Page 22 - MetalForming June 2012

Laser-Cutting Automation
sheets on the shuttle table (the opera- tor paces the system), it does improve efficiency—typically by 20 percent compared to a standalone hybrid machine. In a mixed-volume and medi- um part-variety environment, beam-on time will average 4.2 hr. per manned shift.
By adding a load/unload automa- tion system to a laser-cutting machine, the system can run unattended for pro- longed periods—the machine paces the system. The automation includes load and unload tables, which limits the fabricator to a single material type and thickness per setup. Therefore, this type of automation performs best in a batch-production environment with relatively few material changes. Load/unload systems can typically run 12 hr./day with one manned shift and one unmanned shift, providing 2.8- times the productivity of a standalone machine with a shuttle table. Such a system also can be used for single- or multiple-machine cells.
An FMS offers the greatest oppor- tunity to run unattended, because it enables a fabricator to use various material types and thicknesses while running unmanned. The design of an FMS includes multiple material-load- ing shelves for storing and loading material into one or more laser-cutting machines. An FMS shines when shops perform frequent material changes, as in a job-shop environment or within an OEM producing in relatively small batches. Machines equipped with an FMS typically experience 92-percent beam-on time with 14.7 hr. of cutting per day when running one manned and one unmanned shift.
3) What Should the Initial Configuration Look Like?
To configure an automation solu- tion, a fabricator must consider sever- al factors, beginning with machine type. A hybrid cutting machine has a single table that typically proves effec- tive for one or two machine cells pro-
cessing mild-steel sheet 1⁄4 in. or thick- er. Sheet-loading time will represent a smaller portion of total processing time, since cut time on this thicker material will be relatively high.
Pallet changers prove most effec- tive when cutting thinner material, or typically where more than two machines are needed in the automa- tion system. Here, a hybrid machine may have to sit idle while waiting for new material to be loaded. The sec- ond pallet on a shuttle-machine design operates as a buffer so that new mate- rial is loaded and ready for cutting.
Since most automation setups are modular in design, a fabricator can mod- ify the system as needs change, includ- ing the number of machines within the cell. Therefore, a fabricator can rest easy specifying a system based on near- term needs, knowing it can add to its automation solution as needed.
Consider these five variables when designing an automation setup:
1) Type of material storage required; 2) Number of machines in the cell; 3) Requirements of the material
transfer system;
4) Control methodology for the
automation system; and
5) Type of material-unload system. Material storage—Fabricators can
select from a variety of loading tables and material-storage shelves. A load/ unload system employs a single, fixed load table, or a scissor-lift table to accommodate more material. Specify a design with enough capacity to run unattended for the unmanned time- frame desired (overnight, for example).
An FMS offers the flexibility to store and load different material into the automated system. Shelves are stacked into a tower configuration, with each shelf storing a single material type and thickness. The shelves have individual weight limitations and total capacities for each tower. Depending on the man- ufacturer, tower configurations can hold as many as 20 shelves, and often towers can be grouped for even greater capacity.
Number of machines—Let the machine manufacturer specify the
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