| STEELFAB 2011 PRESS RELEASE |
FICEP THE LEADER IN STRUCTURAL STEEL & PLATE FABRICATION SYSTEMS |
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Having Trouble Determining If You Need A Plate Drill Or Plate Punch With Burning Capability? This question is a dilemma that has confronted many fabricators over the years as they like the speed of punching but find it difficult to invest in a CNC plate processing center only to have to drill the thicker plates or those that cannot be punched. The problem is not only trying to justify the purchase of two different systems, but it is also the space that two lines would require in a plant facility. Ficep identified this challenge over a decade ago with the development of a plate processing center that has the ability to punch and drill in the same system. Our Type B, which can accommodate plates up to 8 feet in width and over 60 feet in length, also incorporates an 14 position tool changer with each station able to punch up to 4" diameter holes. This capability permits the effective punching of plates up to 1" in thickness with unequalled productivity. The Type B system can also be provided with a high performance drill head with a ball screw feed and a six position automatic tool changer. These two capabilities, in conjunction with the ability to cut with either plasma or oxy-fuel and mark finished parts, makes the Ficep Type B plate processing system a truly unique plate fabrication center with the capability that our competitors will now try to copy, but we have, again, the experience factor with a ten-year head start! The flexibility of our Type B system permits you to purchase the system today just with the punching capability now and later simply retrofit the drill head option to the system at a later date. Many of our customers have decided on our Type A system which has just drilling, but they use carbide tooling so they can now drill typical holes in 3-4 seconds which is not much different than punching from a speed standpoint. Drilling And Sawing Simultaneously! The typical argument against having a drill and saw in tandem (side by side layout) has always been that if the drill is working, the saw is idle and vice versa. Even with this objection, the tandem approach has proven to be the ideal solution for many fabricators as the reduction in required plant space, the need for only one operator and the lower investment cost has proven to be the optimum solution for many facilities. Understanding the negative of the inability to permit sawing and drilling simultaneously, Ficep's software engineers have developed a powerful multi tasking solution for this application. In the Ficep "Multi Tasking" solution, when the saw is making the final cut, the next stock length automatically enters the drilling line and starts then to drill the next part. This part can be a different program, even a different depth of section, and the process occurs automatically. The analogy to this operation is similar to two trains that are going the same direction and sharing the same track. If they get dangerously close, the approaching train (in this case the next stock length that is being drilled) will pause until the train at the station pulls out (which in this case is the section that is being cut). Considering that the majority of holes in a section are traditionally at the ends, this hole location typically means the leading end holes will be drilled in their entirety while the trailing saw cut is executed. Another Ficep productivity first! |
