Bihler Brings Next Generation Slide Forming Technology To FABTECH Canada, 2018

(Phillipsburg, NJ – May 2018) Bihler of America, a leader in complex components manufacturing and automation, will feature its newest slide forming machine, the Bihler 4 Slide-NC, at FABTECH Canada, Booth #391, Toronto Congress Centre, June 12-14. This marks the first time that the Company is exhibiting at FABTECH Canada. Max Linder, Director of Sales and Marketing for Bihler of America, commented, “Given the favorable response to our new 4 Slide-NC so far, we anticipate strong interest at FABTECH Canada, namely among automotive supply chain manufacturers.” For metal stampers that are producing high volume parts with critical forming features, such as auto body clips and snaps, the Bihler 4 Slide-NC represents an ideal solution, namely in terms of speed, performance, and intuitive controls.

“Customers are realizing run rates that are as much as six times faster than previous generation machines,” Linder noted. One recent buyer of the Bihler 4 Slide-NC, a producer of clips and fasteners for the automotive industry, was able to phase out six existing machines for each newly installed 4 Slide-NC, while increasing output rates by an impressive six fold.

Another customer was able to immediately replace four older slide-forming machines with one new Bihler 4 Slide-NC. Linder referenced yet another customer that actually halted plans for a facility expansion due to the reduction in the overall physical space required when one new 4 Slide-NC machine can outperform the collective productivity of multiple older slide forming machines. “Whenever you can phase out multiple machines with one new one that’s superior in performance, the operational savings are exponential,” Linder explained. “You achieve increases in efficiency, manufacturing uptime, and overall productivity, while reducing costs associated with maintenance and lengthy change overs.” The new 4 Slide-NC machines can run millions of parts without needing a single adjustment; they stay in tolerance for the entire duration of a large volume production run.

One of the most appreciated attributes of the new Bihler machine is its digital control panel. This easy-to-use interface allows an operator to completely regulate the production process and automation tasks simply and quickly. Linder commented, “You can program a cam timing change into the control panel in 10 seconds. The value of that alone is well worth the investment for many customers, when you consider that a cam timing change on an older machine can take up to eight hours.” In a time when many manufacturers are focused on attracting new, young talent to their teams, a tech-centric machine like the Bihler 4 Slide-NC is more appealing and readily adoptable by a generation of workers that literally grew up in a digital world.

Bihler 4 Slide-NC customers have also observed the following additional attributes:

Full tool compatibility with select mechanical 4 Slide machines
Rapid changeover capability for short-term customer requests
Reduced tool costs and debugging time
Multiple storage spaces for tool setups
Integrated process and production monitoring
Lot sizes processed in half the time
Capable of automated “lights-out” manufacturing

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the 4 Slide-NC in North America, plans are underway to introduce the new machine to the Latin American and Asian manufacturing communities in the coming year.

“FABTECH Canada is an ideal venue to showcase the 4 Slide-NC capabilities to the metal forming and fabricating community, as it puts us in the heart of one of the most dynamic manufacturing regions in the world,” Linder concluded. Complete technical information will be available at the Bihler exhibit, along with opportunities to speak with technical representatives.