BLM GROUP Blog

There is often talk about the difficulty of finding skilled operators, a challenge across many industrial sectors and especially in the tube bending industry.

The performance of a sheet metal laser cutting system is the result of careful optimization of the component design and machine features.

This article will help you better understand the technological choices made by the designers of 2D laser cutting machines with linear motors and guide you more consciously when considering the purchase of this type of system.

In today’s competitive industrial landscape, the automation of production processes has become a key strategic lever for companies aiming to innovate and respond swiftly to market challenges. 

By integrating advanced technologies such as industrial robotics, artificial intelligence, and automated control systems, it is possible to radically transform the way production operations are managed.

In robotic laser welding, reducing setup times is essential for efficient production, especially for subcontractors or those producing small, highly variable batches.

Tube benders for large diameter tubes and bars are systems capable of applying the considerable thrust forces and bending torque required to bend large pipes and are also able to optimally control the force exerted on the tube and the deformation of the material through the interpolated movement of the core, slide and clamping.

Companies that work as job shops, especially within sectors for agricultural machinery frame production and the construction of light structures, commonly work with a very wide variety of tubes and profiles in terms of diameter, thickness and material that often requires creative solutions.

Typically, the choice is limited to two types of systems: large-diameter tube and profile laser cutting systems capable of handling very heavy tubes, beams and profiles, or specific systems for smaller-diameter tubes and profiles where maximizing performance and productivity is what matters.

When the size and weight of the bars processed vary greatly, such as in the production of agricultural machinery or light structures, the optimal solution may be a laser cutting machine that offers high performance even on a range of medium-large tubes, paving the way to increased competitiveness in these sectors.

In the world of production planning and monitoring software, the integration of the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) with the machines on the shop floor is one of the most important aspects that can significantly impact production efficiency.

In aerospace and aeronautical manufacturing, fiber lasers have revolutionized cutting techniques and now standing toe-to-toe with non-thermal methods, offering high quality cuts with minimal Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). In fact, modern fiber lasers drastically reduce material embrittlement and process components at speeds that far exceed machining and other non-thermal technologies.

What are the benefits of a multi-technology production management MES? Why use Prometheus?

Those who are already familiar with the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) software of BLM GROUP "ProTube Enterprise" in the management of the processing of tubular parts with laser cutting and bending, will find its evolution "Prometheus" very interesting. Prometheus allows unified management of the wide range of technologies within the Group, such as Lasertube, sheet metal laser cutting, tube bending and 3D part laser cutting.

Heat pumps represent the future of domestic and industrial heating, in this article you will discover some of the main technological needs in the production of tubes for HVACR systems in general and some of the solutions proposed by BLM GROUP.

Dimensions, design, geometric requirements and much more; in tube bending being able to achieve a minimum centerline radius can represent a considerable advantage. We are talking about extreme curvatures characterized by a ratio between centerline radius and diameter less than 1, which require significant technological know-how to be achieved.

Having a single supplier for multiple production equipments offers many advantages: a one-stop-shop for assistance, integration and management of production of different process technologies and a partner to build a long-term and trustful relationship with to face future challenges. That’s why Leku-Ona has chosen BLM GROUP.

The subject of material loading and unloading automation is well established in sheet laser cutting with a multitude of solutions and complexity. In contrast, tube laser cutting systems equipped with vertical storage systems, for tubes and section bars, capable of handling bars automatically and allowing for unmanned production changes have only been available for a few years.

Let's look below at the advantages of using an automatic tube and section bar storage system with a Lasertube cutting system.

With a laser source power that reaches 12kW, the efficiency and control capacity of the cutting process of LS5, the BLM GROUP sheet metal laser cutting system, is derived from the synergy between the technical characteristics of the laser cutting head fitted on the machine and the specific technological solutions of BLM GROUP which are designed to optimize the entire sheet metal laser cutting process.

Mr. Li, founder, sole owner and General Manager of Jiaxing Haiong Electromechanical Technology, has always had a real fascination for designer furniture. At the beginning of his working career Mr. Li traded in raw materials for the food processing sector and designed furniture made of wood as a second job.

Van Keulen is a well-known interior design and shop fitting producer with more than 70 years of experience in these sectors.

With its 3 production plants and 5 assembly locations in the Netherlands, Van Keulen has been designing, producing and supplying high-quality custom interior solutions such as shop, catering and public space fittings, shelves and furniture.

There are many cases in which the weld seams on tubes are an issue that must be addressed in order to obtain satisfactory finished parts. Technical requirements, appearance, structural and thickness tolerances and process continuity of the weld do not allow for leaving the position of the weld seam to chance. This rings true for laser cutting and bending alike. Let's take a closer look at the solutions available on BLM GROUP systems.

Creating production batches is a key step of tube processing on the shop floor.

The jobs loaded on the machine must contain all the information needed to proceed, including machine movement instructions, geometric details of the part, material characterization and technological options.

The Dutch firm Metazet FormFlex, global total partner in horticulture, replaced its existing BLM GROUP laser cutting machines after 17 years with the GROUP’s latest technology tube and sheet machinesp.

The Belgian based metal construction company Walcarius NV wanted to stand out in the steel construction world by exploiting tube and beam machining and their interlocking potential offered by 3D laser cutting.

Copper and aluminium busbars have always been used for conducting electric current in a wide variety of equipment, such as transformers, electrical cabinets, switchgear, generators and generally in all-electric engineering applications where very high powers are involved.

Someone not familiar with the tube bending process is unable to imagine the complexity of maintaining the bending tool sets and using them to meet the production department’s requirements. This complexity is further multiplied when using different tube bending machines with different characteristics and needing sets to be tooled in time, whether the production batch is small or large.

When you think of tube, normally you think of it as a fluid carrier – a water pipe, a gas line or a fuel line. You don’t think of a tube as a structural element, even if we see several examples of tube being used as a structural element in our daily lives. 

It has been years since there has been such an upheaval in the world of automation and not only in the manufacturing field. We can talk about a real "Renaissance" or – as it has been called by theorists – a new industrial revolution, (the fourth to be precise).

New technologies, process data collection and analysis, increasingly sophisticated simulations, digital twins, widespread connectivity at various levels (WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet and soon 5G), all accompanied by the ever-present and promising growth of artificial intelligence.

Whether you are a subcontractor or an OEM, you hear about efficiency, flexibility, and productivity every day. These three buzzwords accompany the productive life of every company and are fundamental in today's market.

Sure, having a goal is crucial, but how do you know if you're moving in the right direction? How can you calculate the level of efficiency, productivity, and flexibility of your production system? More importantly, how can you improve it? By how much and what tools are needed?

This is the age of integration, of the All-In-One to reduce operations and optimize production. We want to have everything under control, constantly measured and compared. We want all the information stored in an organized manner because we do not know when we are going to need it again, but we know that we will. We are always on the lookout for more and more sophisticated tools to manage a growing complexity and demand.

As a result of the COVID-19 epidemic and the resulting restrictions in social contacts, gatherings and movement of people as well as international trade fairs and open houses have ground to a halt and many manufacturers have decided to showcase their products online.

But what does that mean for the customers?
How can you prepare yourself to make the most of a virtual demonstration?

If you are considering buying a tube bending machine, this checklist will help you to select the most suitable machine to satisfy your requirements. This is a basic guideline that explains the important parameters involved.

An integral part of the expansive BLM GROUP family of Lasertube systems, the laser cutting systems for large diameter tubes, both fiber and CO₂, are characterized by several basic structural differences compared to their counterparts for smaller diameter.

The main ones are the tube handling system with three powerful spindles, two head and one tail, capable of easily handling much larger and heavier tubes, and a 3D laser cutting head moved by five numerically controlled axes allowing the possibility of moving along the entire tube to process both ends as well as the central part.

Laser cutting of tubes and profiles is rapidly growing in the production of various types of industrial vehicles such as agricultural machinery, trucks, equipments for warehouse logistics, constructions, electric power generators, etc.

In this short interview Lorenzo Carminato, Business Development Manager of LT-FREE at BLM GROUP USA, discusses the benefits of 5-axis laser cutting for aerospace applications.

During the early years of the 21st century, architecture has shifted towards ever greater freedom of styles and shapes. In many countries, large structures and buildings appear to defy the laws of physics with unique shapes and designs.

Advanced processes for tube manufacturing, the result of growing demand for increased productivity and above all, flexibility, has led to the creation of systems capable of performing complex and precision operations on pre- bent, hydroformed or shaped tubes. 3D laser cutting technology is playing an increasingly important role in this type of processes.

“I didn’t know anything about having my own company,” begins Cullen Raichart, Founder & CEO of GreenBroz, an emerging agricultural machine manufacturer. He continues, “I was a Chief Engineer at a Fortune 500 company and didn’t have real knowledge about building a company. I’ve always been an inventor, always someone who tinkered with stuff, and always could fix things.”

Many tube fabricators use a different programming platform for each machine, which leads to some specific inefficiencies. Connecting two or more processes together using Industry 4.0 technology platforms provides a seamless operation in programming, fabricating, and process validation.

Manufacturers are continually looking for ways to eliminate waste in their manufacturing process and save cost. Tube fabricators are no different. This becomes even more evident when multiple tubes are required to build an assembly.

One of the most cumbersome challenges faced by tube fabricators is the joining of tube components. Difficulties are often encountered with fit-up, fixturing and assembly.

This is especially true when secondary process operations, such coping and mitering, are required after the bending process.

Since its establishment 25 years ago in a garage in Kings Lynn, Norfolk in the UK, Optimal Metal Services has followed the relatively simple, yet effective, growth strategy of constantly adding value to the products offered to their customers mainly by continuously investing in new sheet processing machinery for punching, laser-cutting, bending, etc.

The precision and technological features of laser cutting are opening new perspectives in the production of welded joints for the structural applications, making it possible to create complex geometry connections with greater accuracy and speed than in the past.

The processing of tube from "coil" has always been one of the development sectors that BLM GROUP has specialized in over the years. It can offer a wide range of solutions suitable for any need.

Through innovation, entrepreneurs can achieve many advantages for their company, their people and their customers. In this article, we will discuss some aspects which may be particularly interesting and that may help or inspire anyone who wants to make innovation the focus for their future growth and sustainability.

Structures and frames made of metal tubes have long since become widespread in all industrial sectors. Their presence and complexity have gone hand in hand with the availability of tools and technologies capable of designing and implementing them in a way that makes them functional but also, and above all, cost-effective.

LT360 is the result of BLM GROUP’s strong experience in laser cutting straight or bent tubes and more generally 2D or 3D parts.

It is a highly innovative robotic 3D laser cutting system that combines the qualities of a robot with those typical of a CNC laser cutting machine.

Innovating is not only an exercise of ingenuity aimed at increasing your profit margin. Today more than ever, it is a necessity because the world is changing and with it are the needs of customers and the technological solutions to satisfy them.

From the structural point of view, Lasertube systems are an integral part of this technological change and are actively contributing to the innovation process of many companies bringing about major benefits:

The use of steel for structural applications is extremely significant and is estimated to grow in the future for residential and non-residential buildings.

The breakout of COVID-19 is causing major upheavals both in people's lives and in the manufacturing world. One of the main problems that even the most developed nations are facing is a shortage of personal protection equipment: masks, glasses, gowns, safety suits, fans, etc.

3D laser cutting systems are becoming widespread in a growing variety of industries and applications: automotive, aerospace, industrial vehicles, motorcycles and other various systems.

“You can’t solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” 

This well-known quote by Albert Einstein captures a key concept for anyone wanting to gain a firm footing on today's ever-changing and competitive market that can be summed up as:

A 3D laser cutting robot system is developed to laser cut three-dimensional profiles and consists of an industrial robot (usually with 6 axes) with a 3D laser cutting head mounted at the end of the robotic arm.

LT-FREE is the BLM GROUP 3D laser system for processing any three-dimensional profile, curved, deep-drawn, hydroformed, pre-welded, flat or printed sheet metal alike. 

As a high-end system, LT-FREE utilizies technology similar to that of the products of other major players in the sector.

ArtCut is the programming software developed by BLM GROUP for the programming of its 3D laser cutting systems.

LT-FREE is a 3D laser cutting system that processes all three-dimensional metal parts: curved, hydroformed, preformed, pre-welded, drawn, flat and/or stamped sheet metal. 

LT-FREE is a 5-axis fiber laser cutting system designed by BLM GROUP for processing any 3D part:

• Any three-dimensional profile, including curved, hydroformed, flat or stamped sheet metal, pre-welded and pre-formed tubes.
• A wide variety of materials, such as mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and copper alloys.

How much does a 3D laser system cost? Is price the only variable to consider? Or should you dive deeper?

The introduction of a 3D laser cutting system is a very important investment for a company, so it must be analyzed in detail.

Are you considering introducing a new machine in your factory to optimize your metal cutting processes? If the answer is yes, then you’ve certainly considered a number of different technologies in order to understand each of the pros and cons in relation to the specific needs of your production.

Innovation, essential to excel in metal cutting. To say that innovation is important today is almost an understatement, given that technological progress is affecting every industrial sector.

From the business perspective, while pursuing present economic objectives is essential, it is equally important to keep an eye on future developments.

Within a manufacturing company, machines are an integral part of people’s daily lives. The following overview can help guide you through a much more complex universe than you can imagine.

Visionaries are the true architects of change and of the future. They are far-sighted and are brave in following their dreams and their instincts.

If you are considering whether to buy a metal-cutting system, one of the most important decisions is which technology to focus on.

What business leader or production manager does not want the most modern and advanced machinery on the market in their plant?

Implementing new technologies in production is an increasingly common situation for many companies involved in manufacturing, especially in the metal cutting sector.