2019.08.13 
Achievements The automotive industry, a highly automated sector in which technologies play a key role, is undergoing a new revolution. With the Industry 4.0 phenomenon and the arrival of smart cars, technological integration is no longer just an option for this sector and the companies supplying it, it is fundamental for survival. To maintain profitable, dynamic and flexible production, it is essential to be committed to innovation and to adopt new digital tools, as explained by Lantek and Danobatgroup.
Especially designed for cutting processes in the automotive industry, the system makes it faster, more agile ad more profitable to process pre-stamping formats (blanking). The software has been incorporated into all of the laser cutting lines in Danobatgroup’s sheet metal division (cutting, punching and folding).
Starting from the base that digitalization is the perfect moment in time for a complete change in the production processes in the automotive sector, Lantek and Danobatgroup, through their sheet metal transformation division, have worked together on developing software for processing pre-blanking formats that is specially designed for cutting processes in the automotive sector.
The objective pursued with this collaboration is twofold: to solve the problems inherent to the metal industry to achieve more efficient, competitive and flexible production, maintaining the highest quality levels; and so that Lantek and Danobatgroup can reinforce their positioning in the applications environment for specific sectors, such as the automotive industry, while helping customers in their transformation strategy towards becoming modern and intelligent companies.
Based on this collaboration, Danobatgroup customers will have Lantek software on their coil-fed laser blanking lines and all their machines. Its experience in the metal industry will allow end customers to optimize processes and obtain the greatest return on machinery and software investments.
What is blanking and how does it work?
Blanking or metal stamping technology consists of a machining process where the sheet is cut using presses and specific cutting dies to produce certain metal parts.
The Lantek and Danobatgroup’s blanking system application will be installed on all DANOBAT coil laser cutting lines. These lines have an unwinder that directs the sheet from the reel to a leveler, passing through feeder rollers to a cutting zone where one or more laser cutting heads make the cuts according to the programmed shape. Once cut, the format automatically goes to a stacker.
These lines normally process a large number of shapes and materials (steel/aluminum) and increasingly in series or runs that need to be adapted to several configurations for the same car model. This means that there is a very large number of dies to be managed. The plants must therefore have a lot of space for storing these dies.
This laser blanking system application therefore helps to cut the pieces automatically and continuously, minimizing the costs generated from the investment in the press and dies and from adapting the building (pits, storage areas, special foundations, etc.). Costs are also significantly improved due to the time it takes to change the format of the pieces. It also helps to helps reduce energy consumption compared with other alternatives, and increases the efficiency and flexibility levels while maintaining the highest quality levels.
It is used in the automotive industry.
The new technological challenges that the automotive sector is facing, the need to have business alliances, the demand for shorter, customized and sustainable production cycles, optimization manufacturing tracking and the use of materials such as aluminum and new cutting and forming technologies are some of the trends for which solutions are required. Lantek and Danobatgroup have thus aligned their business strategy with an innovative vision to find the technical solutions that best suit the automotive industry, incorporating state-of-the-art technology and specialized software.
In addition to the cost benefits mentioned above, the laser cutting machine fed from the DANOBAT coil now offers multiple advantages derived from the use of the metal coil, especially indicated for a sector as demanding as the automotive sector, with significant savings on raw material due to greater use of sheet metal, constant production rates and a lower cost per piece. This new generation of equipment is a great step forward in parts production and standardizing processes, as well as the highest degrees of flexibility for producing blanks.
"This collaboration agreement is beneficial for all parties, because innovation is added to Lantek’s knowledge and experience in the field of software solutions for the metal sector and its ability to integrate with any cutting technology in more than a thousand machine models", explains Asier Sasiain, Managing Director of Danobatgroup’s Sheet Metal Transformation Division. "The automotive industry has a great ally in Lantek and Danobatgroup when it comes to producing the hundreds of billions of metal pieces that it generates annually and consolidating their transformation after decades of traditional processes".
"The cost savings, productivity and flexibility in managing this blanking technology are improved in these processes with the use of this state-of-the-art software. The Lantek solutions makes it possible to integrate pioneering software for managing 2D and 3D cutting machines with the most demanding manufacturing management," adds Francisco Pérez, director of the Lantek OEM channel. "Of course, Danobagroup’s know-how, always at the forefront in innovation and a benchmark in the sector, has been key in the formula. Together, Lantek and Danobatgroup bring an expert system to the automotive industry that has positively affected their competitiveness in the Industry 4.0 era."
About Lantek
Lantek is a multinational which is leading the digital transformation of companies in the sheet metal and metal industry. With its patented smart manufacturing software, it enables factories to be connected, turning them into Smart Factories. It rounds off its range of services with CAD, CAM, MES, and ERP solutions for companies that manufacture metal parts from sheet metal, tubes and profiles using any cutting technology (laser, plasma, oxycut, waterjet, shearing, and punching).
Founded in 1986 in the Basque Country (Spain), one of the main European hubs of machine tool development, Lantek enables the integration of sheet metal and metal processing technologies using the most advanced manufacturing management software. The company is currently the outstanding leader in its sector thanks to its capacity for innovation and commitment to internationalization. With more than 21,884 customers in over 100 countries and 20 offices in 14 countries, it has an extensive network of distributors with an international presence. In 2018, its international business contributed to 86% of its revenue.
For more information, visit: www.lantek.com/us
About DANOBATGROUP
With 65 years’ experience in the field of technologies applied to industrial manufacturing, Danobatgroup has a workforce made up of more than 1,300 highly qualified people. The group is an international benchmark in the machine-tool sector and technologies applied to industrial manufacturing.
For more information, visit: www.danobatgroup.com/es
LANTEK
Diana Sánchez
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel.: 945 771 700
DANOBAT-Div. SHEET METAL
Elena Villacorta
Marketing Manager
Tel 943 748 023