Salvagnini, a leader in sheet metal working technology, makes a significant impact at EuroBLECH 2024, setting a new milestone in the industry. The event runs from October 22–25, 2024. With a steadfast commitment to innovation, the company unveils its Generation 4 (G4) technologies, designed to revolutionise manufacturing processes. This new generation aims to address the pressing challenges faced by the industry, including labour shortages, by delivering highly efficient solutions that maximise productivity, ensure exceptional product quality, and minimise errors and consumption.

At the heart of Salvagnini’s mission is the introduction of innovative solutions that streamline operations and enhance job repeatability. The Generation 4 lineup is engineered to eliminate low-value-added activities, reduce lead times, and optimise production flows, ultimately lowering product costs while enhancing business competitiveness. By focusing on user-friendly technologies, Salvagnini empowers manufacturers to meet and exceed market demands effectively.

During EuroBLECH 2024, Salvagnini showcases an extensive range of cutting-edge solutions, including machinery, automation systems, software, and comprehensive services. These systems operate with varying production strategies, providing both standalone processing and collaborative technology integration when necessary.

Salvagnini’s multi-level automation solutions are integral to eliminating low-value-added activities and bottlenecks throughout the production process. Key highlights of these innovations include:

- Punching-shearing centre: Equipped with a multi-press head featuring always-available tools, this system eliminates setups while delivering high-quality machining and reduces cycle times.

  

- Panel bender: Featuring universal bending tools that automatically adjust to the size and shape of the parts being produced, this machine operates without re-tooling and processes a wide range of machinable thicknesses and materials.

- Laser technology: A single-optic cutting head capable of handling all workable thicknesses and materials, this laser requires no adjustments, speeding up production changeovers.

- P-Robot: Enhanced with an artificial vision system, this robot maximises cell autonomy without compromising flexibility.

 

- Press brakes: With devices such as the ATA, ATA.L, MVM, and AU-TO, these systems adapt automatically during re-tooling and manage tools based on production requirements, enhancing flexibility and autonomy.

In environments characterised by low volumes and rapid production changeovers, the integration of automatic loading and unloading devices becomes crucial to maintaining efficiency. Given the speed of lasers, punching machines, and panel benders, Salvagnini’s wide and modular range of automation evolves to configure systems based on specific production needs, including:

- Automatic loading/unloading and sorting devices: These devices reduce idle times for sourcing sheet metal while minimising the risk of material damage during stacking.

- Robotised unloading devices: These systems ensure immediate machine availability for subsequent jobs, even at non-Salvagnini stations.

- Intermediate automation devices: Transfers and turnover units balance material transfer times between stations.

- User-friendly software solutions: Designed to streamline the production process, these solutions significantly reduce errors and operator intervention times.

At EuroBLECH 2024, attendees witness the debut of the FSL S4+P4 line. This innovative system integrates smart technology to automatically produce different parts in sequence and adopts various production strategies tailored to specific goals. This groundbreaking line, which combines the S4 punching-shearing machine and the P4 panel bender, symbolises a new era in flexible production systems.

The FSL operates within a unified ecosystem that connects physical realities—machines and people—with virtual realities, leveraging big data to enhance production flows. By analysing and interpreting data, the FSL optimises operations, reduces waste, and ensures environmentally friendly practices. 

The FSL S4+P4 features an exceptionally compact layout. The MD single-sheet store-tower feeds the S4 punching-shearing machine, while an MC Cartesian manipulator positioned between the S4 and P4 manages part unloading, stacking, and system balancing, acting as a buffer when necessary. This seamless integration ensures rapid part transfer between workstations, minimising downtime and optimising overall efficiency.

All Salvagnini systems are designed for lean operation, with energy absorption tailored precisely to meet job requirements. In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, it is essential to quantify energy efficiency through precise data. At EuroBLECH, Salvagnini introduces Impacts, which measures the energy consumption of all systems at the Salvagnini booth, including a groundbreaking feature that tracks the consumption of individual machine programs.

Impacts assesses the electricity, compressed air, and assist gas usage in Salvagnini systems. This marks the first step toward calculating the CO2 equivalent emissions for each manufactured component. The way Impacts aggregates data varies depending on the services utilised, including FACE, the comprehensive HMI interface for the entire product range, LINKS, the IoT solution for monitoring system performance, or an OPC UA interface. True to Salvagnini’s innovative spirit, Impacts is a flexible product that can customise data collection based on specific requirements.

- Impacts enables users to monitor and understand their energy consumption, facilitating optimisation and reduction efforts. This ultimately enhances profitability, as lower consumption translates to reduced operating costs.

- By assisting in the optimisation and reduction of energy usage, Impacts promotes greater environmental sustainability and strengthens corporate social responsibility.

- Impacts aids in compliance with the latest environmental standards.

- It also helps companies access financial and tax incentives available for investments in high energy-efficiency machinery, often linked to updates in national regulatory frameworks.

Salvagnini also presents the new P2-1620 panel bender, which embodies the hallmark features of the Generation 4 series. Capable of bending 3.2 mm thick sheet metal up to 1000 mm long and 2.5 mm for lengths between 1000 mm and 1600 mm, this machine combines productivity with flexibility. With a bending speed averaging 17 bends per minute, the P2-1620 features universal tools that eliminate re-tooling, ensuring continuous production without downtime.

The ABA automatic blankholder further enhances efficiency by adapting tool lengths in-cycle based on the size of the produced parts, enabling zero-waste production. Its advanced sensors measure the thickness and dimensions of the sheet metal, compensating for any deformations due to temperature variations. The MAC3.0 system allows real-time measurement of tensile strength, enabling automatic adjustments to maintain optimal production parameters without affecting cycle times.

Salvagnini showcases a modular range of services at EuroBLECH 2024 designed to meet diverse customer needs throughout their system’s lifecycle. The three service levels—ACT, PLAN, and GROW—facilitate a collaborative relationship focused on mutual development and customer success.

- ACT: Provides immediate solutions for daily operational challenges.

- PLAN: Focuses on proactive problem prevention and strategic planning to optimise system efficiency.

- GROW: Aims to maximise process value and enhance in-house skills through continuous training, empowering customers to achieve new heights.

Salvagnini’s exhibition at EuroBLECH 2024 marks a pivotal moment in the sheet metal working market. By showcasing innovative technologies and solutions, the company underscores its commitment to helping manufacturers navigate the complexities of modern production while promoting sustainability and efficiency. The event allows attendees to experience firsthand how Salvagnini's Generation 4 technologies can transform their manufacturing processes, enhance productivity, and drive competitiveness in an evolving industry landscape.

The focus on sustainability and efficiency resonates strongly with attendees, who recognise the importance of adapting to the changing demands of the market. With labour shortages and increasing operational costs, the innovations presented by Salvagnini provide valuable insights into how manufacturers can optimise their processes and ensure long-term success.