Sheet metal storage system boosts productivity
Sheet metal subcontractor Keller Blechtechnik in Endingen, southern Germany, has increased productivity by more than 25 per cent thanks to ongoing investment in automated storage, retrieval and handling of material. At the same time, material availability has improved and scrap has been drastically reduced.
The firm's extensive customer base continually presents challenges due to the wide range of different materials that need to be supplied. Previously, they were stored at several different locations, which made planning, transport and handling time-consuming. Today the situation is very different. With the help of Kasto, Keller's managing partner, Harald Keller, created a made-to-measure storage and material flow solution.
The automated sheet metal storage and loading system fitted to the laser cutting machine is supplied directly with material from a Kasto Unitower B 3.0 computer-controlled sheet metal storage system, which has 89 pallet storage locations.
The pallets hold 3,000 x 1,500 mm sheets and can accommodate a stack 90 mm high of different sheet types, mainly steel, stainless steel and aluminium in thicknesses from 0.5 mm to 20 mm. Each location has a load capacity of 3 tonnes, so around 270 tonnes of sheet metal are available for immediate delivery.
The storage system offers high availability, so the company can react quickly to customer needs and priorities. To transfer system pallets to and from storage and to supply sheets directly to the loading system of the laser cutting cell, the system has one station with a transverse carriage and one with a longitudinal carriage. To allow unpacked sheet to be loaded and unloaded by forklift truck or crane, the transverse carriage is equipped with a hydraulic piston lifter.
The longitudinal carriage has a drop-off position for transfer of system pallets to and from storage and the return of pallets that are no longer needed during laser cutting. Both stations and carriages have an optical contour monitor to ensure safety in any pallet loading status and prevent malfunctions.
Harald Keller said: "As well as increasing productivity by a quarter, the risk of material damage caused by frequent handling and transportation has been minimised. Additionally, working conditions for our staff are safer and more convenient."
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