Almec Pty. Ltd. Australia

Case study
Almec Pty. Ltd.
Australia
Small shop delivers big service with
laser, punch, bend technology
As Sydney, Australia-based Almec Pty. Ltd. knows, maintaining a successful sheet
metal subcontracting business is all about delivering product on time, on budget and
to spec. But Almec takes it a step further and provides a full gamut of punching,
laser cutting and bending technology combined with engineering and support
services to offer a one-stop solution. To that end, the privately owned company
which employs 15 at its 1,100 square metre production facility, has invested in two
advanced turret punch presses, two high precision press brakes, and a CO2 laser
cutting system from LVD Company.
Established in 1990, Almec fabricates sheet metal components for the lighting and
electronics industries as well as architectural metal work and perforated panels in
mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and polycarbonate materials.
Owner and General Manager Alan Skinner bought his first LVD product – an
HST 6/31 guillotine shear – in 1999. In 2000, a PPEB 80 tonne, 2.5 metre press
brake was added to replace an existing machine. From 2000 through to 2008,
Skinner invested in two LVD Strippit ST-Series punch presses, an Easy-Form® 110
tonne press brake, and a high-speed Axel 3015 S laser cutting system with 2.5 kW
laser source. Each purchase has brought greater capacity and versatility to Almec.
The equipment gives us the flexibility to consider the best way to produce
a job,” Skinner said. “We can give the customer what they want and handle
as much of the job as they want.
As Skinner states, part of Almec’s appeal is that it’s a small company that likes to
partner with its customers. Not surprisingly, it’s the same approach Skinner has
applied to selecting an equipment vendor, partnering with LVD and local sales agent
GWB to add fabrication machinery as his business has grown.
The first Strippit ST Series 20 tonne thin turret punch press Almec purchased gave
the shop the ability to punch and form on the machine, punching up to 360 hits per
minute on 25.4 mm centers, and handle workpieces as large as 1250 x 1250 mm.
The company added a second Strippit ST punch press with a larger table size to
handle sheets up to 1250 x 2500 mm without repositioning. Both machines feature
a 26 station turret with four 88.9 mm auto-index stations, and the same PC-based
Fanuc GE control.
We added the ST-1225 with the larger table because we had such a good
experience with the ST-1212 in terms of its speed, accuracy, reliability
and the fact that it was easy to maintain,” said Works Manager Dave Gault.
“The two machines are similar in terms of turret, control and features.
Most of our programs will run on either machine. All the operator has to
do is change the load position.
continued over
The productivity of the punch press equipment led to a need to improve downstream
forming operations. Almec purchased LVD’s most advanced hydraulic press brake,
an Easy-Form® Series 110 tonne, 3 metre machine, with GWB’s guidance. The press
brake features LVD’s patented Easy-Form® Laser in process angle monitoring and
correction system. Easy-Form uses a twin laser camera system mounted at the front
and rear of the tooling set to monitor the angle of the bend in real time thus ensuring
parts are formed to the correct angle from the first bend.
The press brake also features T-axis CNC programmable sheet supports that follow and
support the part during the entire bending process. The supports are fully synchronised
with the bending speed of the press brake, providing smooth operation and facilitating
an accurate, consistent bending process. For Almec, the supports facilitate the high
quality bending of larger pieces and help ease the strain on the machine operator.
Almec’s most recent purchase is an LVD Axel 3015 S laser cutting system, a compact
flying optics system that features a 1500 x 3000 mm bed and incorporates automatic
shuttle tables.
Skinner, Gault and their staff worked with LVD to help specify the right laser for the
company’s existing business and future growth.
Gault and his team found the laser’s automatic features helpful in transitioning to laser
technology. He was especially attracted to the system’s Laser Eye feature that helps reduce
set up time. A unique optical sensor referencing system, the Laser Eye allows automatic
and non-contact sheet referencing. It eliminates the need for excessive positioning of the
workpiece on the table and is also useful for the processing of punched sheets.
We punch a 20 mm hole on the outside of the sheet and the Laser Eye picks
it up, automatically references the position of the sheet, and then cuts the
shape,” Gault said.
Using the laser, Almec can process mild steel up to 12 mm, stainless steel up to 8 mm
thick and aluminum up to 6 mm. The flexibility to cut a broader range of materials,
material thicknesses and shapes has meant more business for the shop.
The laser has brought us a lot of capacity and more work, which has also
meant more work for other production processes like forming.
Almec has picked up overflow laser cutting work from other subcontracting firms and
is also handling more high-end architectural metalwork products.
The Almec – LVD partnership has changed the way Almec does business. Almec
continues to be a small, customer-focused shop, but it now has the resources and
capabilities of a much larger operation.
We’re very proud to be an LVD shop,” Gault said. “We’re committed to the
products – they’re efficient and reliable, and they’ve put us in full control of
our production process.
www.almec.com.au
LVD Company nv
Nijverheidslaan 2
B-8560 Belgium
Tel.: + 32 65 43 0511
Fax: + 32 56 43 25 00
www.lvdgroup.com
[email protected]