Page 21 - MetalForming August 2010

might be rotated any number of ways to fit into an efficient nest. However, this means that grain direction can vary from blank to blank, which affects springback in the press brake and bend- angle repeatability. This is where real- time bend-angle measurement and cor- rection proves helpful.”
Other Issues— Ergonomics, Safety, etc.
Irregardless of new technology that leads to smarter machines, skilled oper- ators always will remain a must in any sheetmetal-fabrication shop. And, one way to attract more folks to the sheet- metal-fabrication trades is to improve the ergonomic aspects of operating the machinery. Historically, press-brake oper- ators have battled back strain and carpal- tunnel syndrome, among other ailments. But now, says Simpson, the industry has addressed those problems and designed features into press brakes to ease the physical part of the job, so that opera- tors can focus on the mental aspects.
“New features available to improve ergonomics include adjustable foot and hand rests to minimize fatigue and improve productivity; the ability to oper- ate the brake while seated; and an adjustable (mobile) control,” says Simpson. “Using the mobile control,” he elaborates, “the operator can manage all functions of the press brake from anywhere along the machine, minimizing walking time. He can clamp the tools, turn on the hydraulics, cycle-start the bending pro- gram, etc...without having to move back and forth to the main control panel.”
Additional tools developed to assist press-brake operators include the addi- tion of a bar-code reader to the opera- tion, “so the operator can simply scan a job traveler to load the required pro- gram into the control and remove yet one more source of human error,” says Simpson. “For example, consider a job that calls for a right- and left-hand part configuration. An operator might easi- ly call up the left-hand part program when he really was tasked with forming right-hand parts. How many parts might be bent before someone finds the error?” MF
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