Van Schijndel Metaal in Dongen processes thin plate made of steel, stainless steel and aluminium. If required, they can also powder coat it. A smooth surface finish is therefore crucial. They work with the 32 RB series of Timesavers. A great additional advantage is that the operator no longer has to deal with deburring, but can be used in other areas of the process.
It may sound strange, as Paul de Jong is also aware of, but the 32 RB series rotary brush machine of Timesavers is the beginning of a renewal of the machine park of Van Schijndel Metaal in Dongen. De Jong is director of operations at the Brabant family business. They are currently planning a number of new machines: an extra laser cutter, an extra punching machine and an extra press brake. The fact that the Timesavers machine is the first is therefore mainly coincidental. Van Schijndel Metaal was in need of a new deburring machine.
“We do need to invest in a new line,” says De Jong. “There are fewer and fewer skilled workers to be found and so we have to rely more and more on well-developed machines. That is the only way we can produce more with the same number of people. Attracting more skilled workers is difficult; there are hardly any coming from school. We already needed the deburring machine, but it is the first step towards renewal. The next step? We want to connect a cobot to the Timesavers machine, so that we can use the operator’s expertise in processes where it is needed more. You don’t need that much skill for filling the deburring machine.”
Refrigerators
Van Schijndel Metaal is specialised in sheet-metal processing, laser cutting, engineering and powder coating. More than 30 employees work in the 3,500 m2 premises. Van Schijndel Metaal has existed since 1932, when it was founded by Jan van Schijndel and Nel van Schijndel-Jacobs. It began as a manufacturer of machines and machine parts for the shoe industry. In the 1960s, refrigerators were added under the name Intercool. Remarkable: Van Schijndel Metaal used the then revolutionary powder coating. The company has then developed further, into what it is today.
“We are a supplier of thin sheet metal, both in steel, stainless steel and aluminium,” says De Jong. “We are a total supplier of thin sheet metal and we are unique because we can deliver coated thin sheet metal. Our customers have products such as coffee machines, traffic systems, information pillars and all kinds of electronics formwork. We focus mainly on the Dutch market.”
Vacuum table
At Van Schijndel Metaal, they have designed the process on the basis of the lean manufacturing principle. This means that they want to achieve the maximum value for a customer, with as little waste as possible. The process starts at one end of the factory with the sheet metal. After it comes in, it goes through a laser cutting machine or a punching machine. Then a Timesavers 32 RB series is used for deburring. The material then passes through press brakes to be folded and set. Sometimes there is some machining work involved. They are welded together and finally powder coated and assembled.
De Jong: “As a whole, the 32 RB series of Timesavers is very important. We process steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Then this Timesavers machine has the advantage that it cleans itself, which helps enormously. Moreover, we make many smaller parts. The vacuum table of the Timesavers machine is a lot better than that of most competitors. Ultimately, Timesavers is a big name in deburring. It’s an A-brand and we only want the best for our process. So that means A-brands.”
The Timesavers 32 RB series has been there for just over a year now and so far there has been no downtime. “I had to call once, because I needed some explanation. Other than that, no problems. A service engineer installed the machine, put the settings right and gave a training session. From that moment on, it was plug & play, as it were. Of course, it makes a difference that we are an experienced metal company. This is not our first deburring machine. We used a wet deburring machine before. The difference? Now everything stays much cleaner. The techniques are better, with the rotating brushes and the smaller blades. As a result, the end product is good. We actually do the maintenance ourselves. Relatively little maintenance is required and we can replace the brushes ourselves. Our people are professional. They are used to dealing with this kind of machine.”
32 RB series
A great deal of attention has been paid to the ease of use and user comfort of this stylish and efficient deburring and finishing machine. The result is a machine that is intuitive and easy to operate. In addition, the consumption is low, the machine is energy efficient and the price-quality ratio is optimal. The machining process can be easily observed through the control panel and the large windows.
The 32 RB series is the compact dry working machine for deburring, edge rounding, finishing and/or laser oxide removal. It is a compact rotary brush machine. The available tooling offers a wide range of machining options and the four brushes have a total of 12 m² of abrasive material. In addition, the 32 RB series has a vacuum table and possibly a magnetic track for processing small products.