Reviewing the developments in the thin sheet materials market and the consequences these will unavoidably have on new generations of Press Brakes and the tooling, focus is placed to an important degree on the themes of productivity (and therefore the price per bend) and quality (the Tx/Ty concept). Achieving improved quality and higher productivity during bending is dependent on the combination of machines and tooling.

Guang Bei  has made vital contributions by developing the multiple-axis computer-controlled back gauges and mechanical and optical sensors as explained before. By expanding the angle measurement system to multiple points over the entire length of the bend, in principle the crowning system can also be adjusted during the bend cycle by means of computer controls (adaptive bend process). This would appear to be a logical next step towards continued optimization of the Press Brake process, albeit that both quality and costs will still have to be weighed. Guang Bei is also devoting more and more attention to automation of the press brake process. This could improve the reproducibility of the process and conserve expensive and often scarce manpower. Automatic tool changing and robot handling of sheet parts combined with automatic storage systems: these are all on their way. This is sure to please sheet metal fabricators whose orders change frequently. Because the standardization point is further downstream, the engineer’s flexibility also increases greatly. At the same time, it would appear (from the vantage point of flexibility and manufacturing costs) that modular systems will have the future, with reference not only to tools but also to clamping systems. This also offers considerable advantages in terms of repairs and maintenance. In addition, it contributes to significantly extending the economic lifetime of the press brake. Aside from mechanical clamping systems, hydraulic versions are also seen with which all tools can be clamped at once, thus promoting a further decrease in changeover time.

Thanks to the efforts and innovativeness of the engineers in Guang Bei, the press brake process is starting to become a highly developed and high-tech activity within metal processing, as is clearly evident from the above summary.