Automated Sheet Metal Fabrication Cell

Automated Sheet Metal Fabrication

Max Velocity is Estes’ automated sheet metal fabrication cell powered by Salvagnini. Its automated nature and advanced technology provide exceptional quality, shorter lead times, and improved on-time delivery. It’s one of the most cost-effective solutions OEM manufacturers are using to solve today’s challenges.

The Estes Max Velocity takes cellular manufacturing to new levels. Every machine in the cell is fully automated, including the automatic storage and retrieval system – the MV Warehouse, which is the system’s backbone.

Maximize uptime and improve part accuracy and consistency while reducing lead times.

Estes Max Velocity boosts a 97.2% on-time delivery rate with a ten-day lead time for products that don’t require painting or finishing.

Max Velocity Brings Estes' Customers:

Faster fabrication and shorter lead-times, allowing them to better support their own customers
Consistent on-time delivery, ensuring their own schedules can be met
Flexibility in production and order processing, allowing OEMs to switch product manufacturing without having a large inventory
Reduced inventory, resulting in freed up cash, freed up space, and reduced risk of inventory damage or obsolescence
Improved quality, which reduces total costs
Competitive pricing

Is Max Velocity Right for Your Project?

Hover over each picture to discover ideal part dimensions for Max Velocity.

How It Works

The process starts with the raw material being loaded into Max Velocity at the Salvagnini MV Warehouse. Traceability information for each bundle of raw material is recorded and stored in the cell’s software, so it follows the parts throughout the fabrication process. Our automated warehouse runs through the cell’s center and automatically delivers materials and parts to and from the pieces of equipment in the cell.

The Salvagnini CNC Shearing/Punching Center is typically the first stop in the Max Velocity cell. The MV warehouse brings sheets to the shearing/punching center when directed. Sheets are loaded unattended. The machine punches features into the blank and then shears the perimeter of the blank to separate it from the sheet. The punched parts are then automatically unloaded onto a tray and returned to the MV.

When required, the Salvagnini CNC Fiber Laser Cutter is used to cut blanks. The laser cutter is a very versatile and productive machine that can cut a wide range of thicknesses and shapes. The fiber source and optics chain generate a high power density laser beam, which allows for high-speed cutting (up to 2,000 in/min) on medium and thin metals. It doesn’t require tools to be loaded, which reduces set up time.

Next in the Max Velocity cell is the Salvagnini CNC Panel Bender. Flat blanks are automatically presented to the panel bender, and automatic length adjustment tooling adjusts itself on the fly between bends as the parts run. Forming and rotating of the part are all automated. Once completed, the part is automatically unloaded from the machine and ready to be inspected and shipped.

Learn more about Estes’ state-of-art architectural facade fabrication.

Case Studies

Max Velocity Forming Enables Real Savings

THE CHALLENGE

The design for a client’s stainless steel box consisted of four pieces formed in a Z-shape at the press brake. These four pieces were then welded at the corners, which caused the stainless steel to warp slightly. The assembly had a brushed, cosmetic flange around the perimeter that would remain visible to the end user. To maintain an appealing look, the welds had to be ground, and then the flange had to be brushed.

SOLUTION

This finishing process was very labor-intensive and costly, so Estes proposed a redesign to the customer. Utilizing their Max Velocity Salvagnini forming cell’s capability to form complex, tight-tolerance bends, they formed the part from one blank instead of four. The edges were brought together so precisely they could be laser welded at the seams.

RESULT

The reduction of components and of finishing and assembly time dropped the cost of production from $43.73 to $38.73, while improving the quality of the part.

Max Velocity Results in Operational Efficiencies

THE CHALLENGE

A longtime client needed a cabinet door assembly that was nearly five feet long by nine inches wide, and it needed to be rigid. The original plan called for two fabricated stiffeners to be glued to the doors to provide the necessary support. The three-piece assembly cost $29.00 and required eleven operations to manufacture.

SOLUTION

Using the Max Velocity Salvagnini forming cell, the Estes design team was able to create a single-piece door with the necessary rigidity.

RESULT

The new design was manufactured in three operations, and costs were reduced by more than two-thirds.

Powered by Salvagnini

MV Warehouse

Salvagnini Automatic Retrieval and Auto Store System

Our Salvagnini MV Warehouse serves as the backbone to the fully automated Estes Max Velocity cell. This automated technology removes time wasted with material handling, helps increase production output, and ensures faster lead-times for our customers.

S4 Punching & Shearing

Salvagnini S4 Punching and Shearing Center

Our Salvagnini S4 machines combine the punching versatility of a turret press with the blanking capabilities of a shear. Not only does the S4’s automation provide around-the-clock activity, but customers also benefit from cost reductions that would otherwise go to pay for labor.

L5 Laser Cutter

Our Salvagnini L5 Laser Cutter allows us to cut sheet metal parts with any geometry, permits quick changeover, and facilitates nesting. These capabilities all culminate in a machine that reduces cost while increasing speed on our customers’ sheet metal fabrication projects.

P4 Panel Bender

Our Salvagnini P4 Panel Bender can achieve high repeatability and tight dimensional tolerances, resulting in a higher quality product. Its advanced capabilities allow it to form extremely complex parts in a single set up while adding efficiency to product throughput.