METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED HANDLING OF CUT MATERIAL

摘要

A method and apparatus nondestructively remove a cut segment of predetermined shape from a limp material sheet workpiece and transport the cut workpiece segment to a staging area for further processing. Such removal and transporting is accomplished without distorting the shape of the cut segment. An apparatus 10 includes a cutting table 12, a dispensing and cutting gantry 14, a picker gantry 16, and a sheet material dispenser assembly 18, all under the control of a controller 20. Picker gantry 16 includes a cover segment picking mechanism 16A that removes a cover sheet segment off a workpiece material sheet. The picker gantry further includes a workpiece segment picking mechanism 16B for removing a workpiece segment from the workpiece material sheet.