Laserparts Bergeijk, sheet tower and automation
A sheet tower and a gantry crane that pick the right sheet themselves and load the laser cutter, driven by the order system.
- Client
- Juffermans Machinebouw, for Laserparts
- Location
- Bergeijk
- Division
- Control Systems
- Specialism
- Industrial automation
What we did
Laserparts in Bergeijk cuts sheet metal on an LVD laser cutter. Juffermans Machinebouw built an automation system around it: a sheet tower with drawers full of sheets and a gantry crane that takes the sheets from the tower to the laser and removes the cut parts again. Commissioned by Juffermans, we built the complete controls for both installations.
We drew the schematics, supplied the control panels, programmed the PLCs in CODESYS and the operator interface in JMobile, and commissioned everything on site. Since handover we have remained involved in improvements and service.
Our work on this project
- controls for the sheet tower with tables A and C
- controls for the gantry crane with vacuum frame and clamps
- link to the order system via MQTT
- thickness measurement, double-sheet detection and weighing of the drawers
- safety with light curtains, sliding door and two-hand control
- operator interface in JMobile and remote maintenance via eWON
What makes these controls special
The gantry crane does not work with a fixed sheet size. For each job, the order system specifies which sheet is needed, with length, width and thickness, and the controls decide for themselves how the sheet is picked up. Two PLCs, one for the tower and one for the crane, continuously exchange data over the network.
- Orders from the order system
- Jobs such as preloading, loading a table and clearing a table come in via MQTT, together with the dimensions and thickness of the sheet. The PLC checks the job and reports back the progress, any faults and the job number.
- Smart suction cup selection
- The vacuum frame has 33 suction cups, each with its own valve. Based on the sheet size in the order, the PLC selects only the suction cups that fall on the sheet or the remnant.
- Searching with a touch sensor
- The crane lowers until a touch sensor touches the sheet and then calculates the remaining distance, corrected for the sheet thickness. That way it picks up every sheet at the right height, however full the drawer is.
- One sheet at a time
- Thin sheets stick together. A dedicated peel cycle pulls the top sheet free, a thickness measurement checks that really only one sheet is hanging, and if in doubt the crane puts it back.
- Drives and valves
- SEW controllers for lifting, travel and the clamps, with encoders for position, and a valve terminal with dozens of modules for the vacuum. In the tower, drawer transport stops as soon as the torque gets too high.
- Weighing and data
- The drawers are weighed and the weight goes back to the order system's database. Motor currents and movements are logged, so that a fault can be analysed afterwards.
- Safety
- A ReeR safety PLC with emergency stops, light curtains at the loading positions, a monitored sliding door and a door at the laser, a key system and two-hand control at the tables.
- Operation and service
- Screens in JMobile with user management, manual control per axis, fault pages with explanations, and reports. Via eWON we can look in remotely.
Project photos
Click a photo to view it full size.
Top view of the gantry crane, as shown in the operator interface 
Lift table of the sheet tower, as shown in the operator interface 
Sheet tower with drawers, as shown in the operator interface
