November 2016 – Salvagnini, an Italian company producing complete systems and machines for processing thin sheet metal, showcased at the recently concluded EuroBLECH 2016 evenyt at Hannover. This P1 panel bender incorporates the very best of Salvagnini panel bending technology.

Originally conceived as an entry-level panel bender, the space-saving, energy-efficient P1, with its high productivity and extreme repeatability accuracy, this is an enhanced version ready for the new challenges of digitisation laid down by Industry 4.0.

Salvagnini has actually endeavoured to extend the range of parts that can feasibly be produced on all the panel benders in the range. There are industrial sectors that wouldn't have contemplated a panel bender as a technological solution in the past, whereas they are now opting for this very machine.

With the introduction of the automatic ABA blankholder, P1 has actually become an ideal solution for producing kits as it lets you bend parts that are both complicated and different to each other in sequence. Nonetheless, P1 is still the entry-level model as, even in this automated configuration, the price is basically the same as before, namely affordable to all businesses with a tight budget looking for a smart solution and competitive running costs.

P1, like the other panel benders in the Salvagnini range, implements MAC 2.0 adaptive technology, which means it is not dependent on the quality of the material being processed. In terms of operation, the panel bender measures any variations in the material being processed in masked time and, if these variations turn out to be outside the acceptable tolerance range, they are compensated for automatically by adjusting blade movements, resulting in consistent bend quality even when dealing with variations in the material within the batch and thus reducing waste, even when producing batches of limited quantity.

P1 makes the bending of panels with a maximum bending length of 1.250 mm and a maximum height of 127 mm possible. It features average power consumption not exceeding 3 kW, silent running and a footprint of less than 8 m2, a trait that makes it easy to ship and install.

But the P1's most important plus point is the minimum thickness that it can handle, which, in this specific case, is 0.4 mm (maximum 1.6 mm): generally a major issue for any machine, yet P1 manages to handle it stably and efficiently. This machine truly opens up hitherto unthinkable application scenarios in terms of the type of panels that can be produced.