Optimizing, as described by Plass, means cutting the parts in a sheet (second position), moving the sheet to the third position—where a robot picks and stacks parts while another sheet (at first position) loads onto the laser table. All three positions—sometimes four, if other post-cutting processes such as automatic removal of parts from the sheet (denesting) are needed—function at the same time. Such a production windfall eliminates bottlenecks, and is aided greatly by buffering technology. 

Buffering Eliminates Bottlenecks

“The buffering system has to balance production time differences between various technologies to avoid bottlenecks, keeping part flow as smooth and fast as possible to ensure efficiency, all while meeting output goals,” Kuusisaari wrote.

Buffering essentially means ensuring that each piece of automation equipment can handle the speed, physical capacity and production capability of each other piece as well as the laser cutting machine. This means matching the capacity and loading capability of a material-storage tower and load/unload automation to the speed and table size/processing area of a laser cutting machine, and matching all of that to any related denesting, picking and stacking automation, according to Plass. He notes that buffering forms a key part of Prima Power’s laser cutting-automation philosophy to ensure that automation products remain flexible to meet fabricators’ current and future needs.

A well-buffered setup enables fabricators “to mix various part and assembly jobs on production equipment such as laser cutting machines, CNC punching machines and press brakes, and then sort parts and assemblies on the back end,” Plass says. “Doing this and connecting to other processes—such as from a laser cutting machine to a press brake cell—allows for buildup of work-in-process in a laser cutting cell and enables continued flow of production.”

Software Keys Job Management and Visibility

The software aspect of automation also was stressed by Kuusisaari, as was the related need for automation solutions to enable precise tracking of materials and parts throughout manufacturing. Such automtion ensures an efficient and accurate production flow.

“Modern automation relies heavily on software, supporting hardware by streamlining operations and automating the whole production process, from the back office to the factory floor,” he explained. “This integration eliminates manual data entry and facilitates easy information transfer among orders, production tools and office systems to optimize decision-making and operational efficiency.

“Furthermore,” Kuusisaari added, “centralized management, enabled by advanced software, provides a comprehensive view of the factory and the production flow, streamlining the manufacturing process.”

Teaming advanced automation with software that not only controls the robotics and automation for each job, but ties all of it seamlessly into a manufacturing execution system (MES) and overarching enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, adds greatly to process efficiency and productivity, according to Plass.

As for laser cutting automation, equipment suppliers can provide software and controls that tie the cutting and attached automation together, and Plass proved examples of how that works.

“Our software and controls give us full control over the application of robot and other automation settings, and how process-automation routines are optimized,” he says. “We integrate all of those processes, which allows users to dynamic nest or auto process from an MES system. They essentially can send an order to the nesting engine and generate programs on the fly or ahead of time, program a batch process ahead of time, etc.—users have the ability to program laser cutting in a variety of ways. It can be as simple as creating a single-sheet nest with identical parts, or having an ERP connection to the MES (Prima Power calls its MES system with this capability Tulus Office Premium) that allows users to release products from the ERP into production. At that point, users can control how they want to nest—merging different part jobs or keeping single part jobs together, for example.”

Via such technology, fabricators can know what’s happening in a laser cutting cell.

“Production supervisors gain visibility,” says Plass. “They easily can track what’s in the queue or what’s been nested, for example, or if a sheet crashed or part has been damaged and parts need to be remade.” 

How fabricators choose to automate also affects scalability.

“The adoption of robotics, including industrial robots, automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots, is on the rise,” Kuusisaari noted, “ improving material movement and overall efficiency within factories. Automation solutions should have native integration as a cornerstone feature to easily incorporate different automation and robotics systems.”

Native integration refers to the ability to provide standard products in custom configurations—an economical and scalable solution, according to Plass. This allows a fabricator to install a laser cutting machine, then add automation as desired with the advantage that all components of the laser cutting cell and other process cells and their automation can communicate and function optimally. MF

See also: Prima Power North America, Inc.

Technologies: Cutting, Pressroom Automation

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