Laminated flooring flows via intelligent carrousel-machine.

Dynamic carrousel integrates manipulation, synchronization and buffering!

The innovative dynamic carrousel machine integrates several functions between the sawing and milling of planks for laminate flooring at a renowned factory in Europe: the machine is responsible for mixing the products and providing buffer capacity between the two production steps.

At the factory for laminate flooring, two streams of planks leave the sawing stations in parallel, both having the same decoration pattern. Before they get put in a stream for further processing, the planks need to be mixed to make sure that no two subsequent planks are identical. At the same time the planks need to get turned over, and a buffer capacity is needed to synchronize variations in speed at the sawing station and the subsequent milling.

Avercon developed an innovative dynamic carrousel to integrate all these functions. The carrousel consists of two independent carrousels for the two product streams, both having a different capacity. This ensures that products get mixed in order to avoid that two subsequent planks leaving the carrousel will be identical. The height of the carrousel gets continually adapted to provide buffer capacity between the entrance and the exit. While going over the top of the carrousel and exiting the other side, products also get turned over.

The machine is an innovative solution to provide these functions while also gently manipulating the products. The different stages in the carrousel lift the planks one by one from the conveyor exiting the sawing stations. At the other side they land on an exiting conveyor where the products are picked up by a transversal vacuum conveyor to put them in sequence for the milling process, with well-defined gaps between the individual planks.

“Avercon’s dynamic carrousel-machine is a fine example of mechanics and mechatronics working together to efficiently execute the desired functions in manipulation, synchronization and buffering.”

The real challenge in developing the carrousel has been in the synchronization of all movements to assure that the gaps between the planks are constant and well defined when they leave the whole mechanism. The width of these gaps can be chosen by the operator, depending on certain product specifications. On customer demand, the machine automatically adapts all movements in and around the carrousel to make sure that the desired gaps get achieved.

Avercon’s dynamic carrousel-machine is a fine example of mechanics and mechatronics working together to efficiently execute the desired functions in manipulation, synchronization and buffering.

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