Germany-based machine tool specialist Trumpf has launched a new materials store that enables all the company’s 2-D flatbed laser machines to work autonomously for up to 11hr. The store is available in various configurations with different numbers of storage compartments.

Combined with the LiftMaster Linear Basic automation solution, it automatically loads raw materials into TruLaser machines negating the need to manually manoeuvre the heavy metal sheets into the machine and the storage compartments can also be used to store sheets after cutting. This solution allows companies to work through the night without any workers on the shop floor, making better use of their machine capacity and improving productivity.

Retrofitting machinery
The materials store is easy-to-use and requires no additional software. The automation solution also takes up very little space.

Trumpf product manager Stefan Häußermann said: “Our new materials store is primarily aimed at customers who are just starting out on their automation journey in sheet metal fabrication – for example those who wish to incorporate an additional automated shift. In many cases, we can help them achieve that by simply retrofitting their existing machinery.”

Customers can choose between materials stores with three, four or five storage compartments. This solution also offers the option of placing the raw material in the materials store together with its wooden pallet. This saves the operator from having to laboriously unload the metal sheets from the wooden pallet by hand or with a forklift truck.

Trumpf also offers a separate storage tower for the materials store. If a machine only works its way through part of the stack of unprocessed material, the remainder of the stack can simply be taken on its pallet to the storage tower where it can be stored until it is needed again. This helps keep stored materials neatly organised and allows the machine to switch to new materials faster.