Project: Thin-walled tube cut-off machine
Fully automatic, on-demand tube processing for precisely cutting stainless steel tubes with a very thin wall thickness to length.
From process analysis to a profitable lean production environment
Within modern manufacturing companies, the shift towards High Mix, Low Volume is the new standard. To remain competitive, operational environments need to be set up to be maximally flexible and lean. Existing, rigid production machines often cannot be adapted for this, or the modifications are simply too costly.
High Tech Alliance therefore developed an advanced cut-off machine that combines state-of-the-art technology with targeted process optimisation.
About this project
The challenge
The challenge was twofold. Technically, stainless steel tubes with a very thin wall thickness had to be cut to length extremely accurately, quickly and on demand, with minimal changeover times between different product variants. Just as important was the human challenge in the preliminary stage: creating support for the lean philosophy among production staff. Automation often raises fears of job losses on the shop floor, whereas the real goal is to eliminate waste, increase quality and facilitate business growth.
The role of High Tech Alliance
Our engineers did not limit themselves to building the machine alone in this project, but managed the entire change process:
Process mapping: In the preliminary stage, we fully mapped the current production situation and recorded it in a clear process map to expose the bottlenecks.
Support & Quick Wins: We helped spread the lean philosophy on the shop floor. By first focusing on ‘low-hanging fruit’ – less complicated improvements at low cost – we quickly showed results. This eased staff's initial hesitation and created broad support.
Turnkey Engineering: Based on the process analysis, we specified the thin tube cut-off machine precisely, and developed and built it, customised to the client, for the part of the process where the most gains could be made.
Solution and result
High Tech Alliance's solution is a smart, fully automatic cut-off machine that fits seamlessly into a lean way of working. The operator only needs to enter the desired length, diameter and quantities. The machine then independently retrieves the correct tube product from the magazine, places it in the machine and cuts it to size with extreme precision. This makes unmanned, on-demand and, if required, 24/7 production possible, with consistently top quality and minimal material waste.
Thanks to the close collaboration, the client has taken a successful, profitable step towards a lean production environment in which waste is a thing of the past.
Want to know more? Or do you have a technical challenge of your own?
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