Polybouw in Rijssen invests in future-proof innovation with Soenen Alu Center

It is, to say the least, an impressive machine. We are in the production hall of Polybouw in Rijssen, where the new DEM ALU fully automatic sawing and machining center is machining aluminum frame profiles with good speed and great precision. The machine was purchased by Jan Tijhof, director and owner at Polybouw, from the Belgian company Soenen Hendrik. Soenen Hendrik's slogan is "Going further, doing more," and given the capabilities of the DEM ALU, that is nothing too much to say. We are talking to Jan Tijhof and Pepijn Carlier of Soenen Hendrik, who has come to Rijssen especially for the occasion.

Over 20 years of automation

Jan opens the conversation, "We at Polybouw now have 20 years of automation in production. Five years ago we expanded production with a German machine because of continued growth. However, the 20-year-old machine that had previously served on its own was also in need of replacement. At the last Polyclose, we then oriented ourselves with a list of wishes and requirements for a new machining center. There we were introduced to Soenen Hendrik and our interest was immediately piqued. Just before Corona became a reality, we visited them in Belgium. What turned out? All the wishes and requirements we had for a future-proof machine could be fulfilled there."

Pepijn adds: "We are here for customers like Polybouw, who are looking for innovation. Our aim is to develop and build machines that are so automated that even the operator is virtually unnecessary. The profiles must come out of the machine ready to use. In short, we make machines for the future. Of course our innovations are all about working more efficiently and precisely, but with the current problem of staff shortages, a fully automated machine is no longer a luxury."

Customer-assisted innovation

Soenen Hendrik values engineering highly. "In fact, we always deliver customized solutions, a piece of innovation following the needs of the customer. Soenen Hendrik has its roots in plastic profiles, but has extended this to aluminum. A lot of cross-referencing takes place; the possibilities of our alucenter with 32 CNC axes are truly infinite and this not only for window frames, but for everything concerning aluminum bar machining," explains Pepijn.

Interface with all known software packages

Attention is paid by Soenen Hendrik not only to the machine itself, but also to the software. "Soenen Hendrik is widely linkable to well-known ERP systems. For us, that was a strong purchasing argument," notes Jan. Added Pepijn, "Our control is very easy for the customer to parameterize, open and offers total freedom to our customers. The CNC itself is Fanuc-Japan, number one in the market."

Profile independent production

Soenen Hendrik works profile independent, any profile house can be set. For Polybouw, this is very welcome. "We process profiles from Kawneer, Schüco, heroal and Hueck, all aluminum," explains Jan. "To convince us, Soenen Hendrik blindly ran a test job and sent us the log file, from which we could see how efficiently the DEM ALU worked."

The DEM ALU delivered to Polybouw has been modified in a few ways. These include a larger infeed and outfeed station, good for unmanned turning. The rotary milling motors allow operations to be performed at all angles. "Even the end edges can be machined on all surfaces after sawing," Pepijn explains. "Even the labels are automatically pasted after machining." 

The icing on the cake is the automatic tool detection system. "When a tool is broken, the machine detects it and then looks to see if an alternative cutter is available. This is then automatically changed, thus eliminating downtime in unmanned production," Jan concludes.