Digital Innovation for Asaf

Digital innovation is an integral part of Asaf’s innovation path and thanks to this approach it is possible for us to operate in a dynamic and lean way with suppliers and customers.

At Asaf we strongly believe in the concept of open innovation according to which the skills and know-how of each party involved in the machinery production process are shared to generate the best possible output for the customer.

Ours is a modern approach that needs to be approved and assimilated by all the company staff, including the partners who contribute to the growth of the project.

In fact, every person who works in our company shares the values ​​of innovation and sharing because he believes that only all together can great results be achieved.

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Customer service, our guiding star

One of the essential elements that we have never questioned in Asaf was to provide the customer with the best possible assistance.

We are convinced that the customer must be at the center of our strategies and we believe that his satisfaction comes not only from having a perfectly functioning machine, but that he finds his completeness in having an extremely efficient customer service that can follow him in all phases. of the customer journey.

From the search for information, to the purchase, up to after-sales assistance, we are committed to following the customer through all the necessary means.

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METAL CUTTING: COLD WORKING

10/02/2017

water jet cutter

Metal sheet cutting is undoubtedly one of the most important technique in metalworking and it consists in shaping the material held in a flat position. Traditionally the whole process was made entirely by shearing machines but in the last few decades new technologies developed new kinds of cut, which are more versatile and precise.

Metal cutting can be divided into two macro areas: hot working and cold working processes. In the first case, the material undergoes partial melting along the cutting line by high temperature sources; while in cold process, the metal sheet endures plastic deformation along a straight cutting line usually at ambient temperature.

Let’s analyze the most important cold working processes:

– shearing is the traditional technique and it involves the use of a shearing machine (mainly the guillotine). Its principle is based on two blades in very specific locations: the lowest one fixed on the shearing workbench and the moving blade that comes down to cut material. During the process a blank holder ensures stability. The higher blade can move in different positions. It can be parallel to the fixed one, so that the result will be a clean cutting at the same time along the line, or inclined for gradual cut.

Every shearing machine has its own peculiarity and specific feature but all of them can shear sheets up to 9,8-11,8 in (25-30cm) thick.

 notching machine is used basically to smooth the edge of the plates that were previously cut with other techniques. It works similarly to the shearing machine, two pairs of blades (one fixed and one moving) ensure oblique cuts by notching adjustable angles.

– waterjet cutter: a high pressure stream of water is projected on the metal sheet, the pressure can easily reach 3000-4000bar. It is a very useful and versatile method which can cut workpiece up to 5,9 in (15cm) thick and it is suitable for every kind of material. It doesn’t cause any variation in terms of chemical or physical composition so the waste is minimized. Its cutting head is controlled automatically by CNC using a CAD program.

METAL CUTTING: HOT WORKING

10/02/2017

laser cut

New manufacturing technologies and new studies in industrial applications developed some innovative methods for metal sheet cutting. These recent techniques are known as hot working processes, they convert renowned power sources (such as laser) into new applications.

We outline three important hot working process for metal cutting:

– Oxy-fuel:  metal sheet is shaped by gases through a torch (similar to a welding torch). The reaction between oxygen and acetylene heats the material (reaching  980°C/1796°F) so that it melts instantly. The oxy-fuel cutting is ideal for sheet  up to 5,9in (15cm) thick.

– Plasma cutting: this technology uses a gas jet, generally a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. During the process the high temperature ionization ensures local melting on the cutting line. It’s suitable for every kind of metal and it doesn’t overheat the sheet. Plasma cutting guarantees very fast and accurate results even with metal sheet up to 0,78in (20mm) thick. The whole process is guided by CAD software.

– Laser cutting: the development and the spread of these machine tools started in the 80s and it is constantly evolving.  New technological projects are testing new tools able to cut materials such as ceramic, rubber, plastic and composites.

Laser cutting machine uses an intense beam of monochromatic light, which reaches extremely high temperatures and so it allows metal sheet cutting. Engraving will be minimal as well as the metal waste. Similarly to plasma cutter, this machine is automatically controlled by CNC using CAD software. It fits for cutting sheets up to 0,78in (20mm) thick and it can’t be used with every material.

In the last few years, new kinds of laser have been tested with new power sources such as fiber, liquid-crystal and CO₂.

Pay special attention to the fiber laser. Its working is based on optical fibers as amplifiers which are fueled by injection laser diodes. It is the ideal technique for engraving, it requires low maintenance and it has an extended lifetime (the average life is 25.000 hours).

100% ELECTRIC PRESS BRAKE APES SERVO

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS STARTING OVER

For several months now, whenever you try to outline a picture of the current market situation linked to any production technology, you have to deal with the effects that the spread of Covid-19 has had on a global scale. A situation that has blocked industrial activities in a more or less important way, and going back upstream has also affected investments relating to production plants. However, if we want to find encouraging aspects in this difficult moment, we can consider how this scenario has highlighted even more some trends that had already emerged in a decisive way in recent times: two above all the need to automate production more and to complete digitization. processes. In fact, most of the investments launched last year were regularly concluded, or at most only postponed pending a return to a situation of greater stability, but the willingness of companies to introduce more advanced solutions has not been affected. To get a more detailed profile of the current situation regarding market and technological trends, TecnoLamiera has collected the opinions of some of the main players in the field of press brakes. Necessity and possibility

Necessity and possibility The icebreaker is Silvia Bragagnolo of Asaf, who emphasizes the importance of rethinking the approach to customers, paying attention to both the technical aspects and the ways in which to complete the investment. «In this period, so painful and delicate, companies are called to face important choices that will have to contemplate bailout in the short term but also a strategic review in the long term. For this reason, I believe that a new and different approach to the market is necessary both through a radical reinterpretation of demand, increasingly oriented towards flexibility and just-in-time, and thanks to the identification of new growth opportunities, also driven by even more use. decided on digital. In fact, I am aware that the actions undertaken today by companies will have a significant impact on the speed of recovery from the crisis and for this reason I believe that immediate action is necessary to deal with short-term liquidity problems, but also to solve those related to costs and profitability and generate budgets to invest in new technologies. In this particular period Asaf is responding to the changing needs of the market by proposing on the one hand the adoption of highly integrated systems according to Industry 4.0 such as hybrid and servo-electric bending solutions and, on the other, customized payment formulas on the purchase. of the new, as well as an ever more timely and professional assistance service able to satisfy the most varied customer needs ».

……. Silvia Bragagnolo of Asaf reiterates the importance of introducing greater automation, alongside this theme also that of energy efficiency. “To be competitive on today’s market it is essential to optimize every industrial process to the maximum, maximizing productivity, reducing production times and machine downtime and minimizing waste, rejects and possible errors by the operator. Baykal’s latest hybrid and servo-electric bending solutions provide a perfect answer to these needs, even more when combined with automated robotic stations. With them it is possible to switch to a fully automated bending process capable of guaranteeing lower energy consumption (up to 62% energy and CO emissions savings compared to the traditional hydraulic solution), very low maintenance costs. low (-65%), eliminating the need for skilled operators, quiet working mode, saving more than 70% oil, faster working speed. In the comparative tests the Baykal APES-Servo and APHS-Hybrid have in fact shown to be up to 30% faster than a traditional type press brake ». Tecnolamiera October 2020 by Davide Davò

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