How to choose a cnc press brake controller?

1. When choosing a CNC Press Brake controller, there are several key factors to consider:

Control accuracy

• Precision requirements: Choose according to the precision requirements of the workpiece. For example, for high-precision electronic components or aviation parts processing, a controller with a control accuracy of ±0.1° or higher may be required; while for general sheet metal processing, an accuracy of around ±1° may be sufficient.
• Resolution: A controller with a high resolution can provide more precise control. For example, a controller with an angle resolution of 0.01° can adjust the bending angle more precisely than a controller with a resolution of 0.1°.

Features

• Programming function: The controller with a graphical programming interface is easier to operate, and can generate bending programs by directly inputting parameters or drawing graphics. In addition, the function of automatically calculating the bending sequence and compensation can also improve processing efficiency and accuracy.
• Storage capacity: If you need to process a variety of workpieces with different specifications, and each workpiece has a complex bending program, you need to choose a controller with a large storage capacity to store a large number of programs and parameters.
• Communication interface: It has multiple communication interfaces, such as USB, Ethernet, RS232, etc., which facilitates connection and data transmission with other devices and realizes integration of automated production lines.

Reliability and stability

• Display mode: A clear and intuitive display can improve operational efficiency and accuracy. A color touch screen is easier to read than a monochrome display, and the operation is more convenient. Parameter settings and program editing can be performed directly on the screen.
• Convenience of operation: The operating interface of the controller should conform to the principles of ergonomics, with a reasonable button layout and a simple and clear operating process. Some controllers also have shortcut keys or custom function keys to facilitate operators to quickly call commonly used functions.

Control accuracy

• Brand and reputation: Choose a controller from a well-known brand, which has been verified in the market for a long time and has high reliability and stability. You can learn about the brand's reputation by reading product reviews, user comments and industry recommendations.
• Anti-interference ability: The bending machine may be subject to various electromagnetic interferences during operation, so the controller needs to have good anti-interference ability to ensure stable operation. For example, the controller using shielding technology and filtering circuit can effectively resist external electromagnetic interference.

2.What are some well-known brands of cnc press brake controllers?

• Delem: A Dutch brand, it is a technology leader in the global sheet metal machine tool CNC control market. Founders Huub van Doorne and Henk Versluis started activities related to the sheet metal industry in 1978, and were committed to manufacturing special electronic controls for machine manufacturers. Its products are sold all over the world, such as Europe, China, South Korea, the United States, etc. The DA-60Touch series provides efficient programming through a large-screen touch application, which can adapt to demanding applications; the DA-50Touch series provides a compact and versatile solution for economical bending machine applications, with graphic programming and digital programming functions, and also provides sequencer functions, safety PLC interfaces and technical support for various types of bending machines.
• Estun: A domestic brand with deep technical accumulation in the field of motion control. Its shearing machine and bending machine controllers, such as the E21 and E21S series, have high performance and stability and are suitable for various types of bending machines. The E310P controller uses internationally famous electro-hydraulic servo valves and grating rulers to form a closed-loop control mode, with high slider position feedback accuracy, accurate and stable operation, good synchronization performance, high bending accuracy, and high slider repeat positioning accuracy.
• INOVANCE: A well-known domestic brand in the field of automation. The EP706B series is a high-performance, extensive programmable controller developed for bending machines. It uses Intel Atom series CPUs and is equipped with a 15-inch TFT touch screen with a resolution of 1024×768. It can realize automatic connection and expansion of bending processes, support valve control, pump control and all-electric 3+1, 4+1 and 6+1 axis bending control, optimize the bending process action characteristics, and can achieve fast down and work-in seamless switching, and each process action is stable and accurately controlled.
• CYBELEC: A Swiss brand with high popularity and technical strength in the field of CNC systems. Its bending machine controllers are known for their high precision, high reliability and good user interface. They are widely used in various high-end bending machine equipment, which can meet the processing needs of different users and help users achieve efficient and accurate bending processing.
• ESA: An Italian brand that focuses on providing CNC solutions for sheet metal processing equipment. Its bending machine controller has advanced control algorithms and functions, which can realize complex bending processes. It has been widely used in the sheet metal processing industry in Europe and around the world, and is recognized by users for its stable performance and excellent processing accuracy.

3.Comparison between DELEM and CYBELEC&ESA systems (international brands)

• DELEM: Known for its graphical interface, user-friendly operation experience and powerful functions. For example, the DA-58T model, through the high-definition color TFT display and industrial-grade multi-touch technology, can easily access the user application interface, provide more direct and fast navigation function keys for product programming and machine tool settings, and shorten operation time.
• CYBELEC: Known for its accuracy and flexibility, it provides an easy-to-navigate and customizable user interface that allows operators to quickly and accurately create and edit bending sequences. For example, the CYBTOUCH series is equipped with a modern streamlined glass surface touch screen that supports gloved operation and provides 2D or 3D graphical programming, which can be directly programmed to automatically calculate bending sequences, angle measurement, collision detection, etc.
• ESA: Characterized by simplicity and reliability, its simple and easy-to-use interface enables operators to easily program complex bending sequences. It has a series of advanced functions, such as automatic angle correction and back gauge compensation, to achieve precise, repeatable and efficient bending processes.

User Interface

• DELEM: can precisely control the bending depth, angle and pressure of the bending machine to ensure bending accuracy and consistency. Models such as DA-69S and DA-66S are suitable for very demanding precision bending procedures. The system is modular, the program is scalable, and the operation is more flexible.
• CYBELEC: It can be perfectly integrated with the German VC bending machine angle measurement system, such as the VCnano3D-Z laser sensor, which has a measurement rate of up to 400 Hz and an accuracy of <±0.05°. It can be directly connected to the PLC of the equipment to complete real-time control of contact pressure and improve bending accuracy.
• ESA: Provides accurate and repeatable bending processes through functions such as automatic angle correction and back gauge compensation, meeting general precision machining needs, but may be slightly inferior to DELEM and CYBELEC in the field of high precision.

Features

• DELEM: The product series is rich, covering a variety of models to meet different needs. For example, the DA-40 (DA41T, DA42T) series is suitable for traditional torque bending machines; DA-53TX and DA58TX can control Y1, Y2 and four auxiliary axes, providing full touch control solutions for electro-hydraulic bending machines; it also has functions such as multi-computer linkage and USB interface for fast backup of molds and products.
• CYBELEC: It has advanced functions such as automatic bending sequencing and dynamic crowning to achieve precise control of the bending process. The CYBTOUCH series supports wireless transmission between PC and system. In addition to controlling multi-axis motion, it can also be used for double-machine linkage bending machines, which is comprehensive and advanced.
• ESA: The functions focus on meeting basic and common bending needs such as ESA630, ESA640. The automatic angle correction and back gauge compensation functions help improve processing efficiency and quality, but in terms of richness and innovation of functions, it may be slightly inferior to DELEM and CYBELEC.

Price and cost

• DELEM: It is widely used in various metal processing fields, especially in enterprises that need to perform complex multi-axis bending operations and have extremely high requirements for precision and efficiency, such as aerospace, automobile manufacturing, precision electronics and other industries
• CYBELEC: It excels in high-end sheet metal processing and is suitable for applications that require strict bending accuracy and frequent programming and adjustment of complex bending sequences, such as high-end machinery manufacturing, precision instrumentation production, etc.
• ESA: Suitable for general sheet metal processing companies and small processing workshops, it can meet daily bending processing needs. It is a good choice for users who are more concerned about ease of operation and cost control.

4.Comparison between ESTUN and INOVANCE systems (domestic brands)

ESTUN and INOVANCE are both well-known in the field of industrial automation. Here are some comparisons between the two:

Technical features

• ESTUN: Adhere to system-level forward research and development, build all technologies on the basis of customer needs, and adopt a tightly coupled product development model. The new generation of robot controllers developed have upgraded the kinematics and dynamics algorithms again, developed a series of advanced motion functions and a new robot programming language, which can support customer-specific function expansion and process secret protection.
• INOVANCE: Focusing on automation, digitization and intelligence in the industrial field, it focuses on the core technologies of "information layer, control layer, drive layer, execution layer and sensor layer". Its servo system adopts advanced algorithms and control technologies, and has the characteristics of high precision, high speed and high response. For example, the EtherCAT communication synchronization cycle can support 125us, and can achieve 300 nodes with a distance of 120m, 15ns synchronization error and±20ns synchronization jitter.

Product Performance

• ESTUN: With complete motion control + industrial robot solutions, the company's robot products cover 76 models with a load range of 3-700kg, which can meet the needs of different industries. In terms of precision, the company continuously upgrades motion control technology and develops autonomous dynamic models to improve the position accuracy of robots. In particular, the new UNO series robots have a much higher precision than traditional robots in related fields with complex motion trajectories.
• INOVANCE: The power range of servo system products is from 50w to 7.5kw, and it supports multiple communication protocols, which can realize the networking operation of multiple servo drives. Its servo system performs well in terms of speed loop response bandwidth and encoder resolution. For example, the SV680 series flagship servo drive integrates automotive-grade quality design standards, with 3.5khz speed loop bandwidth, 8mpps maximum pulse command input, 26bit safe multi-turn absolute value motor, 7000rpm maximum speed and other high-performance indicators.

Market share

• ESTUN: According to Rui Industrial statistics, in 2023, the shipment volume of Estun robots in the domestic market reached 25,000 units, a year-on-year increase of more than 50%, climbing to second place in the world. Among domestic robot brands, Estun ranks among the top in terms of robot shipments.
• INOVANCE: In 2021, Inovance's general servo system accounted for 16.3% of the Chinese market share, ranking first in market share, and has strong market competitiveness in the servo system field.

Price

• ESTUN:Generally speaking, ESTUN products include the robot body and complete solutions, so the overall price system is relatively complex and varies according to different robot models, load capacities, functional configurations, etc. The prices of INOVANCE's servo system products also vary according to different series, power levels and functional characteristics, but in the servo system market, Inovance Technology is well-known for its high cost-performance.
• INOVANCE:To sum up, ESTUN and INOVANCE each have their own advantages. ESTUN has deep technical accumulation and extensive application cases in the field of industrial robots, especially in the robot body and overall solutions; INOVANCE occupies an important position in the field of servo systems, and its servo products are recognized by the market for their high performance, high reliability and good cost performance.

5.What are the world's top three cnc press brake brands?

TRUMPF (Germany)

• TRUMPF: Founded in Germany in 1923, it is a global leader in manufacturing technology and a company with both market and technology excellence in industrial production machine tools and lasers. Its cnc press brake products are highly precise, efficient, and highly automated, and are widely used in many industries, including sheet metal processing, medical equipment manufacturing, and automobile manufacturing.

AMADA (Japan)

• AMADA:Founded in 1958, it is one of the world's largest cnc press brake manufacturers. It is well-known for its excellent technology, reliable quality and good service. Its product line is rich, including CNC press brake, twisting machines, fiber laser cutting machines, etc., which are widely used in the fields of automobiles, aerospace, electronics, home appliances, etc.

KRRASS (China)

• KRRASS:Krrass CNC Press Brake is a product of Jiangsu Krrass Machine Tool Co., Ltd., which is a joint investment of Nanjing Kraus CNC Machinery Co., Ltd. and Singapore Krras .

Product advantages:

1).PBS series oil-electric hybrid CNC Press Brake

• Significant energy-saving effect: Compared with traditional electro-hydraulic bending machines, it saves about 15% to 50% energy, saves more than 70% fuel, and has low noise (≤70dB), which can greatly improve the working environment.
• Significant performance improvement: Through the optimized combination of core configurations such as the ratio of the upper and lower cylinder chamber areas, the size of the oil pump, the power of the main servo motor, the type and size of the filling valve, and the integrated response of the oil circuit, the cycle time is reduced and the performance is improved by more than 15%.
• Advanced control technology: Servo motor directly controls the oil pump technology, reducing throttling losses, small temperature rise, and extending the service life of the oil.
• Compact structural design: The motor, pump, valve, oil tank, filter and oil cylinder are all integrated without external piping, which improves oil response efficiency, reduces the risk of oil leakage, and reduces installation and service costs.
• High positioning accuracy: Using the DA53T control system developed by DELEM, the positioning accuracy can reach 5μm.

2).ePP Series Pure Electric CNC Press Brake

• Appearance and safety: The new appearance adopts white, gray and blue contrasting colors, and the high-end materials ensure both durability and practicality. The safety protection is upgraded, equipped with side guardrails, foot switches, etc., and optional safety light curtains.
• High efficiency and precision: The high response speed of the direct-drive servo motor is more than 1.5 times higher than the processing efficiency of traditional hydraulic press brake. The slider feed speed is as high as 30mm/s, which is about twice that of traditional electro-hydraulic bending machines. The bending speed can be adjusted for different workpieces, and the optimal algorithm and motion trajectory control are used to improve the accuracy of bending forming.
• Green and energy-saving: The motor input power is proportional to the load power, which saves about 70% energy compared to traditional electro-hydraulic press brake; no hydraulic oil is required, which saves costs while also contributing to environmental protection.
• Compact structural design: The motor, pump, valve, oil tank, filter and oil cylinder are all integrated without external piping, which improves oil response efficiency, reduces the risk of oil leakage, and reduces installation and service costs.