Workpiece Accumulator Enables Unattended Operation

Available from Tecnara, the Super Ario unattended workpiece accumulator is designed to prevent damage to newly machined workpieces. The compact and portable system is intended for use with small CNC and Swiss-type lathes and does not require any special interface. According to the company, the machine can operate unattended for many hours. Four models are available for a range of workpiece sizes, work emitter heights, production rates and run durations.

During use, the accumulator is positioned so that the machine’s emitter belt feeds the workpiece onto the collection ramp. The piece slides down the ramp onto the center of the receptacle tray. As the turntable rotates clockwise, the workpiece is moved from the center of the tray to the perimeter, providing a clear space for the next workpiece to drop onto the tray. This process repeats until the end of the run. The workpiece tray can be filled with washing fluid to remove oil, chips and debris, and prevent damage from abrasion between newly manufactured workpieces. In this case, each workpiece is rinsed individually when it arrives on the tray.

When workpieces fill the receptacle tray, it is manually replaced with a replacement tray and the run continues. Unattended run length depends on workpiece size, processing time and the holding capacity of the receptacle tray. The rotation speed can be set to accommodate the job’s production rate.