Yaskawa Levanto – and the un-manned sheet cutter
The leading sheet cutter manufacturers are at present (autumn 2014) in the process of introducing the first un-manned sheet cutters. This opens up for a totally new approach to the configuration of sheet cutter lines and the requirements for further automation.
The un-manned sheet cutter is based on a gripper system able to hold and transport the segment, which is cut-off by the sheet cutter, away from the front table without the operator’s interference. To eliminate the challenges of storing, turning and re-position the stacks for the next cut, a concept of two sheet cutters in a 90º angle is used. The first sheet cutter cuts the stack along the shortest side, while the next sheet cutter cuts the new stacks along the other side. The consequence is a dramatically increased flow of stacks through the two sheet cutters, because they can cut parallel so the first sheet cutter begins a new job while the second terminates the previous one. Depending on the distribution of jobs on the sheets, it might be required to have more secondary sheet cutters linked up to the first one to keep comparable capacities between the two sheet cutter segments. Due to the much faster flow of stacks through the sheet cutters it is imperative to introduce an automatic and fast stack feeder system to the vibration table, and here Yaskawa Levanto comes handy. Due to the job structure it might even be required to have two vibration tables and two Yaskawa Levanto’s connected to the same sheet cutter line. It is obvious that to profit the maximum from this new product configuration one needs a fast and automatic system to remove the cut material from the cutting line and either put it in boxes or on pallets to be transported to further finishing. Yaskawa has a solution for both alternatives. The reward is a dramatically improved sheet cutter line capacity, an increased productivity of the operators, a better working environment, and reduced sheet cutting costs. |