FEATURE CNC Machines
Hybrid linear motion assembly cuts costs for CNC machine maker
F
ive years ago, when Bend-Tech, a Wisconsin company specialising in CNC tube and pipe cutting machines, tubing and
pipe bending systems, noticed a spike in fi eld- service calls, it quickly sought out the root of the issue. It turned out that the growing popularity of off-roading and other outdoor motorsports had boosted demand for metal tubing and piping fabrication so high that customers were pushing Bend-Tech’s fi rst market entry to achieve production volumes far higher than either of them had ever anticipated. The team went back to the drawing board, and with the help of a hybrid linear motion technology from Thomson Industries, the team zeroed in on a winning solution. “Our systems enable metal fabricators to cut tubing and pipes with great speed and accuracy,” says TJ Merry, Bend-Tech’s Production Manager. “This improves production capabilities and ultimately their bottom line by bringing traditionally outsourced services in-house.” The majority of Bend-Tech’s business is in two
markets, both of which have been experiencing signifi cant growth. Many of its customers are manufacturers that create custom handrails for industrial and public buildings and are driven by construction and increased attention to public safety. However, its largest growth opportunity is with shops that modify vehicles such as rock crawlers, racers and Jeeps for off-road motorsports.
After its initial market entry proved it was not
Sensors provide the A250 with high repeatability, accuracy and reliability, while reducing the cost of the system by eliminating the need to hang a sensor fixture off the side of the actuation assembly.
up to the demands of high-volume production, the company built the larger Dragon A400 plasma cutting, marking and engraving system, which handled pretty much anything that was thrown at it, but presented yet another challenge: although it was well-received by larger customers, it was diffi cult for some customers to cost-justify at roughly three times the price of the Dragon A250.
“What we needed was something in between,” said Mr Merry. “We knew what price point we needed and essentially had to halve our machine- building cost without jeopardising production quality.”
Bend-Tech relies on Thomson linear actuator assemblies for consistent and accurate motion control on its plasma cutting, marking and engraving systems.
30 September 2021 Irish Manufacturing
FIGURING OUT WHERE TO CUT Bend-Tech Dragons have three main components: a structural frame, a cutting and marking toolhead and a software-guided actuation system that controls tool movement. After deciding to eliminate some functions from the new systems it was developing, cost-cutting attention turned to the linear motion systems. Mr Merry continues: “Thomson made the linear systems that provided the motion control on our A400 so we went to them for ideas on how we could make a production-level system at a lower price point. We explored other linear technology vendors as well, but, as they have done for us in the past, Thomson came back with the ideal solution.” The Thomson solution integrated a smaller, simpler version of the system it had designed for the A400 actuation system but with a completely different drive mechanism. Each A400 uses two Thomson 2DB series linear slides bolted together in a cross confi guration to control A and Z axes. One positions the toolhead on the horizontal plane, while the other moves the cutting, marking and engraving tools up and down on a vertical axis. Driving each axis is a two-foot (610mm) ball screw powered by a stepper motor. The long length of the screw requires support bearings on both ends and a special coupling to the stepper. For the new Dragon A250, Thomson started with a shorter shaft, an 11-inch (280mm) lead screw with a six-inch (152mm) drive, which eliminated the need for support at both ends.
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