Conveyor System for High Speed Laser Cutting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional conveyor systems are inefficient for high-speed laser cutting processes, as they limit processing speeds and are prone to damage from laser beams and debris during the cutting process.
Innovation Solution
An automated conveyor system with a continuous chain arrangement and multiple skid sections that allows simultaneous loading, cutting, unloading, and scrap removal, while protecting the chain from damage by providing structural support and clearance for slug drop-down, enabling rapid processing of sheet metal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional moving table systems are used to transport sheet metal, then the system is simple to operate, but the processing speed is limited and cannot meet high-speed laser cutting requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into multiple independent chain conveyors (first chain conveyor, second chain conveyor, third chain conveyor) that operate simultaneously at different stages of the process. Each conveyor handles specific tasks (loading, cutting, unloading) in parallel, enabling high-speed continuous processing without bottlenecks while maintaining system simplicity through modular design.
2Reliability
If standard endless belt or chain conveyors are used, then the conveyor is simple in design, but it cannot pass through the laser cutting machine without damage from laser beam, dust and slugs
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is extracted from the laser cutting machine's interior space and repositioned to operate externally around the machine. The chain conveyors are arranged to load, convey, and unload sheets at the machine's periphery, completely avoiding exposure to the laser beam, dust, and slugs generated during cutting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor system acts as an intermediary that interfaces with the laser cutting machine at safe zones. Sheets are transferred to and from the conveyor at loading and unloading positions that are outside the laser processing area, allowing the conveyor to mediate material flow without being exposed to harmful laser byproducts.
3Loss of time
If multiple moving tables are used to convey material, then loading and unloading can be performed, but the processing cycle time increases due to sequential operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous useful action through three simultaneously operating chain conveyors that perform loading, cutting, and unloading operations in parallel. While the first conveyor loads a new sheet, the second conveyor processes the previous sheet, and the third conveyor unloads completed parts, eliminating idle time and maintaining continuous productive operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor system for rapidly moving and simultaneously processing material sheets through several processing stations, the conveyor system including a chain that moves in an endless loop, and noncontiguous operational and standby skid sections for supporting material sheets and moving with the chain in the endless loop; wherein the conveyor indexes through the processing stations, such that, after each indexing, the conveyor has one skid section that is in operational position associated with each of the processing stations, thus allowing each of the processing stations to operate simultaneously on the associated skid section, during each time period when the conveyor is stopped, after each indexing.