Lantek Link – April 2015

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Global Release 2015 Latest News, Product Innovations, Fairs and much more

APRIL 2015

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index

LANTEK LINK is a Magazine of LANTEK SHEET METAL SOLUTIONS

COVER Photo: Octavio Frias Bridge

03

EDITORIAL

06

SOLUTIONS

10

TECHNOLOGIES

12

NEWS

14

SERVICES

Nothing is impossible

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

LANTEK MARKETING TEAM Jesús Martínez Marketing Director

Beatriz Prado Production, Publishing, Design

Patricia Ruiz de Sabando Communications and Public Relations

SUBSCRIPTIONS Marketing

Lantek technology reaches homes after being applied to metal furniture and home appliance manufacturing

“Flying cut” laser cutting, productivity and speed

04

MAIN TOPIC

08

INTERVIEWS

11

INNOVATION

13

CASE STUDIES

15

EXHIBITIONS

Lantek releases its 2015 version

Raúl Chopitea R&D Director

Big Data is here

marketing@lanteksms.com

Lantek attends the most important trade shows in Southeast Asia

Lantek Services Lantek Hint: Lantek Expert

Lantek helps McConnel cut grass and hedges down to size

Machine - Kaltenbach KF 2114 Fairs

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editorial

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Nothing is impossible

ust a month ago, we wrapped up our International Meeting where we shared the 2014 results, which included consolidated growth and important achievements in some markets (UK, Poland, and Germany). The results showed that Lantek is the most important player in the sector, not only for the solutions we have implemented, which have become more and more tailored to our customers’ needs, but for the interest these solutions have piqued at other sector companies. This is made clear by booth visits at trade shows and website hits, two areas where we have again broken records.

We have already released the new 2015 version and it looks like we will break records once again with a handful of powerful new features that will continue to put our software systems on the industry forefront.

A customer at a trade show told me that investing in software could lead to a major leap in production and he wondered if companies to which we offered software for sheet metal, pipes and profiles were prepared for future challenges (Industry 4.0, increasingly shorter releases and deadlines, just in time procurements).

I told him that Lantek is more than ready. And, to address his skepticism, I said: “Look, at Lantek, we are continually defining the future while we resolve present issues. This is what we have done since 1986 with talent and dedication. For us, it’s clear we have no limits. Nobody else was making sector-specific software production management, so we did. Nobody else believed in web platforms for management tools in this environment: but, we created them. Now everyone accepts it as normal.

For Lantek, “Impossible is nothing.”

Jesús Martínez

Lantek releases its 2015 version Lantek, a leading company in CAD/CAM/MES/ERP solutions, has improved its software this year. New features enable more accurate calculations of time and increased productivity for the metal industry.

The multinational has perfected the CAM 2D even more to improve the preparation of work and to ensure the accuracy of time calculations for laser machines.

Likewise, the software offers improved flexibility for machines that have Fly-Cut mode, allowing machining to alternate between Fly-Cut and normal modes using the offset configured in the software or machine.

Another innovation is a more flexible and automatic text marking feature. When identifying a piece, sheet, or scrap is key, the text that should be included on the piece, its position or the font characteristics will no longer be an issue. Also, improvements were made to the ability to edit text for marking: definitions based on dynamic information, rotation, modification, or elimination.

This new version establishes new parameters for the machine’s configuration, as well as new algorithms that enable much more accurate time calculations, taking into consideration both the acceleration of the headstock and the most advanced strategies of the most innovative machines. Lantek’s technical director, Asier Ortiz, underscored that “completely accurate calculations lead to immediate and substantial improvements in production planning and costs.”

Also included are improvements to usability geared toward productivity and a shorter learning curve. This includes enhancements in how work is prepared, which, according to Ortiz, “now make it possible to import pieces even from drawings in PDF format, find a geometry that can be worked with, clear away unwanted elements, and create an accurate quote very quickly.”

Lantek has also introduced improvements to CAM 3D, such as the incorporation of a complete design

environment for processing work with pipes with all the functionality the company offers in its CAD/CAM systems. Other improvements implemented are very accurate time calculations for operations with pipes and profiles with five axes and the fact that any type of support/tool can be defined or modified in order to optimize Collision Prevention.

CAM 3D also enables improved management of geometries, vectors, contours, heights, and entry and exit attacks.

It also includes more resources for traceability. Thanks to the TrueType fonts for text marking, any language can be used and the tracking codes can be included as desired.

The company’s innovation this year also affects its Management suite (Lantek Manager, Lantek Wos, Lantek Workshop Capture and Lantek Integra). Workload monitoring establishes a new way of estimating production times. This feature calculates an estimated completion date based on the current load at the facilities, as well as a deadline based on the route and capacity of the facilities.

New price categorization Another innovation consists of using a new category of prices and an improved calculation of gross and net margins, with the purpose, according to Lantek technical

director Asier Ortiz, “of achieving a greater ability to increase your productivity. Different discounts, prices and margins can be used for each of the costs imputed by customer, based on market conditions, or based on the conditions of your business,” he explains.

It also establishes a flexible billing system for manufacturing under general agreements using new features that cover business’ needs, such as cash discounts, orders ready to be invoiced, and the partial release of sales orders.

The improvements also affect the specialized software for integration with other systems. For example, StruMIS Connector allows its users to calculate production needs without the need for a CNC programmer, which saves time and improves the accuracy of the calculation.

Meanwhile, Tekla Structures Connector includes new formats used for metal structure scenarios that ensure they are manufactured correctly.

Another new feature has to do with the new integration variables in the ERP Integrator, such as ordering operations, parameters for calculating the cost of sheet metal, the scrap geometry, and exploded views of groups of elements. Lastly, Masterlink, which is the mechanism connecting the CAD/CAM with the company’s existing management systems, includes improved integration capacities for managing sheet metal and scrap geometry.

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solutions Lantek technology reaches homes after being applied to metal furniture and home appliance manufacturing

Lantek, a global leader in the development and sale of CAD/CAM/MES/ERP software solutions for the metal industry, has successfully brought its technology to our homes after its application in the manufacture of metal furniture and home appliances. Its groundbreaking technology is used by cutting-edge companies in this sector.

For years, many Spanish firms have chosen Lantek’s software solutions in order to maximize the profitability of the design, nesting and sheet metal machining processes for building stoves, washers, dishwashers, ovens or industrial machinery for the food industry.

These appliances are then exported all over the world and used not just in homes, but also in hotels,

restaurants, schools and government facilities of countries as far away as Kuwait, New Zealand, Cuba or Sudan, among others.

Other companies in the sector benefit from the research Lantek has conducted in the last 29 years to develop software designed to compile data spanning the entire production process. The data charts the condition of the product manufactured, labor, materials, machinery and tools.

One example is Lantek Wos, designed specifically to meet the needs of companies that work with sheet metal. It provides control over the entire production process using a system updated with data validated in

real time from the factory. This software can be installed on one computer. It not only offers options for selecting different machine tools and production facilities, but also allows users to communicate remotely and control machines in the factory.

This is just one of the solutions Lantek offers to metal furniture and appliance manufacturing companies to accelerate production processes, making them more effective and streamlined.

Companies that design, manufacture, and sell neutral and hot items for the hostelry and food sectors benefit from the Lantek Manager system, which simplifies and streamlines all production processes, optimizing costs and delivery deadlines as much as possible.

This technology displays a factory’s workload and also provides a flexible way to modify the tasks assigned, thus optimizing the use of machines, operators, and subcontracting centers, among other aspects. One of its main advantages is that users can reserve materials for a specific project or prioritize certain tasks from a single office, thereby reducing product delivery times.

Another technology used by various international firms is the software called Lantek Expert Punch, which automates CNC punching machine programming.

This makes it possible to produce modern furniture at

competitive prices and with perfect finishes without sacrificing its design.

Companies that manufacture metal furniture and home appliances, some with 40 years of experience manufacturing kitchen appliances for Spain and various European countries, also benefit from the most advanced software system for sheet metal and heavy plate manufacturing with plasma cutters. This software is called Lantek Expert Cut. This tool automates the programing of plasma cutters, oxy-fuel cutting machines, laser cutters, and waterjet cutting machines.

This powerful tool prevents unwanted behavior during actual operation.

Three dimensional design Another tool, which the companies of this sector rely on, is called Lantek Flex3d SW. The software makes the three dimensional design of any piece easy. It allows users to start from a solid base and add different faces, with the option to change their dimensions, until the piece’s design is complete.

These competitive advantages have positioned Lantek as one of the top suppliers in the metal furniture and home appliances industry, where, as in any sector, speed, precision, and technological solutions that are fully adaptable to production processes are crucial.

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interviews

Raúl Chopitea R&D Director

“We are the most versatile company in the industry” Following the recent launch of the new version of Lantek, we talked with Raul Chopitea, R&D Director at Lantek, so he could tell us his views about the new concepts that were incorporated (Lantek Factory, Industry 4.0) and how they will develop this year.

Raul, we just released the new Lantek. What is the objective of this release?

The objective is to continue strengthening the Lantek Factory concept so that our clients have new ideas and tools to help them increase their efficiency and optimize their resources.

Our customers are increasingly specialized; and, therefore, are most concerned about how to improve and the tools they need to do that. In most cases, a basic level of management is no longer sufficient to compete in the market. So, we focus on helping them improve with Lantek software solutions.

R&D is Lantek’s technological forefront. How is Lantek Factory applying this concept to develop solutions?

Lantek Factory has been included in the Lantek R&D work methodology. We analyze how each development we pursue should be integrated within the set of features and systems that make up the Lantek Factory concept. We now work with a more global perspective, taking into account the impact of each new concept in all the company’s departments.

Do you think the technical organization in the field is ready to apply the Lantek Factory concept?

Lantek is transforming its system architecture to achieve the goal of building Lantek Factory factories.

This transformation makes our systems the most advanced that are currently available for our sector.

Although there are other solutions available, they fail to integrate and connect all the systems involved in the production process like Lantek does.

The members of our technical team are highly specialized in all Lantek solutions and are used to our customers telling us about their wants and needs, seeking the best guidance to apply Lantek Factory principles: what mechanisms are available, how to

correctly apply them, etc.

Customers trust us to show them how to improve and become more efficient. It is increasingly clear that the most important technological issue to improve is the software.

What changes do you see in our customers? Has our Lantek Factory concept been well received?

Until recently, a company’s growth was almost entirely based on the productive capacity of its machinery.

This is changing. As our customers are realizing more and more that one of the foundations for advancement and growth is investing in software. So, Lantek Factory has been well received. Customers are becoming increasingly more demanding and know they can make quantum leaps with the right software that allows them to improve the visibility of their business’ progress.

With Lantek Factory, they have a software ecosystem for all areas of their business, one that shows them how to optimize their resources and processes; and, consequently, allows them to be more competitive.

Can you tell us how Lantek solutions applies in the Industry 4.0 concept?

This new industrial paradigm is already incorporated in Lantek solutions because we have always understood that software and technology are driving forces for our customers. We continually work to introduce innovations in our systems to transform current production processes into ones that are intelligent, automatic, and adaptive to our clients’ different circumstances, based on information processing and exchange. We are prepared to meet the challenges the industry presents, including the Industry 4.0 concept.

Can you tell us about the technological innovations that have been incorporated into the new version?

At Lantek, we have introduced a number of technological

innovations as part of different solutions: systems that automate the behavior of different components, service layers for communication between systems, advanced calculation modules and algorithms that automate decisions, different behavior modeling technologies to accurately calculate cost, time and resources, 3D simulation environments for different machining elements, 3D geometric engines...

Which companies are we focusing on now?

We can use our knowledge and dedication for virtually any company in our industry, regardless of its business model: a subcontractor, a manufacturer, production lines, etc.

We will focus on all companies that demand advancements in production management, since this is the key to helping them better manage their entire business model.

What do you think are Lantek’s advantages over other companies in the sector?

The main thing is that we are able to integrate into different levels of the business operation: from those who require CAD/CAM, including its integration with their current management system, to those who want us to manage their entire production plant.

We are the most versatile company in the industry. We know the sector and our customers’ production processes perfectly and all our systems are focused on this.

We investigate to find the best technology to use for every need. Thanks to our technical team, workshops, and dealers, we are constantly kept up to date on the latest news in our sector. We are continuously learning how to meet the most demanding needs of our customers.

Finally, you’re already thinking about the new Lantek version, right?

We are now working to incorporate several new ideas into the next version as well as strengthening concepts that have already been introduced.

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technologies

Juan Carlos Poza Software Engineer

“Flying cut” laser cutting, productivity and speed

“Flying cut” refers to the cutting mode in which the laser is turned on while the head is moving.

In normal mode cutting, the machining process has separate paths, so the laser always turns on and off after the movement of the head shafts have stopped.

However, in “Flying cut” mode, the movement of the shafts does not stop, which means that the laser is turned on and off while the head is moving.

To accomplish this kind of cut, the machine and the numeric control must be capable of turning the laser on and off, as well as being precisely positioned at a certain point within a minimum time interval (fractions of a second). To do this, the material thickness must be fine enough to be drilled without any activation time, a process known as “Piercing on the fly.”

This cutting mode is useful for certain jobs that involve parts with many interior holes, in which the cutting movements are alternated with short empty movements. In these cases, the machining time is considerably reduced, with a subsequent increase in productivity.

The machining order and process used for the holes must be correct to ensure the best possible performance during the “Flying cut” mode. The algorithm that calculates the machining order must detect holes in the screens to perform this type of cut. Depending on the shape of the hole, it has to be partitioned and reformatted to machine the maximum number of elements without changing direction to avoid processing the corners and minimizing the speed reduction time for a change in direction. Empty movements are also optimized so they are as short as possible between two cuts and have the smallest possible change of direction.

On a screen with rectangular holes, all the horizontal cuts should be made first, followed by the vertical cuts (or vice versa). Meanwhile, a screen with circular holes is cut one hole at a time, optimizing the path of the movements.

Apart from these two types of screens, which are the most common, it is also possible to machine another type of hole, composed of arches and/or segments.

In this case, the feasibility and optimization of the machining order with this cutting method depends on the shape and position of the holes.

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innovation

Natxo Canto Software Engineer

Big Data is here 90% of all global digital information has been created in the last two years. Every minute, 250 million emails are sent, 350,000 tweets are written and 25,000 pictures are uploaded to Facebook, along with 300 hours of video to YouTube. ‘Big Data’ refers to these huge amounts of digital information stored and processed by software that is unlike traditional software.

Today, more than ever, companies are aware that failure to implement good data processing policies means lost market opportunities in the years to come. But how can we implement Big Data to get the maximum benefit?

Big Data should be implemented as a structured system, the input of which should be a collection of stored data, including company input from the sales system, client database, or social networks. This data is stored in special file systems and organized into databases so they can be used by human beings.

This data must pass through a second layer of analysis and results, where pattern detection tools are used to determine trends. The results are shown in the form of reports, graphs, or even specific recommendations. The goal of these results is to define how to help achieve a business objective through specific actions.

Good business use of Big Data encourages real time decision-making and improves customer relations through increased awareness of the customer and personalized attention. It will also optimize material procurement, identifying sales trends and assisting in maintenance tasks by analyzing data generated by machines.

Many companies have opted for Big Data, including Ford, which currently analyzes social network comments, rather than using traditional surveys, to design innovative features for their creations, for example, the hands-free tailgate. Another of Ford’s developments has also substantially improved the user’s experience by collecting and analyzing data in real time from all electric cars, giving drivers autonomy, driving tips, and information about the nearest charging stations.

Big Data, considered futuristic until a few years ago, as if it were something out of a science fiction movie, is already here and it is here to stay.

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news Lantek attends the most important trade shows in Southeast Asia

After attending the “Taipei International Machine Tool Show” in March, the company will be present at Singapore’s most important trade show in April Lantek, participates in the main industry and machine tools trade shows in Southeast Asia. More specifically, it had a booth at the “Taipei International Machine Tool Show” (TIMTOS 2015) held in Taiwan from March 3rd through 8th. On April 14 – 17, the multinational will also attend the twentieth annual MTA (“The Precision Engineering Industry Event”) held in Singapore.

Lantek’s sales director, Joseba Pagaldai, explains: “At both events, the company’s Southeast Asia manager, Andoni Albizu, mans the booth to interact directly and candidly with clients and distributors from this region of the world. In this way, we learn about the needs and demands of that market firsthand so that Lantek can adapt, offering solutions to the sheet, pipe, and profile sectors.”

Coincidentally, revenues from the Asian market will show the highest growth in the company, at 27%, reaching the amount of 295,000 euros. For that reason, Pagaldai underscores the importance of Lantek’s presence at the MTA 2015 in Singapore, where the new version of Lantek’s solutions will be presented to all visitors to our booth. The trade show will receive more than 9,500 visitors and some 400 exhibitors from more than 30 countries, according to its own estimates.

Lantek takes advantage of its presence at this event to present its technological software solutions for companies. It views the companies that attend this trade show as potential clients, as they are associated with metal components and manufactured goods, as well as the aerospace, automotive, construction, medical, and energy industries, among others. “This is a unique opportunity to expand our client portfolio and strengthen our presence in the Asian market,” Pagaldai remarks.

The company had the opportunity to offer its software at the Taipei trade show, held every two years at the beginning of March. Of its 47,000 visitors, 40,000 were Chinese and the rest from other Southeast Asian countries such as Japan and Malaysia. A total of 1,015 exhibitors participated in TIMTOS, an event that receives the undivided attention of the region’s machine tool community. The trade show is an essential event for Lantek: here the most advanced technology meets a market in which innovation is the secret to success.

For Lantek, as its sales director emphasizes, attending the fifth largest machine tools trade show in the world and the second largest in Asia is a great business opportunity.

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case studies Lantek helps McConnel cut grass and hedges down to size Since the 1930s, McConnel has been designing and manufacturing innovative agricultural machinery at its Ludlow factory. Sold around the world, its machines range from power arm hedge trimmers which you see attached to tractors maintaining hedgerows across the country, to its amazing ROBOCUT remote control mowing machines designed for heavy duty mowing where access would be dangerous, laborious or too steep for other mowing methods. The company has been using Lantek Expert for over six years, installing it alongside its first Kerf plasma cutting machine.

Rob Martin, Production Engineer at McConnel says, “We make nearly every part of our products in-house, buying in very little. We have machine shops for milled and turned parts, plasma and oxy cutting machines in our sheet metal workshop, as well as assembly and testing facilities.

Designs are created using SolidWorks in our design office and are passed into Lantek Expert using DXF ready for cutting.”

Because of the range of machines supplied by McConnel, there are tens of thousands of parts held within the Lantek Expert database, with more being added as new designs are developed. “We take the DXF into Lantek Expert and record information such as material type and thickness.

For managing demand in the workshop, our IBM system collates orders for machines and breaks these down into their component part numbers and quantities. A spreadsheet of this information, which can typically contain 4-5000 parts each week, is passed into Lantek Expert.”

All the geometric and material information is already in Lantek Expert, so the engineers operating the software simply use some drop down menus to sort the part requirements into thickness and material type. Mostly they use the automatic nesting, which can be adjusted for optimum nesting quality and nesting time, to fill the sheets. Rob Martin says, “Mainly we are cutting mild steel, but we also cut Domex and Hardox which are extremely tough and durable materials for high wear situations on or in the ground. Material thicknesses go from 1.6mm up to 85mm. Parts up to 20mm thick are cut on the plasma, while thicker or high volume parts are cut by our CNC oxy cutting machine which has four linked torches. For nesting we rely on Lantek Expert automatic nesting, just checking the last sheet in case there is an odd part on it which we

Rob Martin, McConnel:

Production

Engineer

at

“The design in Lantek Expert is easy to use and enables us to quickly respond to requests ourselves without involving the design office.

The software works out the cutting time and allows for non-productive times such as piercing and torch up/down times. It also works out the weight of the component, enabling us to use the information to cost our components.””

can squeeze onto one of the previous sheets with one of the software’s manual nesting tools.”

Lantek has helped McConnel to optimise the set up all the machine parameters such as lead in type, cutting and rapid speed and gap between parts and, it will be helping the company to implement its second Kerf plasma, which is about to be delivered. Both the existing and new Kerf plasma are to have Kerf UltraSharp technology. Rob Martin adds, “Ultrasharp will enable us to cut exact size holes in relation to material thickness. For example, we will be able to cut an exact size 8mm hole in an 8mm thick plate which we previously would have had to drill. Lantek worked closely with Kerf to develop this technology and will be helping us to implement it.”

When a new release of Lantek Expert is introduced, Lantek engineers visit to carry out additional training if necessary, ensuring that McConnel is getting the best productivity from its investment. Rob Martin concludes, “The support is fantastic with knowledgeable people on the end of the phone. There has never been an occasion when they could not solve a problem for us.”

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services

Lantek Hint

- Lantek Expert Did you know that the 2015 version of Lantek Expert allows you to easily and intuitively obtain the final shape to be cut, based on the content of a file? This file may contain several parts or additional “junk.� It is now much more powerful and able to detect parts, verify parts, escalate, and perform special treatments through the same option.

Dare to try it!

If you would like to find out more tips, send us an email at: marketing@lanteksms.com

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facts Machine

KF 2114 - Plate Processing Centre

The KALTENBACH Flamecutting Series (plate processing centres) is extremely versatile: drilling, burning, counter boring, threading, graining, marking, embosing. Additionally the new KF Series (KF 2114, 2128) shows innovations like the ability to mill. The KF series is constructed for full processing of specific steel and system construction components such as top plates, base plates, gusset plates, ribs, flanges, etc. nstruction components such as top plates, base plates, gusset plates, ribs, flanges, etc.

Innovations at a glance: • Milling as standard function of the machine • 14-fold tool changer for more flexibility • Optionally with downholder roll for contact pressure of the plate when milling larger contours • Measuring carriage running through the machine for fixing of the plate during the processing • Less space requirements for measuring carriage by more compact design • Higher spindle speed for drilling and milling • Even more stability • Increased feedrate of the axes

Fairs FABTECH MEXICO 2015

ITM (MACHTOOL) 2015

MAY 05-07 MONTERREY - MEXICO

JUNE 09-12 POZNAN- POLAND

Come fly with me Lantek provides the most complete portfolio, that integrates the most advanced nesting software in the industry, with the highest standards in manufacturing management solutions.

info@lanteksms.com

Lantek offers the best CAD/CAM/MES/ERP software solutions for companies fabricating sheet metal, tubes, and beams with any cutting (laser, plasma, oxy-cut, water jet, shear) and punching technology.

Lantek software systems will make your production agile and flexible. You will be able to provide your customers with the response you want to give to them.

Leave the nest behind.

www.lanteksms.com