modern styling,
quality, and design flexibility. “We customize our products to customer
needs,” says Laitila. “This approach to the market demands our quick
response time and the ability to change quickly. The Finn-Power Shear
Genius and E brake have greatly helped us in this challenge.”
This article was supplied by Finn-Power International Inc., Schaumburg, IL.
finnpower.com
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