First laser blanking line for North America

Automotive supplier SET Enterprises orders 12.000 watts Schuler blanking line with three laser cutting heads for its Chicago site

Using innovative material processing solutions to go above and beyond customer expectations is the foundation of SET Enterprises’ vision as an Advanced Metal Processing Technologies company. The highly versatile Schuler laser blanking line recently ordered by the U.S.-based automotive supplier for its facility in Chicago (Illinois) gives SET exactly what it takes to make this vision a reality. The new line will be the first high-output system of its kind used in North America.

SET Enterprises based Sterling Heights (Michigan) is a major supplier of blanks and slit multiples to the domestic automotive industry and boasts over 29 years of experience in the industry. Its list of customers includes several major automotive OEMS, Tier 1 stampers and large automotive producing sheet mills. In addition to SET’s Chicago facility, the company is ideally positioned for direct customer access with steel processing and service locations in New Boston (Michigan), Jackson (Alabama) and North Vernon (Indiana).

SET Enterprises will use the laser blanking line from Schuler with its combined laser power of 12 kilowatts to produce blanks for exposed and unexposed automotive stampings beginning in 2019. The automotive supplier ultimately chose the Schuler Laser Blanking system because of its demonstrated high output capability and flexibility offered by the DynamicFlow Technology. This features three laser heads with the ability to simultaneously cut blank shapes of all types with straight line cutting speeds of over 100 m/min from a coil-fed, continuously forward-moving strip of coiled metal, itself traveling at speeds up to 60 m/min. This high output feeding and cutting capability makes conventional blanking dies unnecessary and, as a result, allows for optimization of blank shape and nesting optimization to achieve improved blanking yield and support formability.

Installation of the line will begin this summer, with the operational handoff scheduled for the spring of next year. With this equipment in place, a total of five Schuler laser blanking lines with three lasers will be in operation, producing class A blanks for the European and US-American automotive industry.

Image: Automotive supplier SET Enterprises has ordered one laser blanking line for its Chicago site from Schuler. Image Source Schuler.


Source: wireandtubenews