Project:

Working to a tight deadline, we have designed and implemented a complete solution based on our LOXrail^® system for automatic material provision to the XXL laser cutting cell of sheet metal processing company Blechwerk Bürger GmbH in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Only two and a half months after order placement, we consigned the turnkey material loading system, which consists of two double-track LOXrail^® lines and specially engineered trolleys with integrated drives.

Features:

XXL laser cutting with a high throughput and short setup times required a material loading solution with large loading and unloading capacities. Since the handling equipment should take up minimal space, we installed two double-track floor-level LOXrail^® 25 lines, each 25 meters in length. Two types of trolleys can run the entire length of the lines independent of each other. Using different tracks and one fitting under the other, they can overtake each other, allowing for maximum flexibility in feeding raw material into the manufacturing cell and unloading processed panels. The trolleys have a payload of 6.5 tons. We had to reinforce the raised upper trolleys, which took some engineering expertise because of the limited available space. Cutouts in the upper trolleys’ topside allow for easy access to the transported parts. We have optimized all trolleys for precise positioning of various carrier pallets for differently sized raw material and processed parts.

Drive system:

For a drive solution that requires minimal space, we mounted geared motors on the wheelsets. These are powered via covered energy-guiding chains. The upper and lower trolleys are integrated in the plant control system for exact coordination of the loading procedures and the handling portal. The transport trolleys send a load/unload signal to the controller upon reaching the end position. The trolleys’ integrated sensor unit ensures the high positioning precision required for smooth handover to and from the handling portal.

Conclusion:

This successful project underlines our floor rail system’s versatility: LOXrail^® is does not only save costs, time, and energy compared to conventional rail systems. The low-maintenance, easy-to-install LOXrail^® system is also ideal for loading and unloading large, heavy, or bulky parts and material in processing equipment. Over and beyond manually operated trolleys we can scale up the level of automation according to the individual plant’s requirements, from motorized to fully connected, automatically controlled solutions.