Product category:
Storage hardware and storage and racking systems
News Release from: Kasto | Subject: Sheet metal storage systems
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 10 May 2007
Sheet metal storage systems are
automatic
Modern automatic sheet metal storage systems used as material production or logistics centers offer efficient material flow, efficient use of space, inventory control and paperless order processing.
Modern sheet metal processing facilities and sheet metal commissioning steel distributors invest more and more in modern sheet metal storage systems because they offer as a material turntable for storing and removing, commissioning or for further manufacturing processes a highly economic basis To react to today's market requirements, efficient material flow becomes more important
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 23 May 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Since commissioning or manufacturing cells need to be used quickly, productively and, if possible, around the clock because of high work and investment costs, modern fully-automatic sheet metal storage systems as material production or logistics centers become much more important.
For medium-sized storages volume of approx.
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100 storage locations and to integrate different sheet metal commissioning units or processing machines, modern sheet metal storage systems are used.
The KASTO- In-Line Storage System Uniline is designed as a single or double-sided storage system for single-deep storage.
The standard pallets have a usable load of 3 tonnes, upon request a usable load of 5 tonnes or more is possible.
The preferred sheet size is 3m x 1.5m, but medium, maximum or special sizes are possible, additionally, material can be stored in EURO pallets which are then positioned on top of the sheet metal pallets.
* Modern operating gantry crane with pull/push and glide technology - the rigid gantry crane is designed as a double mast unit; a loading traverse moves up and down between the two masts.
Lift movement takes place via two robust precision roller chains; the lift drive is mounted on the traverse.
To achieve dynamic movements, the Uniline incorporates the same drive and control technology as many other KASTO storage systems.
A pull-push-technology is used to handle the pallets.
Precision roller chains with follower pins move the pallet into and out of the storage locations on plastic glides.
The plastic glides are virtually maintenance-free for many years because of the large support area and the resulting lower surface compression.
Another advantage is the gained space: inward and outward moving telescope forks would not permit such a dense packing of the pallets in the shelf.
The stations and the operating gantry crane are equipped with sensors to monitor the loading height.
The inventory control computer KASTOlvr searches with this information for a location to store the loaded pallet so that as little space as possible remains unused on top of the load, i.e the pallets are positioned in the shelf as close as possible on top of each other .
For this reason, the steel structure is equipped with a tight grid with support angles and gliders, but the number of the pallets in the system is always smaller.
To check the usable load on the pallets, a scale can be integrated in the loading traverse (hydraulic lifting of pallet), which most manufacturing facilities prefer, or the stations are equipped with weighing cells, which is preferred in steel distribution.
It often makes sense - to be able to store as much material as possible on the available footprint - to combine different sheet metal sizes, i e, large und medium, in one system: One of the push/pull units on the loading traverse of the operating gantry crane can be electrically moved in two positions so that - depending on the to be accepted cassette type - the loading traverse adjusts automatically to the correct size.
Adjusting the push/pull unit is time-neutral since it happens automatically while the operating crane moves to the target.
The steel structure consists of modular individual ladders and appropriate connection elements.
Optionally, a rack-supported building is possible.
It also contains the upper guide rails of the top and bottom operating gantry crane.
The steel structure is precisely premanufactured to guarantee a quick on-site assembly.
All individual components like operating gantry crane and stations are tested in-house to reduce the on-site installation and run-off time to a minimum.
* Storing/removing stations for each application - depending on the application, different stations are used.
Longitudinal and lateral carts are the simplest possibility, as an option all stations can be equipped with scales.
A pin table allows to position sheet metal packs, which have previously been taken off the wooden skid via crane or forklift - gently onto the sheet metal pallet.
To guarantee an accurate position of the sheet metal packs on the system pallet - and to achieve a process safe interaction with the connected processing machines - the receiving stations are equipped with positioning bolts.
For more complex applications, two removing levels can be space-savingly arranged on top of each other with the help of upper and lower carts.
There is also the possibility of buffer locations outside of the steel structure for the sheet metal supply.
If needed, the sheet metal pallet can be turned by 90 deg or 180 deg to meet the demands of the coordinate zero point definition of the different sheet metal processing machine manufacturers.
Due to the modular design of the entire system, an adaptation to changing production and capacity requirements is possible at any time without spending a lot of money.
* Interface to sheet metal processing machines - the KASTO-Uniline is in sheet metal processing companies not only used to store material but also to supply material to individual processing machines and - often as central logistics center - the fully automatic and computer-controlled transport between the individual processing steps as well.
Whether laser machines, punching-combination machines or manual actions like bending, welding or painting are needed, each of these mentioned tasks requires different station designs.
For manual work areas, material is typically supplied via a single transport cart - often in connection with a buffer possibility - while fully-automatic processing machines mostly require several, and sometime also different stations.
The objective is a permanent material supply and the possibility of reloading of metal sheets, if the pack is used up.
Buffer locations close to the station guarantee short changing times from one sheet pallet to the next and ease and speed-up the restoring process of processed components back into the storage system or the transport to the next processing step.
Important here is the safety-technical interface of the areas 'storing' and 'sheet metal processing' to guarantee a safe operation and easy access for sheet removal by the sheet metal processing machines.
A solid, heavy-duty construction is necessary to meet the demands of the often on one side increased load in the coordinate zero point corner due to the coordinate definition of the sheet metal processing machines.
* Automatic commissioning of metal sheets - in steel distribution, the tasks are quite different.
In the sheet business, different materials of an order must be commissioned as effectively as possible.
Compared with conventional storage of sheet metal packs on the floor or in cantilever racks, the automatic supply of sheets in the order filling station is a clear advantage and can be made even easier in connection with vacuum sheet separators.
An additional streamlining possibility is the automation of the original commissioning process to reduce personnel - with sufficient commissioning volume - or to increase order output.
For this task, KASTO developed an automatically controlled sheet metal commissioning unit, which can satisfy an extensive requirement profile.
The vacuum handling system has three suction circles with different suction cups for dirty or oiled surfaces, for sensitive stainless steel and aluminum sheets and for checker plates.
The sheet separator adjusts fully-automatically to each sheet size - small, medium or large size.
The vacuum handling system removes and separates the number of the desired sheets and positions those at a predetermined commissioning location on a wooden pallet, picks - if necessary - sheets of cardboard to separate and/or to protect sheets from a cardboard pallet.
The final tasks are packing and wrapping via a semi- or fully automatic wrapping unit.
Due to the relatively high degree in automation it is possible to process 120 order positions per shift in single sheet business damage-free with reduced personnel.
* The heart of the system is the inventory control computer - sheet metal logistics systems with interfaced processing machines or the fully-automatic commissioning require high-performance, flexible inventory control computers, which display the material flow from work cycle to work cycle and directly communicate with the order organization of the sheet metal processing machines and, if possible, organize upfront the initiation of a nesting program.
The inventory control computer KASTOlvr offers ideal prerequisites for this task.
It is designed as an 'open system' and is highly developed with synergies from all different kind of industries, such as - for example- distribution, machine building, manufacturing facilities, steel producers and window manufacturers.
Higher ranking production planning or inventory management systems fully-automatically download orders to the inventory control computer where they are sorted, either by the system operator or according to default settings.
The operating gantry crane and the stations execute the orders.
If necessary, the inventory control computer initiates a nesting program and provides the appropriate nesting pictures.
If material is available at the station, the inventory control computer transfers the order information via interface to the sheet metal processing machine.
* Modern sheet metal systems are indispensable - automated sheet metal storage systems like the UNILINE offer enormous advantages for the inner-company material flow, the utilization of space, with manpower assignment, with inventory and with paperless order processing, from production planning or inventory management system to sheet metal commissioning for sawing or other sheet metal processing steps.
The sheets are travel optimized and fully-automatically delivered to the processing machines for stamping, laser action, bending cutting etc.
or for commissioning.
The KASTO-Uniline offers a definite increase of productivity, efficiency and competitiveness so that the investment in the automatic sheet metal storage system Uniline can be justified in a short period of time.
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