We offer complete integration for Smart factory solution

By OEM Update Editorial July 2, 2022 10:37 am IST

Our solution for the complete Smart factory is ready with much needed element for flexibility and customized solution, says Niranjan Manjrekar, Managing Director, Bystronic Laser India Pvt.Ltd., while interacting with OEM Update.

 

Products, solutions and USP 

Bystronic has traditionally been involved in sheet metal forming.

 

Features that make the product unique 

As we see this market progress, particularly in laser cutting, it has become more generic. As a global leader in this technology, there is a greater responsibility to be innovative to stay one step ahead of technological advancement. This has been the driving force as a core competency that Bystronic brings. If I talk about the USP, it has been spread out on the machine tool side of automation as an assisting solution and the core competency of the software. Why are we talking about all these packages nowadays? We are talking about high-power lasers as a matter of throughput and productivity. We are talking about the application at subcontracting firms, and tier one or tier two suppliers. This segment has grown into a larger entity that is often equal to the size of the OEM, and this subcontracting firm has a diverse portfolio to cater for in the market. And to manage that, they require an efficient business environment withdashboard or a utility that allows them to see the load factor on the machine, the spare capacity, because you must tap into ongoing business while also aiming for prospects. This, however, cannot be handled manually because there is always the possibility of error. To overcome these, you will need effective software that can communicate with the machine and backhand integration with your ERP. The entire process can be mapped out. Bystronic’s USP is complete integration as a factory solution. So, we are not talking about a stand-alone machine. Still, we are confident in bringing the specific element for the entire factory, from the standalone machine to the necessary automation and the software solution, all in one place.

 

Innovations and developments 

The challenge in the laser cutting process is that it is a thermal process with non-contact machining that is highly dependent on the material. A certain thickness of mild steel, we have a lot of variation from a material supplier to material supplier, and people put in a lot of effort every time to tune up the parameters. That reduces the benefit of your machine’s productivity because you have to do trial and error, and in the process, you have a material scrap rate. You have person-hours that are not accounted for in the billing. Bystronic has created adaptive technology. As the name implies, it will primarily adapt to the material’s condition. As we all know, this is our thermal process; you apply heat to the material, creating a melting pool. We investigate how much a material can support without wasting material all the time. If the material is good enough, we can accelerate to 110 -220 per cent. If the material does not permit it, it will automatically reduce the specific parameter setting to 90 per cent. However, it will continue uninterrupted. What matters is that the user has a tool that allows them to stop loss of cut and reduce scrap. This is idle time that does not contribute to your revenue generation.

 

Global trends 

The main challenge is to improve the machine’s efficiency. When we talk about laser or bender bending, we look at how we can increase throughput while decreasing downtime. The market is competitive. We want the machine to be more reliable, or everyone is focusing on machine reliability, and the notable brands have this as a core objective, as well as to be energy efficient, because this is something on the priority list. Bystronic is already working with a theme for energy efficient by using less energy. We try to contribute to a greener environment and reduce our carbon footprint. We see many cheaper machine tools imported from China. Furthermore, these are more on the catalogue specification base. Rather, there is no technology involved. However, the price tag is intended to confound you. But it’s now a challenge, or the sales pattern has changed. We must educate the customer on what is best for him and what should be the ideal criteria when deciding because any investment he makes is still an investment. We try to make him understand the importance of technology and why he should invest in the technology so that he can be competitive in the market because of his capability and efficiency in providing an uninterrupted supply of parts. As a result, most of our peer competition on the platform faces these challenges.