MEP

THE MEP GROUP

The MEP Group today represents the latest stage in the evolution of the know-how, technology and values that MEP has developed over a period of 50 years.

The MEP Group is present on all major markets and is a leader in those of most importance. The group has production plants in Italy, Canada, the USA and China which produce around 12,000 machines a year. MEP products are sold in over 50 nations around the world thanks to close collaboration with highly qualified local distributors and/or directly controlled subsidiaries (China and Brazil).

The MEP Group's extensive product range satisfies the needs of a wide variety of customers. The range includes manual, numeric control, semi-automatic and fully automatic machines with cutting capacities of up to 1500 mm.

MEP SPA

MEP S.p.A. is a company in the MEP Group and employs a workforce of 110 people whose passion and determination have played a major role in establishing MEP as a leader in metal cutting machines and systems. A constantly evolving company, MEP has always kept ahead of the competition and is a leading player on all main markets around the world.

MEP is based in the Marche region of Italy, among the green hills of Valcesano, some 35 km away from the sea. MEP was formed in 1964, and has been designing and producing metal sawing machines of unrivalled quality ever since, in standard and custom versions and for manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic applications.

Over 150,000 of the machines produced at MEP's 13,000 square metre factory have been installed around the world, and exports reach all five continents.

This brochure is intended not only to describe technical characteristics and specifications, not merely to focus on the worldwide reputation that MEP machines have for quality and reliability, but to present the people involved: because design, production and sales all depend on people, and MEP's position as leader in metal cutting machines and systems is the direct result of their passion.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

MEP's passionate team of designers and technical experts use the latest mechanical design software to keep at the forefront of metal cutting technology, and to choose the best, most innovative and advanced solutions to all possible needs in metal cutting.

SALES DEPARTMENT

MEP's sales organisation has a truly worldwide presence, thanks to 5 highly competent area managers and 50 agents with a thorough understanding of the latest metal cutting solutions.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICE

MEP's Technical Assistance Service adds real value to all MEP products. A reliable, dynamic and expert team provides technical assistance for the installation and startup of MEP machines and is also on hand to arrange training for customers' technical personnel at MEP.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

The excellent cutting precision of MEP machines is largely due to their G25 cast iron frames, which are deburred and then blasted with steel shot prior to painting. To ensure maximum flexibility in production, a large number of these painted, cast iron frames are always kept in stock ready for machining.

Nearly all material is processed in MEP's three FMS machining centres. These are served from a single automated warehouse system capable of handling a large number of different parts uninterruptedly, even overnight, to ensure maximum flexibility in production.

Each machining centre has its own tool store and preset system to change tools whenever they no longer conform to the requirements of the machining program.

A measuring system that operates at a controlled temperature samples the dimensions of machined parts to ensure constant uniformity. Once machined, cast iron parts are stored in a large warehouse ready for picking and assembly.

A dedicated department assembles all complex mechanisms and performs all adjustments and calibrations that require particular care. 10 assembly islands, each handling limited quantities at a time, are served by the high speed FMS machining centres and large castings store to ensure extremely flexible production and to reduce delivery times for almost 50 different models of sawing machine.

STANDARD PRODUCTS

Manual, semi-automatic, fully automatic and CNC circular and band saws for cutting steel, aluminium and light allow bars and profiles. Complete cutting lines for profiles up to 650x450 mm

CUSTOM MACHINES

MEP's technical staff are able to design and construct custom cutting machines and equipment to meet all possible needs, from dedicated cutting lines to rail-mounted machines for cutting continuously formed tube, etc..

A FAMILY BUSINESS MADE WITH COMMITMENT AND PASSION

The MEP Group has firm roots in one of the many entrepreneurial families that thrive in a region rich in hard-working people, history and art.

It all began in a small workshop in the historical centre of Pergola, a town in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, in the Marche region of Italy.

Enzo Magnani began his career as a mechanic, exploiting the skills he had acquired with British and American forces based in Italy during the Second World War. The ingenuity he showed in his small workshop led to the creation of the first sawing machine, which proved so efficient that it was soon being ordered by small companies working in neighbouring towns. The business really began to expand when Enzo invited his son Ezio, still a young man, to join him.

Ezio, supported on the organisation side by Giampaolo Garattoni, another new partner, began boosting sales and also took over the technical development of products and processes, becoming a key figure for all involved.

Unfortunately, Enzo Magnani passed away at the age of only 52, and never saw the many future achievements of the company he had started.

His death was untimely indeed because the company was just beginning its journey down a road that would see it expand from a local business to a major global competitor, acquiring and forming various other companies to create the MEP Group.

THE 1960s

Enzo Magnani began production of his first model, the TV 300 abrasive fast disc cutting machine in 1964. This machine used the technology that was available at the time, and featured an abrasive disc that rotated at 5500 rpm and cut through metal in a great shower of sparks. Though the finished cut was imprecise and rarely orthogonal, the TV 300 proved quite satisfactory for the needs of the day. At the beginning of the same year, Enzo Magnani formed MEP "Magnani Enzo Pergola".

THE 1970s

The need to cut steel bar with greater accuracy and without the heat-hardening caused by abrasive discs, ready for turning on the lathe, stimulated MEP to develop new machines using low speed (30/60 m/min) cold cutting technology, high speed steel cutting tools, and emulsified oil cutting fluid.

A number of swing saw designs were produced and, because cutting solid bar is a slow process, the first semiautomatic models (like the TRL 300 P) were also introduced. After a manual start to the cycle, these machines could automatically close the pneumatic vice, pneumatically lower the hydraulically damped cutting head, complete the cut, then raise the head and re-open the vice.

THE 1980s

The growing demand for automation led to MEP designing a dedicated "pneumatic logic" control system. This was incorporated in the first fully automatic machine (the TRL 300 A) which even boasted an automatic bar feeder.

This machine could cut a complete bar into sections of the required length even without assistance from an operator. Soon, it became clear that a swinging head was not ideally suited to automation. A new model with a vertical head lowering (the SV) was therefore developed, offering far better performance. This also heralded the introduction of electronic, PLC controllers.

THE 1990s

A new type of slow speed, cold sawing machine revolutionised the market in this decade. BAND SAWS used frames similar to those of disc saws, but were able to cut through far bigger bars, make far thinner cuts, and reduce cutting times. The only disadvantage lay in the fact that the cut surface was not quite as smooth as that obtained using an HSS disc.

MEP was quick to appreciate the importance of this new technology and began work on a new machine. The semiautomatic SHARK 310 SX was developed and presented in record time. It featured a cast iron body and an MEP04 dedicated, electronic control system. Soon after, a fully automatic model with bar feeder and programmable PLC was added.

THE 2000s

The 2000s saw MEP transformed from a family firm into a leading competitor on the global market, through the acquisition and formation of various companies under the umbrella of the MEP Group. MEP's exponential growth saw products distributed worldwide and led to the understanding of other cultures and needs. MEP acquired the HYDMECH Group in North America and took on ambitious projects involving ever larger and more advanced machines for solid bar processing. (with its rigid action, the new SHARK 410 CNC HS portal model had a cutting capacity of Ø 410 mm).

Since the start of the decade, the MEP Group has introduced important new models like the Shark 310 and 420 CNC HS portal type sawing machines for large diameter bar, and has also developed a new, complete cutting line for beams, targeting the North American and North European markets where these materials are most commonly used in steel constructions.