Adding a Hugong HGLW hand

One-time seller of fabricating equipment now runs a shop aimed for present-day, upcoming challenges.

“We regard ourselves as an industrial design and manufacturing company. We like to do R&D work with our customers to improve their products and improve our processes so that we have a more productive and profitable manufacturing base,” explains owner Stig Rasmussen, who took control of Davox in 2016, a company that he had been involved with as a partner for a number of years. Prior to that Rasmussen spent 14 years selling sheet metal equipment (lasers, punches, presses and press brakes) after qualifying as a fitter and turner in his country of birth Denmark.

“We have been developing products that enhance the manufacturing process. I have many years of experience in the sheet metal processing industry and have observed and thought about a number of ways to improve production processes. Even though they are our own products they are not aimed at the mass market but rather at our clients and companies that have similar equipment to us, so that they can improve their metal processing processes. And this is not just for sheet metal and plate.”

“We decided to invest in a hand-held laser welding system from Hugong HGLW and supplied by TRM Supplies because of the potential it offers to the job shop environment that we operate in. Manual fibre laser welding will never replace the traditional MIG and TIG welding processes. But it gives a company like ours an opportunity to offer an extra finishing fabricating service. Once we have cut, punched or bent sheet for a client we can now offer a welding service. It is quick and easy to use, faster than the traditional welding processes and the finish is better.”

“To keep our custom-made and job shop mix profitable we could not just rely on fabrication and sheet metal work. From an early stage the company also invested in CNC equipment, both milling and turning.”

Tornos Schaublin10-axis CNC turning machine“Our latest investment in the machining department is a Tornos Schaublin 65 TM6 Y CNC turning machine with main and counter spindle, tool drive, C-axis, Y-axis and two turrets (top and bottom). The turning diameter is maximum 250mm, the turning length is maximum 500mm, the main spindle speed is 4 000rpm/18.5kW. It also can be equipped with 65mm diameter bar feeder which we have not done.”

“All this adds up to us having a Swiss precision manufactured 10-axis CNC turning machine. This addition to our company’s machine portfolio allows us to have the capability of machining complex components with high-efficiency.”

Hand-held fibre laser welding

“More importantly a number of different machining processes are now done on the Tornos Schaublin in one operation, whereas before they would have to be done on different machines. This cuts out machine idle time and optimises machining operations. An example of this is that on certain components we are saving 90 minutes of machining and setup time in an eight-hour shift. The components make up a security lock mechanism used in the road transport industry. They were being machined elsewhere but we soon won the job after acquiring our Tornos Schaublin and showing the client what we could save him in time and costs.”

Another component joined with a Dugong hand held fibre welder

Fibre laser welding technology for manual weldingIn most metal fabricating applications involving laser welding, human involvement typically is limited to programming a robot that wields a laser welding head that moves around a fixtured workpiece in a safe enclosure that is designed to prevent the laser light from escaping. More portable equipment is available, typically used for repairing tooling and moulds, but even then the operator is using a joystick or some other controller to manipulate the laser beam over the work area. The intimate relationship that exists between a welder, the torch, and the metal in manual applications is not one that’s been replicated by laser welding technology developers – at least until recently.

“We decided to invest in a hand-held laser welding system from Hugong HGLW and supplied by TRM Supplies because of the potential it offers to the job shop environment that we operate in. Manual fibre laser welding will never replace the traditional MIG and TIG welding processes. But it gives a company like ours an opportunity to offer an extra finishing fabricating service. Once we have cut, punched or bent sheet for a client we can now offer a welding service. It is quick and easy to use, faster than the traditional welding processes and the finish is better.”

A comparison between TIG and laser welding. The bottom component has been fibre laser welded

“The power source looks like an arc welding power source. A welder can choose predefined welding parameters for different joining applications and adjust the power output, like on a traditional arc welding power source. The hand-held welding gun is held like a MIG torch even if it looks more like a TIG torch. The laser power source is even setup like a traditional welding unit. A welder plugs in the power cord and gas connection, attaches the clamp to the work surface, and starts to weld.”

“The power source isn’t producing an arc, however. The laser welder produces 1 500W of continuous-wave power at 100% duty cycle. It’s a ytterbium, continuous-wave. The power can also be adjusted from 150W to 1 500W.”

“The science of laser welding has come a long way. Like in cutting, welding with a laser comes down to analysing how a certain material absorbs the laser’s energy. Fibre lasers for welding and cutting behave much the same as they travel from the power source and through the delivery fibre.”

Davox has also imported a fixtures welding table and 48 fixtures that will give them 100s of options for fixturing

“The difference happens at the processing head. Positioned millimetres above the material surface, the cutting head focuses the beam and the assist gas (the laser’s cutting tool) evacuates molten material to create kerf. A fibre laser welding head operates farther from the material surface and focuses the beam in such a way as to achieve the optimal weld. And like in arc welding, laser welding uses gas (such as argon) to shield the weld from the atmosphere.”

“In typical applications in custom fabrication, laser welding is autogenous. That is, it uses no filler metal. This reduces consumables costs and minimises post-weld finishing requirements. Still, filler can be added if structural or cosmetic specifications require it.”

“Our latest investment in the machining department is a Tornos Schaublin 65 TM6 Y CNC turning machine with main and counter spindle, tool drive, C-axis, Y-axis and two turrets (top and bottom). The turning diameter is maximum 250mm, the turning length is maximum 500mm, the main spindle speed is 4 000rpm/18.5kW. It also can be equipped with 65mm diameter bar feeder which we have not done. All this adds up to us having a Swiss precision manufactured 10-axis CNC turning machine. This addition to our company’s machine portfolio allows us to have the capability of machining complex components with high-efficiency.”

“For welding material up to 3mm thick it is ideal especially if you are offering a custom service. The laser forever changed the cutting department for custom fabricators, and it soon will do the same for the welding department.”

Other developmentsOther developments at Davox on the equipment side include the purchase of a sheet roller and a laser marking system.

“We developed our own magnetic side stop for press brakes that has been exported to OEM press brake manufacturers in Europe. The make-up of the product consists of a machined aluminium block that is anodised. It incorporates magnets in the universal design and allows for branding with a manufacturer’s or supplier’s logo. The cost of the product is not exorbitant and can be used as a marketing tool as every press brake and press brake operator should have one of these.”

“More importantly a number of different machining processes are now done on the Tornos Schaublin in one operation, whereas before they would have to be done on different machines. This cuts out machine idle time and optimises machining operations. An example of this is that on certain components we are saving 90 minutes of machining and setup time in an eight-hour shift. The components make up a security lock mechanism used in the road transport industry.”

“Initially we were only making one size but through OEM requests we are now making three different sizes and also started to export to the US. There has been design development with the product as well. The biggest client is a press brake tooling manufacturer – Wilson Tools.”

“We have also more than doubled our factory space with a move to a different complex in Sunderland Ridge. We have gone from 400m² to 850m².”

For further details contact Davox on TEL: 082 966 1662