UWB researchers helped solve the challenge of cutting thin sheet metal

The RTI research center at the UWB Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has designed a new automated sheet metal cutting machine for a Czech manufacturer of refrigeration equipment. The machine can cut sheets of various materials, dimensions, and thicknesses, including the thinnest ones.

How can sheet metal less than two millimeters thick be cut as efficiently and precisely as possible without damaging it? Experts from the Regional Technological Institute of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (RTI) found a solution to a problem that the refrigeration equipment manufacturer had been unable to solve, thanks to innovation vouchers from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. They designed a completely new machine for the company and prepared comprehensive manufacturing documentation to begin production. The Ministry contributed funding to the development.

“Laser cutting proved to be the most suitable solution,” said Zdeněk Chval, head of the Virtual Prototyping Laboratory, where the design was developed. “The operator simply enters the required dimensions, and the machine automatically takes care of precise sheet cutting without the need to interrupt production. This significantly increases productivity and reduces downtime as well as the amount of manual work, which had previously been both time-consuming and labor-intensive,” he added.

The new machine enables fast, precise, and contactless cutting of aluminum, galvanized, and stainless steel sheets up to 2 mm thick. Thanks to laser technology, the resulting cut is exceptionally high-quality and clean, without unwanted deformation of the material.

The thin-sheet cutting machine is already in operation. It is used by Bratři Horákové (Horak Bros), the company that approached RTI with the request to develop the new equipment. “A major advantage is that the machine has been integrated into our existing production line. The new equipment was commissioned this spring, and we have been actively using it in production ever since,” said Václav Větrovský of Bratři Horákové.

The company uses thin sheet metal to produce polyurethane sandwich panels for various refrigeration applications. An insulating core made of rigid foam between two metal sheets helps maintain low temperatures, for example, inside a freezer box, thereby reducing its electricity consumption.

Contract research supported by innovation vouchers from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade is not unusual at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Last year and this year, companies submitted 12 applications for services at UWB. The applications were directed to the Faculties of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Applied Sciences, as well as to the NTC research center.

The Ministry provides innovation vouchers under the Operational Program Technologies and Applications for Competitiveness (OP TAC). Small and medium-sized enterprises can thus apply for EU funding to co-finance services commissioned from research organizations. The aim is to support the development of innovations and the introduction of advanced technologies.