Furnace Loading Systems(CNC Shuttles)
Glassline has designed and produced many special material-handling systems. These have been used in various glass fabrication plants of diverse markets: automotive, appliance, architectural, solar, etc. We can design and build a system for your facility, whether it is a simple pick and place operation, or more complicated servo positioning systems as described below.
High speed loading systems have been installed in several locations for the loading of a Glasstech (or other) roller hearth furnace for backlites, sidelites, quarterlites, moonroofs, etc. Similar systems can be used for batch processing furnaces.
Glasslines’ Automated Furnace Loader has many advantages over manually loaded systems:
- The squaring system is servo driven with torque feedback, and therefore is very repeatable, but also forgiving for size variation. Manual load systems which utilize pneumatic dropping devices with multiple cylinders cannot be as repeatable, especially over time.
- Different models are set up by recipe for fast changeover.
- The loading system is essentially independent of the squaring system, and therefore the squaring system does not need to be adjusted throughout the run, only the drop position.
- The system can speed changeovers, especially for furnaces that require the glass to align with tooling in the hot bending section, since it is not required to adjust the hot tooling, but simply the loader drop position. The drop position can easily be adjusted on the operator screen in X-Y and Rotation as required to fit properly into the tooling at the end of the furnace.
| Style | Q/L, S/L System | Q/L, S/L, B/L System Large | S/L, B/L System |
Minimum Size 4 pc. load 2 pc. load 1 pc. load | 138mm x 385 mm 200 mm x 470 mm 385 mm x 750 mm | 138 mm x 385 mm 200 mm x 470 mm 385 mm x 750 mm | n/a 381 mm x 381 mm |
Maximum Size 4 pc. load 2 pc. load 1 pc. load | 324 mm x 558 mm 324 mm x 1150 mm parallel 550 mm x 1150 mm | 324 mm x 558 mm 700 mm x 1150 mm series 1080 mm x 1660 mm | n/a 559 mm x 1829 mm parallel 1220mm x 1829 mm |
| Thickness | 3 mm – 6 mm | 3 mm- 6 mm | 3 mm – 6 mm |
Cycle Rate 4 pc. load 2 pc. load 1 pc. load | 2.5 sec. 4.5 sec. 15 sec. | 2.5 sec. 4.5 sec. 15 sec. | n/a 7.5 sec. 15 sec. |
| Repeatability | +/- 1mm | +/- 1mm | +/-1mm |
The reference system consists of a conveyor and servo driven linear actuators for referencing the glass. The conveyor consists of sets of belts that are adjustable to allow for the different widths of glass and also the special shapes.
Depending on the system, one or two shuttle bridges will be used. The parts will be picked up from the reference station and shuttled to the drop position over the load conveyor and set down on the conveyor. The bridges are mounted parallel to the line flow, and driven side-to-side via a servo motor and timing belt drive, along linear bearing rails. This movement adjusts the part in the ‘Y’ dimension. Along each bridge will be mounted linear rails as well, with a servo/timing belt drive, to drive the carriage along the bridge. This axis will adjust the part in the ‘X’ dimension. Each carriage has a rotational ‘Theta’ axis for rotation adjustment of the part as required. A vacuum cup frame is mounted to the carriage for pick-up of the part. Optionally each carriage can be fitted with a vertical ‘Z’ axis to adjust for any difference in line height between the upstream equipment and the furnace.
Options
- Vertical Axis – to accommodate higher furnace lines, such as those not placed into a pit.
- Edge Gripping Device – for example for heated backlites
