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Automation
Auxiliary Flotation Tables
Don’t be too quick to discount our most popular and cost-effective workflow solution.
Also designed and fabricated by Accu-Router, these heavy-duty steel tables surround the main machine table at the same height, and are tied into your compressed air. In between part programs, flotation balls are pressurized for the operator to quickly and effortlessly unload spoilboard #1 (with cut parts and scrap).
Auto Unload & Return
The main challenge with automated material handling “done right” is cost that can be hard to justify – as much as 50%+ the machine itself.
As a compromise, Accu-Router has reconfigured key components and capabilities of its fully automatic conveyor into an innovative system at 1/3 the cost.
With our auto-unload system, your Accu-Router still depends on your operator for loading and squaring uncut stacks. Powered hi-speed conveyor rolls in the machine table “pop up” at the end of each cycle, automatically moving the spoil board and cut parts laterally for sorting while the operator loads the next stack.
After sorting the spoil board is passed through a baffled dust hood with rotary brush for cleaning and re-use — either manually by the operator or with the aid of more powered hi-speed rolls.
With such variation is material quality (i.e. warped plywood), Accu-Router prefers this design to pushing cylinders or mechanical rakes offered by competition. It must stand up to long-term high production to be worthy of the name Accu-Router.
Integrated Conveyor
For those ready to seize
decisive, sustainable
competitive advantage, there’s nothing better than a High Velocity Accu-Router (new or on a re-acquired Green platform) fully integrated to our automated conveyor.
At less than 25 seconds between cycles (“chip to chip”), all the operator is asked to do is sort cut parts from scrap (offal). All other machine functions are automatic, up to doubling the output of the same manually-operated machine (up to 400 stacked panels per 8 hr shift). Whereas most manual Accu-Routers require two operators, certain conveyor setups can function with one, reallocating that valuable labor to other areas.
Our ball-screw driven “pick & place” is now fast enough to serve multiple routers, benefiting overall implementation cost & ROI.
Key features of most Accu-Router conveyors include:
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Effectively doubles the output of parent machine, without adding another operator
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Automatic unload of machine table when cutting cycle is ended.
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Single cell operator located to unload cut parts scrap.
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Rotary powered brush clean-off station to clean carrier panel.
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Powered conveyor to relocate carrier panel into queue position.
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Automatic stacker station with high speed pick & place unit to re-stack carrier panel.
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Automatic infeed cylinders to load machine table as soon as it is clear.
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Powered stops in machine table automatically locate material sizes (5×10, 4×8 etc)
After years of experience, Accu-Router has developed a “turn-key” assembly process. We had performed the electrical wiring, panel assembly, and CNC control integration since our 1st generation design. Now we also perform the mechanical assembly, meaning more quality control and value for the customer.
Highlights:
1. Accu-Router has advanced to a “pick & place” unit that is ball-screw driven on linear rails vs. our previous chain drive and friction drive design. The ball-screw drive doesn’t whip, can spin much faster than a chain drive, is much quieter, and is a much cleaner design. This capability becomes increasingly important when doing stack cutting. We need to stack the multiple panels while the machine is doing its current cutting cycle. The faster the cutting cycle, the more important it is to have a fast pick & place unit. That is precisely what our design incorporates.
Integrated Conveyor cont.
2. Our conveyor design does move the carrier panel(s). This is important to cycle time, as a stationary spoil board on a CNC router requires that multiple panels be loaded one at a time when stack cutting. This takes a lot of machining time away.
3. Accu-Router does a turn-key integration with our conveyor program, including using the host CNC control’s ladder architecture to integrate desired safety related logic, issue single source code responsibility, and to completely monitor/control the cell process. Competitors with third party conveyors and/or PC controls simply do not match up in this reliability factor.
4. Included rotary powered brush clean-off station has benefited from several time proven design considerations. The brush rotates in the direction of the auto feed “throwing” the sawdust up into the three baffled dusthood. This simply cleans the carrier panel off very well. This is a problem for the fixed spoil boards on competitive machines. The clean-off station is height adjustable to compensate for varying thickness panels and/or carrier panels. It is ruggedly designed. We have tried multiple design approaches over our ten years including air jets; this current design works well, keeping the work area clean and enhancing your safety program.
5. The design incorporates eight (8) spring loaded vacuum pick-up heads with a stand alone 1.5 HP vacuum pump. This design will deliver high reliability.
6. The automated stacker station with the pick & place unit will be floor level with the 10’ rear side being open for a plywood bunk placement. There could be a second or more bunks in queue for continuous production. There could even be an optional powered infeed.
7. High speed powered rollers will load the machine table automatically as soon as it is clear from the previous cutting cycle. Machine table side cylinders will automatically square the panel stack on the table before a new cycle begins.
8. The cell operator is asked to unload the cut parts and scrap. All conveyor motion is powered. Once the unloading is accomplished, the cell operator can “send” the carrier panel under the Accu-Sweeper (see above) for cleaning and then re-positioning back to the queuing station.
