ATOM FLEX B Series

Description

The ATOM Dieless Knife Cutting System, FlashCut FLEX B Series, is equipped with a conveyorized (belt feed) cutting surface and represents the optimal digital cutting solution for a wide range of industries including; aerospace & automotive, composites, fashion & apparel, furniture and leather goods, gasket & conveyor belting, technical textiles and many more. The ATOM FlashCut B Series provides a turnkey solution for design, rapid prototyping & manufacturing, coupled with a unique software package with powerful features that make the design process simple and accurate.

The continuous cutting operation performed by the conveyor-bed offers maximum production and throughput of cut parts. The material is fed onto the bed of the machine from the material handling device (material can be in roll or sheet form) into the “cutting zone”. Once the components are cut, the conveyor bed feeds the parts to a “take-off table” located at the front of the machine. The operator can strip the cut parts while the machine automatically reloads the material and the cutting process continues. Robustness of structure, reliability, performance and precision are the main features of the B line allowing the system to operate 3 shifts per day cutting the most difficult materials.

The 5-tool cutting head increases the overall versatility of the ATOM FlashCut B Series and can be equipped with the following tooling – fixed drag knife electric oscillation (EOK), pneumatic oscillating (PNEU), Ultrasonic cutting (USC) or powered rotary cutter (PRC) are available for the main 40mm knife station, side auxiliary tools can include rotating punches/drilling stations, kiss cut tool, creaser wheel or 45° angle knife, a marking pen to apply part #’s and trademarks and a 3rd non-rotating punch station or pricker tool that can be used on light-weight materials. The powerful 11kW vacuum pump coupled with the unique zoned vacuum table (independent inverter controlled sectors every 12”) increase the material “hold down” & prevent material movement thus eliminating the sacrificial sealing of the material (or open area) commonly seen on most knife cutting systems.

A wide variety of material handling devices can be added to automate the process including single & multi-position material unwinds, both powered or friction, cradle unwinds for precise tension control of elastic materials, automatic sheet loading devices, integrated or separate off-loading tables for cut piece collection. Available options include an overhead projection system to better utilize remnants and piece code identification (loading area, cutting area and off-loading area) and the lubrication device to additionally aid in the cutting of heavy sheet rubber ( 1” Thick) or foam materials up to 130mm in thickness.

FlashCut FLEX 3026 B/3

Cutting Solution for the Automotive & Furniture Industry

For the automotive & furniture industries, timing and precision is absolutely necessary. The ATOM FlashCut FLEX 3026 B/3 cutting solution makes the entire process automatic, combining three operations into one system. From leather hide acquisition to cut piece picking, improving production efficiency, reducing material consumption, with minimum labor.

Acquisition – to scan full hides and identify quality areas or map printed manmade materials.
Cutting – for full leather hides & manmade materials in rolls or sheets with two cutting beams for increased throughput.
Picking – the cut pieces are automatically moved to the integrated off-loading station and the operator can move the cut pieces forward to their working position for easy picking.

High Brightness Overhead Projection
The overhead projectors allow for a clear visualization of parts and commands for all materials run through the machine. This allows the cutting operation to be faster, more accurate, and less wasteful—fabricators enjoy the flexibility of these projectors because they allow easy cuts from any remnant or scrap, no matter how irregular the shape.

Scanning Module: Recognition & Interpretation Software
In addition to systems for pre-marked hides, the FlashCut scanning system automatically acquires the necessary data from the material you wish to cut. The analytic process reports provide precise and reliable information helping production management.
Through powerful nesting software, the FlashCut Flex 2H 3026 B3 system is capable of recognizing the outer leather contour, quality areas, potential flaws/defects, and reference points of any hide. This system uses an advanced algorithm for symbols recognition and interpretation, which, when paired with LED lighting from the projector and the closeness of the acquisition point to the material, ensures accuracy of cuts on any color hide, in any light environment.

Conveyor System with Independent Take-Off Table
The basic structure of the FlashCut Flex 2H 3026 B3 boasts two independent working areas. After the materials have been cut, they are automatically indexed to the take-off table. The operator can then (by means of the foot control bar) index the cut pieces forward to the nominal working position and collect them comfortably and quickly. The operator can strip the cut parts while the machine automatically reloads the material and the cutting process continues, proving unbeatable performance and continuous production.

Producing High Productivity: The FlashCut Flex at Work
The continuous cutting operation performed by the conveyor-bed offers maximum production. Two independent gantries, each equipped with a 5-Tool or 7-Tool Cutting Head, ensures increased throughput & productivity—guaranteeing from 9 to 12 Full Hides per Hour. From its key strengths to its functionality, it’s clear: this machine is a game changer for the automotive & furniture providing a complete in-line solution increasing material yields, improving productivity and reducing costly labor. Please visit our YouTube page, or click the Video Tab above, to see this new technology in action.

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Points of Strength

Points of Strength

Robustness of Structure & High Planarity: The machine framework is extremely solid, indigent to an ATOM cutting system. The precision in the manufacturing of the cutting plane ensures a perfect parallelism between the material and the cutting head, granting a homogeneous cutting precision on the whole surface.
Smart Partitioned Zoned Vacuum System: The Flashcut cutting surface is divided into different sectors, each 12” x 12”, which can be independently activated. Concentrating the cutting power where needed allowing for increased cutting speeds without affecting the cut quality and precision.
Powerful & Versatile Cutting Head: The multi-tool cutting head consists of five stations. The main 40mm cutting tool station accepts a variety of knife chucks; fixed knife chuck, electric oscillating knife chuck, pneumatic knife chuck, pneumatic milling chuck or powered rotary cutter. Two auxiliary stations are included to accept punch holders / drills, creasing tools, kiss-cut chucks, & 45° angle knife chucks. A single plotting pen and pricker tool round out the group. With this versatile cutting head, the Flashcut now becomes a multi-functional production system.
Automatic & Interactive Nesting Software: Nesting software is surely a key factor of the ATOM dieless cutting solution. Actually, it completes the cutting system optimizing material yields & dramatically reducing the overall time for placing the shapes to be processed. Since this is a crucial feature to any dieless cutting system, ATOM developed a series of software packages each capable of nesting shapes for a variety of market sectors. The software used on all ATOM cutting systems is engineered by STRING, a software house partnered with ATOM for over 10 years.
Advanced yet Simple to Use Control Software: ATOM knife cutting tables are powered by advanced and reliable control software managing any operation using a simple menu designed to operate quickly and simplify operator training.
Two Independent Working Areas: While the machine is cutting on one ½ of the table, the operator can collect the cut pieces, prepare the next material and layout on the other ½ of the table for unbeatable performance and continuous production.
High Brightness Overhead Projection System: The overhead projectors allow for a clear visualization of parts and commands on all materials. This allows the cutting operation to be faster and more accurate. Gasket fabricators enjoy the flexibility of the projectors because now they can cut any remnant or scrap, no matter how irregular the shape, by manually placing parts within the area.
Advanced Safety Systems: All of the ATOM Flashcut dieless knife cutting tables and systems are equipped with state-of-the-art advanced safety systems which are in full compliance with European CE and OSHA Safety Standards.

Industries Served

Aerospace – Honeycomb, foam, carbon fiber, Kevlar, graphite, plastics, laminates…..

Automotive – Leather, sound dampening foams, upholstery materials, glass fibers, plastics, gaskets…..

Composites – Kevlar, carbon fibers, glass fibers, pre-preg, breather, films…..

Converting – Adhesives, foam & rubber, gaskets,

Fashion & Apparel – Leather, wool, cotton, silk, denim, foam, polyester, canvas……

Footwear – Leather, textiles, counters, box toe materials, foams….

Furniture & Upholstery – Leather, fiberfill, foam, plastic, cardboard, woven materials…..

Gaskets – 6mm non-asbestos, tang graphite, cork, rubber, foam, fish paper, plastics….

Leather Goods – leather, synthetic textiles….

Packaging & Foam – Corrugated, PU, PE, PP, styrene, laminated foam, convoluted foam….

Technical Textiles – Kevlar, micro-fibers, Goretex, Velcro, PVC, vinyl…….

Other Cutting Methods

Unlike Other Cutting Methods

Unlike Die Cutting Presses
- A knife table requires no cutting dies
- A knife table can produce parts with very small wall thickness
- A knife table allows closer spacing of nested parts
- A knife table cuts materials that do not traditionally die cut or hand cut well
- No concavity of the finished component

Unlike Water Jet Cutting Systems
- Knife cut parts do not get wet (avoid 24 hour dry time – package parts immediately)
- Knife cut parts can have a partial depth cut or kiss cut
- Knife cut parts generally have a better cut quality at production speeds on many materials
- Knife cut parts do not de-laminate – no adhesive contamination on laminated materials
- A knife table vacuum allows for thin, lightweight and small parts to be cut without the possibility of movement
- Does not require a maintenance department to keep them calibrated and operating properly
- Daily operating costs on a knife cutting table are significantly less

Unlike Laser Cutting Systems
- A knife table has requires no gases to be purchased or stored
- A knife table produces no odor or toxic fumes when cutting
- A knife table will not burn the edge of the material
- Daily operating costs on a knife cutting table are significantly less