Best of both worlds:
Computer system marries designers and machines
Geoffe Stone,
Posted
09/01/2009
The growth
of on-site rollforming has continued unabated, despite the current
economic situation. The primary reason contractors choose to
become on-site manufacturers is the huge convenience of being in
charge of the production and installation cycles. Having total
control of both can significantly impact the profitability of a
given project.
Also, in recent years, contractors have been able to compete with
fixed-base manufacturers on more projects because some suppliers
have started offering the machines with a huge battery of
engineering tests that meet virtually any specification; in
addition, a number of organizations now offer warranties on
equipment, along with metal coils. The contractors can sign up with
Camas, Wash.- based Underwriters Laboratories Inc., which inspects
the machines on a regular basis and certifies the contractor as a
UL manufacturer.
Better
Technology
Metalforming Inc. of Peachtree City, Ga., has introduced a new
technology that can increase that competitiveness. The new product
is an on-site rollformer based on the concept of Computer
Integrated Manufacturing, or CIM, as it is more commonly known. CIM
has become the norm in most high-tech manufacturing companies
throughout the world. With the CIM process, the flow of information
between the designers and the machines producing the parts for the
finished product is seamless and controlled by computers. The
result is a significant increase in productivity; a significant
reduction in errors and rework, leading to a higher quality
product; a reduction of head count needed for the process; and thus
an overall increase in the profitability of the enterprise.
This new product, called the Quadro Cinco, is the world's first
rollformer based on CIM technology; it combines the rollforming
process with computer-integrated notching and cutting. The name
"Cinco" stands for Computer Integrated Notching and Cutting
Operation. This system marries the on-site rollforming production
machine directly to roof design and estimating software. It
produces finished panels already prenotched for the eaves edge fold
and angle-notched and cut for the hip and valley-true CIM
production.
All of this is
made possible by the development of a sophisticated computer
control that can download a complete roof plan from TopView
estimating software. A key feature of this software is its 3-D
capability. This allows editing of the roof plan from "as-drawn" to
"as built" dimensions and pitches so that perfectly manufactured
parts can be produced to the real roof condition on-site. The
control then manages the production process, including:
• Uncoiling.
• Parallel notching for the eaves fold.
• Notching each side in the right place for the correct angle and
correct length for hip or valley condition.
• Roll forming the panel to the correct length.
• Instructing the operator how to set the angle-cutting device
properly; the operator then swings the angle-cutting device in a
pre-set arc from the straight cut to the angle cut and back
again.
The system completely eliminates the hand-measuring, marking and
cutting of the panels. As in all CIM processes, the marriage of
computer intelligence to the machine production process reduces
error, rework, scrap and installer fatigue, speeding up panel
installation, and thus reducing head count and cost. Early users of
the system report labor savings of 20 to 30 percent on a typical
cut-up architectural metal roof. Bringing CIM to onsite roof panel
production greatly improves the contractor's competitiveness
against either fixed-base manufacturers or other on-site
rollforming manufacturers not using CIM.
Geoff Stone is the founder and president of
Metalforming Inc., Peachtree City, Ga. For more information, go to
www.metalforming-usa.com.
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