Metalix: Bringing Innovation to the Traditional Metal Industry
Metalix CAD/CAM Ltd, one of the leading companies in the field of control software for bending machines, is taking the industry one step further with software that enables complete control of the robotic bending process in a matter of minutes. The result: greater efficiency and significant savings in manpower
The metal industry worldwide faces a severe shortage of human resources, and in the case of sheet metal bending, the shortage is even greater, as the required workforce must be highly skilled and professional. Finding a solution for bending metal sheets requires a high level of expertise, and at the same time, manual bending requires hard physical work.
"To make the manufacturing process robotic, one must create a very precise sequence of actions, and when it comes to metal bending, it can be a very challenging task", says Rami Baruch, CEO of Metalix.
Until recently, the programming process for robots was done using a teaching pendant, in which the bending actions were recorded, and the robot operated accordingly. This programming process can be very tedious and lengthy, sometimes taking hours or even days, and is primarily suitable for long production runs. However, when it comes to short production runs in factories where a variety of metal sheets need to be bent, such a process will not meet the needs. Metalix’s software significantly shortens the process. It automatically finds the tools to be used, the bending sequence, the gripping positions of the parts to be bent and the trajectories the robot has to perform, so that in most cases generating a robotic bending solution only takes a few minutes.
Registered Patent
Metalix's software for offline programing of robotic bending cells creates two programs: one that controls the robot and another that controls the press brake. It is a registered patent in Israel and is currently undergoing the process of patent registration worldwide. Metalix is a leading company in the software industry for sheet metal processing. Its customer base, of which about 90% are located outside of Israel, spanning across the globe from the Far East to North and South America, consists of industrial plants, machine tool manufacturers, bending machine manufacturers, leading robot manufacturers, and many integrators dealing with the production processes of robotic bending cells.
"Our main competitors in the field of control software for robotic bending processes are giant companies that produce both the press brakes and the robotic cells, forcing their customers to use only their machines. Our software, however, is much more flexible," says Dr. Orit Baruch, vice president and head of the robotic bending cells project at Metalix. "It is designed to seamlessly integrate with a wide range of bending machines and robots, so our customers are not limited to any specific machine manufacturer."
User Friendly
The software developed by Metalix is user-friendly, with a meticulous user experience, making it easy and intuitive to use. "Our customers use our software to find bending solutions for their parts, and some even customize it and add their own developments. The goal is for them to be able to use it in any manufacturing process; to be able to grow with it."
The software development process is based on years of experience in the field, ensuring that when building a specific robotic cell, the customization process is based on deep understanding of the bending cell operation. "Part of our work is to customize the system for each cell of every customer," says Dr. Baruch. "We receive the layout of the cell, which press brake is used, which robot is used – whether the robot travels on a rail, whether the rail is suspended, which parts they want to bend in the cell – we need to know all these details. Based on all the information we receive from the customer, we build a model of the cell in our software, allowing us to perform all the tests and advise them about, for example, the optimal placement of cell components, or which grippers to use."
The installation process itself includes calibration that facilitates maximum accuracy of the bending parts. "During the calibration process, we learn the exact location of each of the bending cell components" explains Dr. Baruch. "Covid forced us to perform the process remotely since we couldn't travel and perform the installation on-site. During that time, we remotely installed the system for several customers in China and saw that everything was working well. The fact that the calibration can also be done remotely and achieve a very high level of accuracy indicates the simplicity and efficiency of the process, and it is a significant achievement."
Metalix serves a vast range of customers and handles a large variety of metal sheets used in bending cells: from sheets as thin as a few millimeters, to heavy-duty sheets, tens of millimeters thick, for the shipbuilding industry; from small and delicate components for the electronics industry to huge building covers for constructions. The software is used offline, so the process of finding the bending solutions does not halt production.
Focusing on Metal
Metalix has been operating in the metal industry for over 30 years, starting as a small company in the industrial zone of the communal settlement of Koranit in the Galilee. Now the company has offices in many countries worldwide. Initially, the company dealt only with software for metal cutting, and later its management realized the immense demand for advanced technology in the field of bending.
Today, the company takes pride in a list of leading clients in their respective fields, including Mitsubishi, Yutong (bus manufacturers), Epta (manufacturer of refrigeration solutions), and Metalco (manufacturer of metal furniture for public spaces) and many more. "It is true that metalworking belongs to a relatively traditional industry, but this field is also developing and becoming technologically advanced," says Baruch, "and the software we develop proves it."
in collaboration with Metalix
