SHEET METAL HANDLING at LASER CUTTING SYSTEMS: SAFELY INSERT AND REMOVE SHEET METAL

To insert the solid sheet, a lifting aid picks up the top sheet from the stack and guides it into the system. For closed surfaces, suction or magnetic devices are suitable. The Zeilhofer articulated manipulator moves steel, aluminum, and stainless steel sheets up to 800 kg, while the ZH90 lifting axis handles up to 1,200 kg. The rigid, pendulum-free load guidance prevents collisions with the sensitive laser optics.

After cutting, the sheet is a perforated residual grid. Suction is usually no longer possible on the open areas, and the narrow bridges between the cut-out pieces are often too weak for magnetic pickup. The reliable solution is under-gripping: A gripping device moves under the sheet and lifts it securely, regardless of the degree of perforation.

Suction cups require a closed, dense surface, which is no longer present after cutting. Magnets need a sufficient material cross-section, but the narrow struts of the remaining grid provide insufficient grip. Both scenarios carry the risk of the sheet failing during lifting. Therefore, for perforated sheets, an under-grip device is the more reliable option.

Yes. Every Zeilhofer lifting aid, whether articulated manipulator or ZH90 lifting axis, is equipped with a quick-change device. The operator can switch between suction, magnetic, and under-gripping devices in seconds and without tools, in any order. This allows the solid panel to be inserted using suction or magnets, and the perforated remaining grid to be removed by under-gripping, all with a single device.

As soon as sheet metal is regularly lifted by hand, the Manual Handling Regulations apply, obligating employers to avoid hazardous manual handling. Back problems are among the most frequent causes of absenteeism. In practice, a guided lifting aid is worthwhile even for medium-weight sheets, and certainly for large-format sheets that a worker can no longer handle safely alone.

Fully automated loading and unloading systems are particularly cost-effective for large production runs with long program durations. For small and medium batch sizes, frequent material changes, and short cutting times, a robotic system is often uneconomical because the loading time becomes too long relative to the cutting time. An operator-guided lifting aid closes this gap: it relieves the operator, maintains flexibility, and amortizes significantly faster.

Yes. The same handling principle applies to waterjet, plasma, and oxyfuel cutting, as these processes also result in a perforated residual grid after cutting. With waterjet cutting, wet and open surfaces further complicate suction. The undercutting device solves these problems regardless of the cutting method.

A vacuum tube lifter or column jib crane holds the load in a pendulum-like motion on the cable or hose, which poses a collision risk in the confined machine space next to the laser optics, and its use is limited to suction lifting. In contrast, the ZH90 manipulator and lifting axis guide the load rigidly and without pendulum movement, and its interchangeable mechanism allows for suction, magnetic lifting, and gripping from below, thus enabling the safe removal of perforated residual grids.

Yes. The magnetic device is suitable for ferromagnetic sheets, while the suction device is used for smooth, closed surfaces. For coated, painted, or foiled panels that must not leave any marks, the device is designed accordingly. For non-magnetic materials such as aluminum, suction or gripping from below is used.

Typical applications include contract manufacturing and sheet metal processing, metal construction, mechanical and plant engineering, vehicle and commercial vehicle manufacturing, as well as suppliers that work with laser cutting systems and varying sheet metal formats. Wherever heavy sheets are regularly inserted and perforated remnant grids are removed, the guided lifting aid relieves the operator and ensures a safe process.