KLINGER AUSTRALIA enhances production capacity with new knife cutter
KLINGER Australia has just commissioned a new cutting machine on their shop floor in Western Australia that will increase their current production capacity in the manufacture of soft-cut gaskets.
Bringing the latest technology in design and functionality, KLINGER’s new Atom knife cutter system adds a new level of excellence to its existing, quality range of production machinery.
‘Our enhanced scope of soft cutting machinery means we can improve productivity and capacity in soft cut gasket manufacturing by 50%’ states Kevin Woolley; Managing Director
The quality, Italian made machine with state of the art electronics and light-weight physical structure provides perfect quality and higher speed cutting efficiency compared to other machinery.
‘Its customisable, automatic nesting system and user-friendly interface provide benefits such as reduced process times and maximised material yield. These benefits translate into increased efficiencies and a reduction in material wastage’ explains Antonio Pacca; Warehouse & Logistics Manager.
‘It’s considerably faster and easier for my team to set up each production run because it removes a lot of the complexity. Firstly the interface is very easy to navigate, with popular options like finding different materials and sheet sizes for example at the click of a button. Secondly the overhead projectors enable us to directly see how the different gasket types are positioned on the sheet material. This means we can very quickly and easily make the necessary adjustments to nesting, to get the most out of the sheet material.’ explains Ron Judge; Production Supervisor
Ron has worked at KLINGER for 37 years and has witnessed how automation has evolved in the production facility, from using 13 presses many years ago to 3 machines today; delivering the same level of output.
‘There’s been a significant shift in production quality and consistency over the years compared to machinery used back in the day’ mentions Ron.
Production Supervisor; Ron Judge demonstrates the user-friendly interface
The new, high speed knife cutter is able to cut through any soft sealing material KLINGER currently supplies to the market as well as numerous other soft materials including leather and wool. The machine can cut KLINGERSIL® materials up to 6mm in thickness, rubber sheeting up to 12mm, cork up to 9mm and reinforced graphite (PSM) at the recommended 3mm.
Along with the new knife cutter, KLINGER Australia operates two additional knife cutters and laser cutter machine, with all systems linked to its recently acquired IIoT sensor technology. The IIoT technology records uptime and downtime and monitors fluctuations for the purpose of preventative maintenance, to continuously improve machine utilisation and increase productivity.
KLINGER Australia’s production capabilities include the manufacture of standard and custom-made soft-cut, metallic and semi-metallic gaskets. This provides customers in Australia and nearby countries in South East Asia the benefit of dealing with a local, quality manufacturer with the ability to expedite orders in fast turnarounds.
As the leading manufacturer in its industry, KLINGER Australia is committed to its execution of a constant improvement framework across the business. Its new knife cutter system along with integrated IIoT technology are important steps in continuing to improve production capacity to meet customer demand.
Top photo: Ron Judge; Production Manager (left), Antonio Pacca; Warehouse & Logistics Manager (fourth from left) with the WA Production Team
