Retrofit of a sheet metal bending machine for Limarija Baranček
An old, mechanically robust sheet metal bending machine from the 1990s received a new PLC, a new inverter and a React web application that completely replaces the HMI panel and lets the operator save and recall ready-made recipes.
The 1990s bending machine was mechanically sound, but its control was outdated
The old sheet metal bending machine, built in the GDR era in the 1990s, was mechanically in perfect condition - the oil pump, the valves driving the jaws and the other mechanical parts worked flawlessly. The problem was the control: every bending step had to be set by hand via an angle potentiometer, and the sheet width was adjusted manually.
The goal of the retrofit was to keep the machine's robust mechanics but give it a new, modern control system - with the additional functions found on every new bending machine today.
A new PLC and inverter on the existing actuators, with a web application for recipes
We fitted a new control system to the existing actuators - a new PLC and a new inverter - keeping the machine's original functionality while modernising it. As part of the retrofit we also added a new function: a web application for managing recipes for different sheet metal parts, in which a recipe can be written, saved and recalled later.
The system architecture combines the robustness of industrial automation with the flexibility of modern web technologies: the React application is the operator's primary interface and completely replaces traditional HMI panels, while the ASP.NET Core backend with SignalR displays analog values in real time and manages the recipe database via a REST API.
An old, robust bending machine with next-generation control and functions
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Considering a retrofit instead of buying a new machine?
If the mechanics are sound, modernising the control is often more cost-effective than buying a new machine - get in touch.