Schröder Group introduces new generation of the folding machine PowerBend Professional

New PowerBend Professional – Success Story Part II

Wessobrunn-Forst (Germany), 26 October 2021 – The Schröder Group is launching the continuation of a success story: With the PowerBend Professional, the sheet metal processing specialists have relaunched one of their most popular folding machines and made it even more flexible in terms of possible applications. The folding machine for up to 4 mm thick steel sheets is appreciated by plumbers as well as industrial companies. For the first time in the history of motorized folding, a folding machine has been equipped with an optical bending angle measuring system for inline quality assurance. This enables the machine to automatically check the angles on the workpiece to an accuracy of 0.2°.

Hans Schröder Maschinenbau presents a new version of the PowerBend Professional folding machine. With an increased clamping beam stroke from 350 to 500 mm, it offers more space. Several drives are now completely servo-controlled and and reinforced. This enables continous commuting of the folding beam as well as faster and more accurate positioning of the center of rotation. Converter-controlled 2 × 3.0 kW drives move the folding beam – With the up-and-down folding beam and the suction plate back gauge, all bends on one side can be done automatically on the machine. An interface for handling systems enables further automation and an OPC UA interface opens the machine for smart factory solutions.

For the first time, automatic quality assurance during production is possible with the new optical bending angle measuring system. It is 3-axis CNC controlled with automatic longitudinal axis and secured parking position of the laser sensor. The measurement of the bent angles, which is accurate to 0.2°, helps to verify, for example, whether the bending angle adjustment for compensating the springback coefficient was correctly selected. The measuring system is programmed on the POS 3000 machine software control.