Naturally, the first is the kind of tube to be manufactured. A large tube for channelling structures that is quite wide and is usually cut with plasma and oxy-cutting machines has very little to do with smaller, narrow tubes that are most often cut with lasers. Nevertheless, the foundations of the software are the same, so the difficulty really lies in controlling the machine and its processes.
This is because this kind of tube involves another significant variable: the kind of cutting machine. This is no longer related to the cutting technology (plasma, laser) but rather to the head; the issues to be resolved multiply with the existence of machines with different types of fixed heads and machines with different types of moving heads. Not to mention specific tube cutting machines and combined 2D cutting machines that fulfil occasional needs for subcontractors not specializing in tubes. Of course, finally, machines with more than 5 axes can be considered their own world with their own particular control complexities.
This is where another variable arises: the growing development of design needs. This is the need to create simple solutions for full or partial bevelling anywhere on the tube; or various types of punches (round, rectangular, triangular, etc.) anywhere on the tube and at any angle; and especially solving the multiple potential scenarios requiring a good library of joints and intersections that allow for subsequent assembly of the full set.
Finally, we can visualize the complexity of the industry if we consider the different industrial design programs that clients use to receive and tweak parts before adding them and generating the CNC. SolidWorks® is the leading benchmark here, but SolidEdge®, Inventor®, Catia®, and Creo Elements/Pro™, among others, are also quite popular. For all of these design suites, the challenge is to supplement them and provide them with specific functionalities related to the cutting industry, multiplying their efficiency with libraries and processes, in addition to being able to accurately and simply import parts generated on any of these programs.
The challenge is great. If, in addition to solving design, machining, and cutting problems, you’d like to resolve the issue of integrating the entire process with scrap management, warehouse management, management of secondary operations carried out with the tube, quoting, and full analytics of the process, including controlling machines from different manufacturers, the challenge becomes even more immense.
Lantek has 30 years of experience analysing and solving issues in a plethora of sheet metal and metal cutting scenarios and tube cutting is no exception. With an extensive and flexible line fully integrated with the other planning solutions (MES), management solutions (ERP), and analytics and monitoring solutions, Lantek Flex3d Tubes is a complete family covering almost all the issues that customers face. From the simple to the complex, managing any kind of machine or cutting technology, integrating it with the most popular design programs for all kinds of tubes or a set, as can be seen in this table, our solutions will adapt to your problems.
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