Above: A trio of different-sized SafanDarley E-Brakes help Agri-Fab bend a range of parts for products like its leaf sweeper.
January, 2025- When an absentee employer closed Agri-Fab Inc. in 1975, a small group of individuals took a leap of faith, pooled their resources and set to work rebuilding the company. The team started by introducing a new lawn sweeper. Today Agri- Fab ships its lawn and garden attachments worldwide. Dedicated personnel, quality products and close communication with customers continue to drive growth.
“A commitment to service is at the heart of any successful business,” says Greg Dickens, manager of manufacturing services for Agri-Fab. “We have a diverse group of customers from private consumers to corporate clients. We use every avenue to sell our products from big box and farm stores to Amazon and Lowes. Wherever our customers are, we want to meet them there.”
Agri-Fab’s 300,000-sq.-ft.- manufacturing facility houses more than 250 workers and supports a multifaceted supply chain from simple laser-cut blanks to complex assemblies. The company machines, laser cuts, stamps, welds, bends and assembles parts for a broad product line. A dedicated model shop supports prototypes and limited pre-production pilot runs.
IN HOUSE
“We have a wide range of competencies under one roof,” Dickens says. “That’s not typically the norm for our industry but, for us, it’s a necessity because we are at least two hours away from those companies that could supply us with parts. It’s a lot harder to say yes to your customers if you have to wait on parts to be made and shipped to you.”
In addition to nurturing sales and service, Agri-Fab has kept pace with changes in manufacturing trends, such as less dependence on hard tooled equipment (injection molding, stamping and machining). “As a result, we have moved closer to one piece workflow,” Dickens says. “That meant ramping up our bending operations. We had a lot of legacy hydraulic press brakes. We wanted to upgrade these machines for a couple of reasons. In addition to reducing lead times and waste and improving part quality, we wanted equipment that was easier to run for operators with less experience. Th e hydraulic press brakes require skilled personnel to run them.”
The company’s search led it to Gladwin Machinery Solutions LLC, a distributor for SafanDarley North America LLC. “Gladwin was able to advise us on the equipment that would best fit our needs,” says Dickens. “During this process, it was invaluable to have them visit our facility and see our processes first hand.”
The E-Brakes are up to 30 percent faster, boosting Agri-Fab’s throughput and making it possible for the manufacturer to do more work with less labor and machines.
FLEXIBLE FORMING
In 2016, Agri-Fab installed a SafanDarley 110-ton Premium Series EBrake with a 10-ft. bed. Engineered with an O-frame, the E-Brake minimizes deformation and creates a stable environment for parts processing. Its design allows the machine to provide an accurate and constant bending angle along the full working length of the press brake and eliminates the need for a crowning system.
“It was such a dramatic improvement that we invested in a second Premium Series E-Brake in 2018,” he says. An 88-ton Premium Series E-Brake with an 8-ft. bed was followed by a third SafanDarley press brake in 2024: an Ultra Series 55-ton E-Brake with a 6-ft. bed.
The E-Brakes can sense tonnage changes and make adjustments on the y when bending parts for Agri-Fab’s leaf sweeper.
The all-electric Ultra Series has a modular build, is equipped with CNC crowning and a dual-screen EC20 control. The intuitive man-machine interface makes it user friendly.
The different tonnage sizes give Agri-Fab the flexibility to bend a range of materials and part sizes. Operators bend stainless and hotrolled carbon steel in 20 gauge to 1/4 in. The press brakes also bend pickled, oiled and leveled sheet cut by the company’s fiber or CO2 laser as well as stamped parts. Volume and part size dictate which press brake a job is run on.
We can show the operator what the part looks like and where the bends are before it’s processed.
Greg Dickens, Agri-Fab Inc. “Almost all of our sprayer components are run on one of these three press brakes,” Dickens says. “We bend about 70 percent of our Zero Turn parts on the E-Brakes, but our lawn sweepers are our No. 1 production item for these machines. With our mix of parts, one of the things that really drew us to the SafanDarley E-Brakes was their ability to sense tonnage changes and make adjustments on the fly.”
The E-Brake uses a sophisticated control system to monitor press beam deflection, allowing it to make adjustments based on the material and current bending conditions. The feature optimizes the tonnage needed for each bend without manual intervention.
SIMULATION
Upgraded controls allow an operator to see 3D sheet metal parts unfolded with SafanDarley’s AutoPOL 3D ofline bending simulation software. “We can show the operator what the part looks like and where the bends are before it’s processed,” says Dickens. “It makes it easy to train personnel. We train everyone who comes through the door in all of our competencies. We also have programs in the school district. We bring in high schoolers, teach them skills and retain them if we can. The ability to standardize controls makes it easier to get people up to speed.”
Since installing the machines, Agri-Fab has experienced a boost in productivity. SafanDarley E-Brakes are up to 30 percent faster than a conventional press brake. The higher throughput was an added advantage for Agri-Fab.
“We sell the brand of hydraulic press brake Agri-Fab had,” says Matt Wolfsmith, sales representative for Gladwin. “Every time we installed a SafanDarley E-Brake, they traded in two legacy hydraulic press brakes. They found they were able to do more work with less labor and machines.”
The press brake manufacturer’s integrated light curtain also contributes to higher throughput as well as operator safety. “As soon as a part is processed, the E-Brake’s ram returns to material thickness, ready to bend the next one,” Wolfsmith says. “In a conventional press brake, the ram remains open so you lose time while the operator is setting up for the next piece. The E-Brake’s light curtain promotes safety because it can sense when an operator is entering and exiting the workspace. And you have the option of running the machine without the foot pedal.”
For Dickens, teaming up with companies like Gladwin and SafanDarley means more than just being able to streamline manufacturing processes. “They help us stay current with best practices,” he says. “They push us out of our comfort zone and help show us where we can go.”
Agri-Fab Inc., 217/728-8388, http://agri-fab.com/
Gladwin Machinery Solutions LLC, 847/490-3500, http://gladwinmachinery.com/
SafanDarley North America LLC, 262/259-0369, http://us.safandarley.com/