Loader
A single operator can control Loader from the Ranger CNC control panel to pick up panels up to 10 metres long from pallets.
On Ranger machining centres equipped with the “Feeder” positioning system, the panel is clamped and made to slide from the supports with bearings as far as the start-of-operation stop.
After the Loader has lifted the panel, the “Feeder” picks it up and brings it to the Machining Centre, where a sensor combines panel start reading with movement of the crossbar to which the Feeder itself is fastened. This makes it possible to position the panel on the Machining Centre, with a precision of a tenth of a millimetre, to start machining.
Together with Loader, Feeder makes it possible to load and position panels without human intervention.
Moreover, thanks to the PLC of the machining centre, Feeder is able to position the panel on the X stop of origin with an accuracy of 1/10 of a mm.
The self-propelled arms equipped with suction cups, for lifting the panels, ensure the secure grip of the composite panels most commonly used in architectural façades. The suction cups have enough travel to enable the panel to be picked up from pallets and subsequently lifted to the highest point.
A series of stops connected to pneumatic pistons rest on the panel, so the suction cups can detach themselves without any risk of the panel falling.
The stops drop down, allowing the panel to reach the same height as the stops of the Ranger machining centre. The panel slides on scratch-resistant material strips. The stops feature bearings for easier panel sliding.
Loader and Feeder allow maximum accessibility to the machining centre and eliminate the risk of the panel falling, due to possible operator fatigue, during automatic panel loading and positioning.
Thanks to Loader’s technology, the operator can manage the selection of arms to be used, cycle management and panel detachment unit selection from the machining centre PLC.
The possibility also exists of pallet change without interrupting the Ranger CNC cycle and of enabling the vacuum suction cups, via the automatic panel detection valve.
