According to related news, Mitsubishi Electric has announced the acquisition of ASTES4 SA, the developer of the automatic sorting solution for laser pointer processing machines from Swiss sheet metal. The move aims to automate its own commercial sheet metal processing products and to increase its global business.
Sheet metal laser processing involves loading materials, laser cutting, unloading cutting materials, and removing and sorting cutting parts from the frame. Due to the lack of human resources in production facilities and the growing ability of fiber lasers to process large quantities of materials, the global demand for automation of these processes is also constantly evolving.
Mitsubishi Electric's sheet metal laser processing machine business is currently spread all over the world including Japan, the Americas, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and India. Through the acquisition of ASTES4, Mitsubishi Electric will be able to incorporate the company's flexible automated sorting solution for loading, unloading and sorting various materials into sheet metal laser processing machines.
Mitsubishi Electric is not the only company that has recently achieved automation enhancements in laser sheet metal processing. Swiss sheet metal processing equipment manufacturer Bystronic recently announced the acquisition of a 70% stake in Italy's Antil Spa to expand its automation solutions business. In addition, in the recent financial report, the German Trumpf Group also indicated that it will begin to optimize its sheet metal processing technology to achieve the goal of fully automated production.