Kinkelder Metal Solutions has automated the laser-cutting of saw blades, from job set-up through to Quality Control. Built in conjunction with Mazak, this solution is an example of smart industry. A single laser operator is able to ensure that the saw blades are laser-cut, checked, and sorted in small series, in round-the-clock shifts. All is fully automatic, including the preparation process.
Kinkelder Metal Solutions from Zevenaar in the Netherlands arose from the saw blade manufacturer, Kinkelder. But today, the metalworking company does much more than just laser-cutting the saw blades that are now sold worldwide. “We have grown into a supplier of a full range of sheet metal processing,” says Pieter de Kinkelder, the third generation in the family business.
In addition to laser-cutting, edging, welding, and assembling, Kinkelder can also supply complete modules to the machine building industry through its sister company, Odemar Metal. Customers are mainly in machine building for food, construction, agricultural, and automotive production, along with some manufacturers of specialty machines. The metal company is even active in the interiors industry.

Large numbers, small series
The former parent company has now become a customer. All saw blades are laser-cut before Kinkelder processes them further into high-tech saw blades. The requirements for quality are high, both in terms of tolerances and cutting patterns. On an annual basis, overall production numbers are high but the series produced daily are small.
Before, each saw blade would have to be extracted by hand and checked to ensure it satisfied the quality requirements. “That is why laser-cutting the saw blades was a rather labour-intensive process,” explains the metal entrepreneur from Zevenaar. Eighteen months ago, he went looking for a solution to truly automate the laser-cutting. “If we can cut the saw blades unmanned on weekends and at night, additional capacity is created for other laser-cutting operations.
Recently, Kinkelder Metal Solutions took the first important step by investing in the Mazak automated sheet metal cell, consisting of a Mazak OPTIPLEX 3015 FIBER III 4 kW laser cutting machine, in combination with a sorting robot installed at the factory in Zevenaar. The combination is one of the first in the world delivered by Mazak.
However, the hardware is only one part of the solution. “With the Radan software, we automate the programming of the robot and the laser-cutting machine. With this set-up, we automate the entire job preparation,” says Pieter de Kinkelder. In practice, this means that the saw blade manufacturer delivers the order digitally, including the specifications of the saw blades.
The plates from which the saw blades are cut are then supplied by a third-party storage system. The XML files provided by Kinkelder contain information about the tooth shape, the holes, the plate thickness, and so on. Pieter de Kinkelder elaborates, “The operator only has to manually enter where the robot should put the blades after cutting, onto which pallet. And they must place the pallets of supplied material next to the machine. The rest of the process is automatic.”
Depending on the saw blade being cut, the robot automatically changes the gripper. This allows Kinkelder Metal Solutions to process orders within 24 hours, even for small quantities of different products.


Integration of the QC Station
The choice of the Mazak’s sorting robot is all about the degree of integration the existing third-party warehouse and other peripheral parties can accommodate. Kinkelder Metal Solutions is busy developing a Quality Control Station that will be integrated into the cell given that every saw blade needs to be checked.
“Mazak was the only supplier offering the possibility to integrate this station into the checks of the robot and machine,” explains Pieter de Kinkelder. While the laser cutting machine cuts the next batch, the robot equipped with a vision system will perform a 100% check on the saw blades that are extracted from the grid. “Quality is very important. If the control shows that the saw blades are out of spec, the machine is automatically stopped.”
At Kinkelder, now they cut 24 hours a day, five days a week, with one laser operator keeping the entire cell running. In addition, operations continue in a traditional manner on another machine. For the automated laser-cutting of the saw blades, quality is more important than speed. That is why Pieter de Kinkelder does not mind that the fiber laser is not as fast as the old CO2 laser with which the majority of the saw blades were cut until recently. “Due to the geometry of the saw blades, we do not achieve the maximum speed from the fiber laser. We have to cut a lot of hooks and holes that prevent us from reaching maximum speed without compromising on quality. That is why we cut slower than with the old machine. But the cutting image is much better in quality.”
Mazak was the only supplier offering the possibility to integrate this station into the checks of the robot and machine
Pieter de Kinkelder, Owner

Cutting more, unmanned
The system must run round-the-clock. Equipped with a sorting robot, Pieter de Kinkelder wants to cut parts other than saw blades on the Mazak OPTIPLEX. “Automatic programming will become more complex. The saw blades are always round and fall within a certain range of sizes. Third-party products that are not repeatable will be more difficult to automate due to programming times.”
He does not expect that such a sorting robot can immediately automate most of the laser-cutting jobs unless there are recurring products. “It all depends on the geometry, the plate thickness and the batch size. And I don’t think that such an automated laser-cutting cell is just a matter of investing in hardware.”
More than a year ago, the company took one laser operator off the shift and had them supervise the project. Including preparation, supplier selection, installation, and start-up, the project took almost a full year but now provides the supplier with a very stable process and a significant improvement in quality.
