Handling systems (wood)
Used systems and devices for lifting and moving
Specialist machines for delicate surfaces
Finished wooden products will have passed through long and painstaking manufacturing processes. It all starts with a tree in a forest and ends with the customer receiving a prepared, accurately-sized and veneered/coated end product. Wood is a relatively soft material and its sensitivity to moisture poses many challenges across the manufacturing process.
This also applies to material handling equipment and packaging machinery, including food packaging machines. In the field of metalworking, products can be roughly handled and thrown about without any damage, however, wood always requires the use of very delicate machinery. The wood industry has developed a wide selection of machines that can transport and pack products made from solid wood, glued wood panels, particle board and all manner of wood-type materials.
Typical loading and packaging machines for wooden products
The following types of equipment are used for loading and packaging wooden products:
Equipment for feeding and stacking machines
Woodworking mills, boring stations and coating equipment require feeding units to supply the wooden materials and a wide range of automated systems have come into use. Standard robot-type devices are a frequent choice, as are multi-joint swing arm robots , which can rotate and turn over any type of wooden product. Modern-built robots are easy to adjust to ensure the workpiece glides smoothly and neatly through the machine for ultimate precision. The robots used in the wood industry primarily use suction cups or pads to hold onto the workpieces, which ensures the wood is handled and fed to the machine delicately enough to prevent damage. One of the best-known manufacturers of industrial robots is KUKA.
Gantry stacking and insertion units are also widely in use. They are more affordable than robots but not as flexible.
Popular manufacturers of feeding and stacking machines include BARGSTEDT, BECKER and JB MASCHINENBAU.
Lifting devices
The lifting devices used in the woodworking industry are very similar to those found in other fields, however, the lift trucks, pallet trucks and forklifts used for handling wooden products are usually fitted with protective covers over parts that may damage the wood. This ensures wooden panels and all other manner of workpieces can be loaded without scratches or the risk of breaking.
Other machines are also used to lift wooden products, such as lifting platforms or stationary cranes. Carpentry workshops and furniture builders also using glass mounting devices, glass suction cups and other types of vacuum lifter.
Popular manufacturers of lifting devices include AERO-LIFT, FETRA, LINDE, STILL and YALE.
Storage systems
The storage systems for wooden products available are primarily designed for delicately handling and transporting long and heavy panels at risk of breaking apart, such as chipboard. This means that modern devices are equally capable of handling other types of wooden materials, even smaller and more delicate ones.
Rubber or felt mats can also be added for added protection to ensure even lengthy handling processes leave the material unscathed.
Two of the best-known manufacturers of storage systems are JUNGHEINRICH and SSI SCHÄFER.
Roller conveyors
Roller conveyorsare a low-energy solution for transporting materials across a production line. When used for wooden products, roller conveyors are usually fitted with plastic or rubber rollers. It is essential that each individual roller features flawless bearings – if one roller blocks, scratches will soon start appearing on the workpiece surface.
The following manufacturers are known for the reliability of their roller conveyors: GEBHARD, UDOBÄR and WTT.
Transport belts
A transport belt fulfils the same purpose as a roller conveyor but offers a few advantages: the wooden product remains in the same location during the entire transportation process. This minimises the risk of scratches. Transport belts also feature their own drive to facilitate continuous transportation.
Some of the best-known producers of transport belts include ALFOTEC, GEPPERT, JANSEN, LISSMAC and IEM.
Transport carriage
Transport trolleys Transport vehicles are the perfect company-internal logistical solution for moving semi-finished or completed products over long distances. They ensure safe transportation and that the products will arrive at the corresponding station in a flawless condition. Industry has developed a whole range of solutions for different areas: various types of forklift, order pickers, heavy-load trolleys, through to small trucks with open flatbeds.
The best-known producers of transport vehicles are STILL, JUNGHEINRICH and YALE.
Feed units
Feed units are flexible, highly practical pieces of equipment. They are used to move long wooden products across roller conveyors. They basically consist of an array of powered plastic rollers suspended from a frame unit. They are installed in such a way that they press down from above onto the corresponding wooden products and move them forwards by means of their drive unit.
Popular manufacturers of feed units include: FELDER, HAFFNER, SAMCO and WEGOMA.
Turning stations
Turning stations are used for turning wooden panels and are used wherever wooden products need machining on all sides. Turning stations play a major role when it comes to edgebanding: instead of operating two expensive edgebanding machines, a turnover station can simply turn the panel around and send it back in for processing in the same edgebander.
Turning stations are produced by PINOMATIC, VENJAKOB, WEGOMA and WEMHÖNER.
Buying (used) material handling equipment
The handling equipment and packaging machines designed for the wood industry are kept simple. They do not have to absorb any particularly strong forces and their movements do not need to be overly precise.
Most machines in this field do not feature computerised numerical control (CNC), but they are extremely durable since they only ever need to perform one movement during their many years of service life. This also ensures easy maintenance and repair since there are only a small number of components that may go wrong.
At Surplex.com you will find a continually expanding range of used material handling equipment. If the exact machine you require is not currently on offer, simply visit one of our industrial auctions again soon. Our customer care team will be glad to assist and provide any advice you need about our range of used packaging equipment for sale.
