"Get connected" is the motto of this year's TRUMPF booth at Blechexpo. Under the moniker of TruConnect, the high-technology company will be showcasing solutions for smart factories. "Smaller batch sizes and tighter delivery windows pose the same challenges whatever company you run. Yet every sheet metal processing line is different. That's why our TruConnect portfolio is designed to cater to each customer's specific needs," says Reinhold Gross, Managing Director of Sales and Services at TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG. Gross emphasizes that TRUMPF embraces a comprehensive approach: "TruConnect stands for all-in-one manufacturing solutions that encompass hardware, software and services." Visitors to the trade fair will also be able to inspect machines from virtually every stage of the sheet metal process chain at the company's booth covering 1,500 square meters.

TRUMPF machines advance into the Internet of Things

TruConnect aims to optimize the flow of information and materials. The solutions TRUMPF offers range from individual production processes to a fully connected manufacturing environment, true to the company's conviction that different sheet metal manufacturers have different needs. But even though each TruConnect solution is unique, its successful implementation is always based on the same fundamental requirement: a meaningful supply of data that provides clear information on each machine's production status at all times. Analyzing data from a machine requires interfaces, which is why TRUMPF equips its machines with the right interfaces to ensure a smooth connection to the Internet of Things (IoT).

As one of the highlights of its Blechexpo booth, TRUMPF will be simulating a fully connected manufacturing process, with a part passing through each stage in the process chain from blank cutting to final assembly. This live demonstration will show visitors how machines and components communicate with each other using sensors and signals. At the same time, the software continuously gathers and analyzes information in order to control the manufacturing process. And the production line at the TRUMPF booth won't be the only way visitors can experience connectivity in action. The company will also be offering fascinating insights into the new TRUMPF Smart Factory in Chicago, some 7,000 kilometers away. The Industry 4.0 demonstration factory opened on September 12, 2017.

Highspeed Eco: twice as fast and extremely economical

In the laser cutting arena, TRUMPF will be showcasing a TruLaser 5030 fiber with eight kilowatts of laser power. This dynamic system can process thin metal sheets at tremendous speed - but the addition of the new Highspeed Eco cutting process allows the machine to achieve extremely high cutting speeds with medium thicknesses. The secret lies in the new, patented nozzle design. This boosts the feed rate by up to 100 percent for machines that employ fusion cutting with nitrogen - with no change in laser power. And as well as increasing the feed rate, it also makes the piercing process faster. That combination yields a nearly twofold increase in sheet throughput compared to standard cutting - and the cutting quality is better, too.

Real-life testing with various common parts has shown that an eight kilowatt TruLaser 5030 fiber equipped with Highspeed Eco and smart functions boasts higher productivity than comparable ten kilowatt machines - and consumes less power. In short, this new process is not just faster, but also extremely economical. The new nozzle design consumes 70 percent less nitrogen on average. The nozzle glides effortlessly over material ejected upward by as much as 1.5 millimeter without incurring any damage, making the overall laser cutting process considerably more robust.

When it comes to thick sheets, BrightLine fiber ensures optimum results while also making it easier to extract parts from the scrap skeleton. As well as fusion cutting, the TruLaser 5030 fiber also offers maximum laser performance for flame cutting. This is facilitated by its sophisticated optical system in tandem with the 2-in-1 fiber, a combination that also allows for an extremely large beam focus diameter.

Powerful systems for sheet metal working

The TRUMPF booth at Blechexpo is also set to showcase the TruPunch 1000 and TruMatic 1000 fiber machines in medium format; both will soon be available in large format as well. The TruMatic 1000 fiber combines cutting and punching processes in a single machine, including formed sections. It even ejects parts ready-sorted thanks to the Delta Drive. Sheet metal manufacturers can retrofit the TruPunch 1000 punching machine with a laser to gradually expand their range of metal working services.

The TRUMPF exhibition booth will also feature the TruBend Center 7030, a fully automated panel-bending machine. This model now comes with an additional screen which makes programming simpler and gives the operator easier access to production-relevant data, reducing the need for paper documentation. One of the latest features of the TruBend Series 5000 is the part indicator: a camera system that helps the machine operator to correctly position the metal blank in the bending machine.

A shuttle service will transport visitors to the demonstration center in nearby Ditzingen, where they can see the full-service laser machine TruLaser Center 7030 in action.

The company's booth will be rounded off with exhibits for laser tube cutting and laser welding as well as a 5-axis TruLaser Cell 3000 and the TruPrint 1000 for additive manufacturing. TRUMPF will also be showcasing its power tools in hall 6 of the Schweisstec fair, which will be taking place at the same time.