IMA Schelling – Precision Application example: IGEPA
Precision cutting of plastics
The perfect combination
Cutting of plastic panels & sheets
The IGEPA group GmbH & Co. KG has invested in a combination of saw and storage system made by the company Schelling Precision Solutions of the IMA Schelling Group for cutting plastic panels. At the IGEPA production site in the Dutch town of Tiel, the fk 6 430 panel saw cuts plastic panels into parts having exactly the customer-specific dimensions.
For accurate high-end cutting of plastic panels, all parameters – i.e. the rotation speed of the saw blade, the feed speed, the handling process and the cleanliness – must be exactly suited to the properties of the individual material. Only under these conditions, the work cell can cut the panels precisely, simultaneously maximizing both surface protection and efficiency. That’s why IGEPA counts on technology from Schelling Precision Solutions of the IMA Schelling Group.
Simultaneous feeding and sawing
The combination of the 40 metres long and 16 metres wide vs 16 area storage system and the fk 6 430 panel saw is a very effective and space-saving solution for buffering and for cutting many different materials. More than 100 storage places are located on a storage area of over 600 m². While a panel is being cut into the programmed parts, the next panels are fed to the saw. In this process, a suction cup picks up each of the required panels in the storage system and carries them to the saw. The saw can cut single thin panels up to multi-layer packages.
The saw is equipped, amongst other things, with an automatic label applicator (upstream of the panel cutting saw), with a pre-scoring unit (which prevents chipout of the sensitive material) and a minimum lubrication system.
The individual cutting plans are created in the office and sent to the machine. The material-dependent parameter sets are saved in the Parameter Set Manager from which the machine selects the appropriate parameters to minimize the machining time. Material-protection, ergonomics and productivity increase are only some of the advantages the rotary table of the fk6 offers. In normal operation, the work cell operates in two shifts; in the night shift, the VS can autonomously pick the customers’ orders for the next shift.
About IGEPA
IGEPA is one of the leading European specialist wholesaler groups for graphic paper and cardboard, packaging material, labels, letter envelopes & shipping envelopes and media for advertising including foils, inks, panel material, display systems and promotion textiles as well as consumables and auxiliary materials for offset printing. The VISCOM business division supports customers in efficiently bringing visual communication projects into being.