Emsea, a leading provider of laser cutting, metal fabrication, machining, and sheet metal forming services based in Tewkesbury, has improved its productivity and efficiency by adopting Lantek Bend software for its Trumpf TrueBend 5000 series machine.
Lantek Bend offers multi-vendor compatibility, which gives Emsea the flexibility to work seamlessly with bending machines from different manufacturers. This integration standardizes the programming and optimization processes, ensuring consistency in production and cost estimation across various machines.
The Lantek Bend system also monitors material springback and calculates the overbend needed to achieve the correct angle. Additionally, it can detect if a part is inserted incorrectly, reducing errors and enhancing product quality.
Jordan Adlam, Emsea’s sales engineer, explained, “Lantek’s advanced technology allows us to optimize machine productivity, reduce setup times, and minimize errors, resulting in significant cost and efficiency savings. The integration of Lantek software products enables us to operate as efficiently as possible while delivering the best customer service.”
He added, “We not only use Lantek to program the Trumpf TrueBend machine but also for other bending machines. The software provides operators with a tooling and setting list, as well as a bending sequence. This saves them time and ensures accurate cost estimations for the processes on these machines.”
The Importance of Automation
Emsea serves a wide range of industries, including agriculture, oil and gas, water, food, medical, and packaging. As the materials and components vary, automating processes is crucial. Previously, bending sequences and tooling were determined on the shop floor, which carried a high risk of human error and material waste.
With Lantek Bend, Emsea now benefits from a floating license for the software, which integrates into the quotation and programming process for laser and waterjet machines. This integration has reduced press brake setup times by 50%, eliminating human error risks.
Adlam continued, “The key advantage of Lantek Bend is the reduction in machine setup times, which are now at least 50% faster. This improvement translates into better value for our customers. Lantek Bend’s flexibility allows for automatic feeding of blank sizes into Lantek Expert for nesting and cutting. Unlike other software systems, Lantek Bend enables changes to material, tooling sizes, or bend radii without complications. Moreover, material pricing is more accurate.”
He added, “Lantek Bend is user-friendly. We can import customers’ 3D CAD models, and the software breaks them down into individual components. It then unfolds each part and calculates the most efficient bending method, minimizing tool setups.”
The TSO batch job feature of Lantek Bend also allows Emsea to batch different parts together efficiently.
The Trumpf TrueBend machine includes advanced technology, such as ACB Wireless and ACB Laser. Lantek software analyzes the bending requirements, determines the bending sequence for each part, and provides a tooling list for all parts. This reduces tool usage and setup times while ensuring the most efficient bending process.
Emsea has been using Lantek’s solutions since 2004, including Lantek Expert for programming its laser and waterjet machines. The company also relies on Lantek Integra for daily production management and quotation generation.
