Automated bending keeps the Pieces flowing--Emerson Network Power's Liebert business division finds technology maximizes its lean manufacturing efforts

摘要

A healthy skepticism about robotic bending still exists in the fabricating community. People fear having to program the robot for the hundred or so part numbers that might be suitable for the bending cell and are anxious about having to deal with the many different end effectors that may be necessary for picking up punched blanks. That doesn't mean people aren't sold on automated bending however. Emerson Network Power's Liebert business division in Columbus, Ohio, produces heating and cooling systems for companies that need to maintain precise temperatures for reliable IT equipment performance in their data centers. In one of its five North American plants, a stand-alone panel bender is used to bend corners automatically. A loading arm places precut blanks into the machine, and the machine bends all the corners and sends the parts on their way. Efficient and accurate—that's how the company viewed the panel bender.