Automatic Pallet Changer

[DDM]

Ok I'm about ready to graduate from college and I'm in a group project and our goal is to build an Automatic Pallet Changer for a techno isel router that we have in the shop. I've done some looking an I can't find much on pallet changers that hold more than two or three pallets. We'd like to build somthing in the range of 10 pallets in a tower and I haven't seen much out there along these lines. Just wondering if there was anyone out there with much experance with this or had any good links. We've already got a PLC to run the automation and electronics, might have some issues interfacing with the the router but there might be some work arounds. Any help, tip or links would be greatly appreciated. Once things get rolling I'll be sure to start a progress log and post it on the Zone.

Carl

[Al_The_Man]

I am wondering why you would need that many pallets? Usually the object of using a pallet is in order to load a work station while one is being processed, in order to eliminate load/set-up time so the machine is not idle. Is the processing (machining time) that much faster than the time to load one pallet?
Al

[Tulak]

We got 2 Hass VF-2.
One Robot from System 3R its takes care both of them,we just upgrated pollets from 14 to 36 per milling machine but VF-2 is able to handle only max 24 pallets.We do production type work.With the help of Renishaw I just seted
broken tool check after each pallet.

[DDM]

What we're looking at is complete lights out manufacturing. It's more of a prtotype than anything beacause the router that we're going to set it up on isn't exactly a production machine. It's a state college so it doesn't have to make sense. The basic concept is to automate the process so that one person could basically operate a whole shop with minimal time.

Hey Tulak do you have any pictures of that setup? It sounds pretty massive and interesting.

Carl

[Tulak]

Sorry I do not have one.