With increasing industrialization, the networking of individual production steps with the help of the digital process chain is playing an increasingly important role in the composite industry. Broetje-Automation therefore has developed solutions especially for the interconnection of individual production steps. At Composites Europe, an excellent example of this was presented together with partners Zünd and Rebstock Consulting.

Under the title “Process live”, the trade show organizers offer machine and plant manufacturers a platform for demonstrating their technologies in interaction during operation on joint exhibition areas. The live demonstration of the fully automatic cutting, sorting and kitting process was the attraction at the fair. Numerous guests were impressed by the high process maturity and robustness of the shown process.

The Automated Sorting and Kitting System (ASK) developed by Broetje-Automation allows to eliminate this interface in the processing of composite blanks. The picking, sorting and draping of blanks is done by a fully automatic robot system. The ASK system calculates the optimum blanks on the cutting table under computer control, picks up the individual blanks and sorts them as required for the next process steps.

This integration of automatic sorting functions eliminates the need for time-consuming manual sorting of the blanks. The automatic sorting system manages with up to 25% less working space and thus saves space for other production steps in the necessary clean rooms.

The partners drew a positive balance of the fair. The solution shown aroused the interest of various customers. After an intensive development phase, automatic sorting and draping is now finding its way into everyday industrial life, thus making a contribution to better integration of the entire production chain.

Zünd Systemtechnik GmbH is the market leader in the development and manufacture of multifunctional digital flatbed cutters. Its customers are commercial service providers and industrial companies from the graphics industry, the packaging industry, the textile and leather industry as well as from the technical textile and composite market. www.zund.com

Rebstock Consulting is Zünd’s official sales partner. The services of Rebstock Consulting GmbH & Co. KG include consulting, service and sales of complete solutions as well as the distribution of spare parts. Rebstock offers complete CAD, CAM and CIM solutions for the technical textile and composite market. Rebstock also covers the upholstered furniture, automotive and aviation industries with suitable solutions. www.rebstockconsulting.de

Broetje-Automation is the world’s leading manufacturer of automation solutions for the aerospace industry. The range of systems extends from intelligent tools for aircraft assembly to machines and systems in both the metallic aircraft construction and composite sectors to factory and plant planning and as an integrator for production and assembly lines including the digital process chain from the individual system to digital line management. www.broetje-automation.de