Albrecht Baumer upgrades ABLG-1 cutting machines

Freudenberg, Germany — Albrecht Baumer has updated its ABLG-1 cutting machine making it, the company said, more productive.

Baumer has tested the machine for a year at Hennecke's site in St Augstin, Germany. It ran behind a Hennecke Jflex, compact foaming line.

Following the test, Baumer has made the machine smaller, easier to use and with a number of different drive models.

The starter model has a three-phase electrical drive for use at foaming speeds between 0.5 – 3 m/min. A servo motor model for foaming speeds between 1-10 m/min is also available.

The modified machine offers the option of cutting blocks from the bottom up. This is 'so that the binding which holds the knife does not get clogged,' Baumer explained. The driven roller conveyor transports short blocks and leftover pieces as well as cut shapes.

ABLG-1 now has all of the controls on the same side. This includes knife tensioning and grinding so the operator can stay in one place.  Customers can chose which side they want when they specify the machine.

It has been possible to reduce the size of the machine by 20% by using a modular design. This reduces shipping costs and makes it easier to install, the cutting-equipment maker said. The modified design has the axis drive situated on the outside of the unit. Additionally, the three-phase drive is very economical at low line speeds, Baumer added.

The new design relies on Siemens process controllers. This makes it possible to monitor performance and rectify faults remotely.

Miodrag Konstantovic, is head of sales, slabstock, at Hennecke. He said: 'The Baumer ABLG-1 is used with the Jflex as part of our application engineering process to develop products and for our customer demonstrations.

'We can count on reliable cuts at just the right point paired with low maintenance requirements and easy removal, thanks to the automated roller conveyor,' he added.