New LiSEC technology for perfect glass cutting
The latest LiSEC float cutting technology went into operation at Arbonia Glassysteme GmbH in Deggendorf in February 2023. Experts from LiSEC product development, cutting foremen and operators from Arbonia together with cutting wheel consultant Peter Pokoern met in a one-day workshop to fine-tune the DSC cutting system.
Arbonia Deggendorf - Quality under a new name
Arbonia Glassysteme GmbH was founded in Munich in 1977, moved to the Deggendorf site in 1988 and in 2021 changed from Saint Gobain to the Arbonia Group - a focused building supplier for indoor climate and interior doors produced from wood and glass.
Today, 160 employees in Deggendorf mainly produce shower glazing and laminated safety glass from processed toughened glass. An expansion of the product range to include doors is also in planning. In its main operations in southern Germany, Arbonia Deggendorf impresses with batch sizes from 1, customised products, special sheets and rapid delivery times. All of which resulted in the site generating 22.4 million euros in 2022.
Using LiSEC cutting technology for 30 years
LiSEC machines have been used in production since 1990, whereby these were initially in operation in glass cutting. Today, in addition to the edge processing solution and an automatic feed, 3 LiSEC cutting tables are in operation - one of which that dates back to the 1990s. "The Deutsches Museum has already enquired about it," jokes Matthias Baumgartner, Technical Operations Manager. "But the machine is still running and the service is spot on." A further cutting table was replaced this year with the latest LiSEC cutting technology.
First DSC-generation glass cutting table in Germany
Arbonia aims to achieve three goals with the new glass cutting table: Fast cutting, top quality glass cutting results and high system availability. Precision cutting results require a lower grind addition, which reduces processing costs. High edge quality means less spontaneous breakage - and as such in lower after-sales costs.
The "DSC - Dynamic Speed Cut" cutting system is the optimal solution for attaining these objectives. LiSEC "Direct Cutting Technology" enables rapid cuts with high precision, thanks to the direct contact of the cutting wheel with the glass combined with the high positioning speed. Constant oil level control of the cutting oil and runtime monitoring of the cutting wheels improve system availability.
The perfect cut - and not just from a physics perspective
Scoring the glass surface with the cutting wheel creates concentrated tension that reaches deep into the glass. If pressure is exerted on the glass edges, this tension leads to a smooth break along the scribed line. Applying cutting oil prevents the tension concentration from decreasing too quickly.
Cutting pressure, cutting speed, cutting wheel angle and cutting oil quantity have been analysed in the workshop using a standardised test process. Polarised light made the tension distribution in the glass visible. A pressure gauge was also used to check the breakout force required to break the glass. This enabled optimisation of the cutting parameters for all glass thicknesses commonly used at Arbonia.
Why is Arbonia Deggendorf keen to choose LiSEC?
In the words of Mr Matthias Baumgartner, Technical Operations Manager: "Because the system works, because it is a system that has been tried and tested on the market, and because we have the advantage of close regional proximity.
The service response time is really good. If we report a problem in the morning, we often have a technician out the same day to assist us. And we also appreciate the reliability of the spare parts. LiSEC makes every effort to organise the parts - even when it comes to our oldest system - and to date they have always been successful.
There is a machine for every processing step in the LiSEC range, and the company's reputation is good. Reliability, user-friendliness and general system availability are spot on in all areas where we use LiSEC. And the company has also resolved the matter of standardisation; if you have had a LiSEC machine before, the menu navigation remains pretty much identical, which makes things more straightforward for the operators.
An innovative approach was one of the most persuasive arguments when we opted for the new feed from LiSEC. For example, no one else has the flyover crane in their programme.
We feel we are in good hands with LiSEC."
Future-proof thanks to specialisation and flexibility
Mr Baumgartner's thoughts on the current situation and Arbonia's strategy for the future: "The new energy prices have resulted in major changes to the market, making the production site more complex. Customers and product requirements are becoming significantly more complex, which makes it all the more important to respond as efficiently and flexibly as possible to new market situations with the latest system technology. The topic of automation and energy efficiency will be the focus of our strategy in the future."
