PRECISION, ACCURACY AND SPEED: Fabricator processes large parts faster with Salvagnini panel bender technology

Metal enclosures serve as protective

housings for a wide range of items fromelectronics and communication systemsto controls, avionics and critical vehiclecomponents. Building these boxes tosafeguard their contents from damageand environmental factors such as dust,moisture and debris requires specializedskills that go beyond typical design andfabrication expertise.
“Very complex enclosures with tough,highly cosmetic finishes require a uniquecombination of engineering experience,equipment and craftsmanship,” saysSteve Tokarz, president of IMS Engi-neered Products LLC, a global supplierof precision sheet metal fabrications andelectromechanical assemblies.
IMS enclosures and AMCO rack sys-tems can be found in nearly every marketspace from transportation, aerospace,defense and telecommunications to ap-pliance and agriculture. The Des Plaines,Illinois-based company carefully put thepieces in place over time. After acquir-ing a fabrication business establishedin 1974, IMS was founded in 1995. Itthen purchased AMCO [started in 1943]in 2005. Today, IMS stands out as thepreferred choice for businesses seekingunparalleled quality and reliability.
“We can powder coat, wet coat orprovide a No. 4 finish to complicated en-closures with very tight tolerances,” saysTokarz. “We can weld, grind and polisha component to look like one seamless piece. Our personnel provide a level ofcraftsmanship that is phenomenal. Fromengineering to fabrication, mechanicaland electrical integration and customerservice, we offer a complete solution.When it comes to launching new prod-ucts, we have developed a process withdefined roles and responsibilities. Weknow what to do and when to do it.”

MODEL UPGRADE

Equipment such as Salvagnini America’s panel bender technology plays a crucial role in the supplier’s fabrication process. In 2023, IMS installed a Salvagnini P4-3125 panel bender. The capitalequipment investment demonstratedIMS’s ongoing commitment to leadthe industry in innovation and servecustomers with top-shelf products. Thepanel bender’s automatic bending andhandling cycles and universal bendingtools boost throughput for versatileparts processing. The P4-3125 can bendpanels as long as 10 ft. 2 in. and as wideas 5 ft. The new panel bender wasn’t the fabricator’s first experience with the OEM.
“We’ve had a Salvagnini panel bendersince 1996,” says Tokarz. “After 28 years,it was still running until we decommis-sioned it to install the new one. Ourprimary reason for replacing it was that wewanted to upgrade to newer technology.”

Choosing a panel bender over a pressbrake wasn’t a difficult choice. “When youhave the right application, you can runmore parts, faster with a panel bender,” hecontinues. “We deal with a lot of large components, doors, side panels. Having theP4-3125 really helps. Our parts would be toocumbersome on a press brake. You wouldneed two operators to hold the material. Thepanel bender is more accurate and ergo-nomic. Upgrading to a newer model was aneasy decision based on our product line.”
Prior to the purchase, Salvagnini rantest parts for an outdoor power distribu-tion cabinet that feeds charging stationsfor EV vehicles. “Salvagnini proved outfour different parts for us,” says Tokarz. “Iwent to Italy to sign off on the machine’squalification run. On each end of the side panels there was a 2-in. radius followedby formed features. The panels are morethan 98 in. long and 4 ft. wide. Salvagninihad to build a special T tool with specified clearances so that it could form theradius and clear other features that werealready punched into the part.”
IMS runs stainless, aluminum andcold-rolled steel on the P4-3125. “We runall the parts we make for our enclosureson the panel bender, from the new EVapplication to cabinets for medical,financial, industrial, military, transportation, telecommunications and test andmeasurement uses. Appliances are ahuge market space for us,” he says. “Whatwe like about the P4-3125 is that setupis quick, and you only have to make aminor adjustment based off the type ofmaterial being fed into the machine.”

ACCURACY

In addition to controlled centering,MAC3.0 detects any differences in amaterial’s mechanical characteristicsand compares them to its nominal value during the bending cycle adapting the machine and the manipulator’smovements to compensate for thosevariations.
Universal bending tools automaticallyadapt in-cycle to panel geometry with-out downtime or manual re-tooling. Thisallows operators to process a range ofmachinable materials from 0.02 in. thickto 0.12 in. thick.
IMS runs mid- to low-volume jobs withappliance work dictating higher-volumepart runs. Precision and accuracy are cru-cial, but so is speed.

THE OVERTIME KILLER

“The P4-3125 is up to three times fasterthan a conventional press brake,” saysTokarz. “The parts we were bending forthe EV application took two days andthree press brakes versus one day on theSalvagnini panel bender. Labor is alsoreduced. The press brakes need six guysand two days versus two operators lessskilled and one day on the panel bender.My operations manager calls the P4-3125an ‘overtime killer’ for the forming guysbecause it just chews through everyjob put on it. When we compare the P4-3125 to all the new equipment we’vepurchased recently, we find it’s the bestbang for the buck.”

IMS Engineered Products LLC | 847-391-8100 |imsep.com
Salvagnini America Inc.| 513-874-8284 |salvagnini-america.com