In the past decade, the requirements for metalworking companies have changed significantly: The market is increasingly demanding more and more individual products. The challenge of being able to produce economically and efficiently with ever smaller batch sizes is correspondingly great. Top quality and fast delivery are essential. In order to master this balancing act, production requires appropriate possibilities and the right interaction between man and machine.

Against this background, companies in the industry are relying more and more on multifunctional machine solutions to be able to meet the increasing requirements of existing and potential customers in an efficient and high-quality manner also in the future. In the field of cutting, CNC cutting systems should be able to combine a variety of processing technologies fully automatically – regardless of whether it is a matter of processing sheets, pipes, profiles, or domes. After all, this saves time during production and also creates the urgently needed flexibility to be able to adapt to constantly changing customer requirements at short notice. In concrete terms, modern cutting solutions offer a wide range of options: cutting of precise holes and contours, application of weld seam preparations as well as drilling, countersinking, tapping, marking, punching or scanning.

A modern and flexible system is supposed to replace the aging cutting system

Searching for such a solution was also the Swiss company Matisa Matériel Industriel S.A., a renowned manufacturer of track construction and maintenance machines, founded in 1945 with branches on several continents.

"Our old machine has reached the end of its life; after many years of very good service. Maintenance costs have gone up dramatically and constantly with age. To improve our production efficiency, we defined a new production strategy that required new production processes with new tools that were not available on our old machine. In addition to cutting plates, we now also have to cut bevels, holes, tapped holes as well as pipes and profiles. So we came to the conclusion: We are looking for a machine that combines all these possibilities," Patrice Mesnage looks back. He is purchase manager and responsible for electrical & automation parts and services at Matisa.

Not only precise, flexible and fast: process reliability is essential

Looking for the right solution, he took a close look at the market and came across the MicroStep brand. The manufacturer of plasma, laser, oxyfuel and waterjet cutting systems quickly aroused interest. After all, multifunctional gantry cutting systems require more than just precision, flexibility and speed. The decisive factor is to be able to master the various processing options in a process-safe manner for the entire life of the machine. For this purpose, MicroStep has developed quite a few technologies, such as the automatic, patented ACTG® calibration unit, which have been operating successfully worldwide for many years. "MicroStep offers a machine that is completely customized to our needs. The quality is exceptional," says Patrice Mesnage. He and his team chose an extremely flexible version of the MG series, MicroStep’s all-rounder. This enables 2D and 3D processing of plates, pipes and profiles. A plasma rotator for automated weld seam preparation, two oxyfuel torches and a support for drilling, countersinking and tapping were integrated.

Several advantages: Lower costs, shorter delivery times, reduced manual operations, and increased quality at the same time

Matisa mainly processes steel and aluminum. Large-format sheets from at least 2,000 mm to 8,000 mm in length, as well as pipe profiles with a diameter of 500 mm or square profiles up to 6,000 mm in length, are processed with the MG series. Matisa is enthusiastic about the possibilities of the multifunctional solution. "The system allows us to eliminate most of the manual operations such as for instance beveling. The quality of the work is much higher than with manual operation. It also allows several processing operations to be carried out simultaneously at a single workstation, helping to reduce delivery times, save costs, and improve safety by reducing material handling," enumerates Patrice Mesnage.

Commissioning took place right on schedule in July 2020, and the start went according to plan.  "The implementation went perfectly, just as planned from the beginning. The sales and project team was very receptive to our ideas and responded flexibly to our requirements. The performance and efficiency of the machine is beyond our expectations," says Patrice Mesnage.

QUOTE

"The system allows us to eliminate most of the manual handling such as for instance beveling. The quality of the work is much higher than with manual operations. The performance and efficiency of the machine is beyond our expectations."

Patrice Mesnage,
Electrical & Automation parts and Services Purchase Manager | Matisa Matériel Industriel S.A.