Salvagnini B3 7kW

The Salvagnini B3 7kW is a servo-electric panel bender with a 7 kW servo drive system, designed by Salvagnini in Sarego, Italy, as part of the B3 series — Salvagnini's mid-range autonomous bending platform. Unlike conventional hydraulic press brakes, the B3 operates on the panel bending principle, where a programmable universal blade system performs upward and downward bends on sheet metal panels held in place by a blank holder and suction cup system, eliminating the need for manual part repositioning between bends. This fundamentally different approach produces dramatically shorter cycle times for typical enclosure and panel components compared to conventional press brake forming.

The 7 kW servo drive rating positions the B3 7kW as the entry configuration in Salvagnini's B3 lineup, appropriate for panel thicknesses from 0.5 mm to approximately 3 mm in mild steel, 2.5 mm in stainless, and 4 mm in aluminum. The all-electric servo drive eliminates hydraulic oil entirely, reducing energy consumption by 30–50% compared to hydraulic panel benders and press brakes of equivalent capacity, while also removing oil leak risk and reducing scheduled maintenance requirements. The servo drives are regenerative, capturing energy during the blade return stroke and feeding it back into the machine's power bus.

The B3's universal bending blade system is a key differentiating feature. A set of programmable upper and lower blades replaces the extensive punch and die library required by conventional press brakes. The blades automatically adjust their working length and position for each bend, allowing the machine to form flanges, return flanges, hems, and closed profiles without tooling changes during a job or between jobs. This eliminates the tooling setup time that constitutes a significant portion of press brake cycle time on short runs, making the B3 economically viable for batch sizes as small as a single piece.

The B3 7kW integrates Salvagnini's MAC 3.0 adaptive control system, which combines real-time measurement of material thickness and mechanical properties using the machine's probing system with a database of material behavior models. MAC 3.0 automatically compensates bend parameters for springback and material variation without requiring trial bends, delivering first-part-correct bending from the first piece of each job. The CNC is programmed using Salvagnini's SV software suite, which generates bending programs directly from imported DXF or STEP files with automatic bend sequence calculation and collision simulation.

Salvagnini positions the B3 as a component in fully automated flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), capable of receiving panels directly from laser or punch cutting cells via integrated part feeding, and delivering finished bent parts to downstream assembly or packaging stations. The B3's footprint is compact relative to its production capability, and its compatibility with Salvagnini's robotic handling systems and the S4+P4 punch-laser-bending FMS lines makes it a natural fit for manufacturers targeting Industry 4.0 connected production architectures.