1. THE CHALLENGE: HEAVY
Thick sheet metal parts usually come out of the cutting process severely deformed. The sheets often have significant differences in thickness and are often heavily distorted by the heat input during the cutting process. This makes their further processing, deburring, rounding, and descaling, difficult and places special demands on the grinding technology. The challenge becomes even greater when dealing with workpieces that are several meters in size and weigh several tons, such as components for excavators or other large construction machines. The thickness tolerance for a 50-millimeter sheet, for example, is up to three millimeters according to DIN - plus and minus, i.e.up to six millimeters in total. Not to mention the distortion caused by cutting. A good processing machine must be able to handle these very different framework conditions and challenges with ease. There is also another problem: conventional grinding machines usually work from above. To deburr the underside of the workpiece, it must be turned by hand or with the help of a machine, depending on its size and weight. This is laborious, time-consuming and carries a high risk of accidents.

2. THE SOLUTION: SIMPLY BRILLIANT
The decisive factor for the engineers at WEBER: Whatever the issue, the next innovation step must further simplify the relevant processes and make them more efficient. This also applies to the processing of large and heavy heavy sheet metal parts.
They developed something ground-breaking - a truly innovative machine system, specially developed for the efficient machining of solid heavy plate parts. The new machines guide their tools over the surface one after the other from both sides. This significantly reduces the processing time, and the workpieces no longer must be turned between two processing steps. What‘s more, the tools are suspended from the units and orbit around the workpiece like planets in the solar system. This literally eliminates the usual problems associated with heavy, large, heavily distorted sheet metal parts covered in thick slag. Based on the processing concepts developed in Kronach, the WEBER machines cleanly remove even stubborn pieces of slag with slag hammers. They deburr, round and grind more efficiently and with a higher throughput than conventional heavy plate processing systems. They easily compensate for differences in thickness and/or distortion of up to 10 millimeters, both from above and below.

 

3. THE HIGHLIGHTS: EXCEPTIONAL
The patented DR planetary head units play a central role in the high flexibility of WEBER solutions and their excellent work results. They move towards or away from the workpiece depending on the load, ensuring efficient deburring and perfect rounding of the edges. The patented, single-row planetary head system „P2“, for example, is characterized by a particularly large overlapping area of the individual tools, without any lateral oscillation movement. The double-row planetary head „P6“, on the other hand, achieves particularly good rounding results and at the same time reduces abrasive wear to a minimum. Floating mounting The floating mounting of tools and units also means that the workpieces do not have to be laboriously aligned before machining. The machine simply adjusts itself accordingly. In short: The sheet metal parts can be processed directly and simultaneously in a single machine pass - from above and below. Consistently high grinding quality The STC stud grinding beam also achieves exceptionally good machining results. It is characterized not only by a constant sanding pressure, but also by a high tolerance compensation. The sanding belt is held flat, under tension a few millimeters downwards. Due to the long contact surfaces with the workpieces, it automatically works harder on all edges without creating secondary burrs. This results in a consistently high sanding quality and a high material throughput, even with very thick and uneven workpieces. What‘s more, the long service life of the sanding belt keeps operating costs low. Efficient processing The deburring systems work automatically in a job-controlled manner: As soon as a workpiece is in the processing area, the control system recognizes this and automatically starts to remove protruding burrs, scale particles or otherunwanted segments from the surface.
 

4. THE RESULTS: SENSATIONAL
However, it is not only the pure work process of the new WEBER machines that pushes the boundaries of traditional sheet metal processing and significantly increases the user‘s productivity. Their results also deserve the attribute sensational. Their unique combination of planetary heads, flexible bolts and double-rotating brushes simply opens a new dimension in highprecision heavy plate processing. Slag and scale are easily and completely removed, edges areperfectly deburred and rounded, surfaces are
flawlessly ground. And all in a single pass from above and below. It couldn‘t be better or more efficient.

THE ADVANTAGES OF WEBER MACHINES FOR HEAVY PLATE PROCESSING AT A GLANCE:
+ Efficient, problem-free processing of heavily distorted thick sheet metal parts
+ Compensation of distortions of up to 10 millimeters
+ Unique combination of fl oating tools
+ No prior straightening of the workpiece
+ Complete processing in a single pass
+ Highly precise results