INSULATED GLASS LINE HAVING A DYNAMIC BATCHLESS DIRECT FEED CUTTER
An Insulated Glass (IG) line comprises a washer for washing lites; a spacer applicator for selectively attaching spacers to lites downstream of the washer; an assembler for coupling multiple lites with intervening spacer downstream of the spacer applicator; an unloading station for removing finished IGUs from the IG line downstream of the assembler; and a buffer storage unit upsteam of the washer and having i) at least one storage rack defining a plurality of lite storage locations, ii) a storage rack feeding unit configured to place lites into any storage location of each storage rack, and iii) a storage rack unloading unit configured to take lites from any storage location of each storage rack. The Insulated Glass (IG) line further includes a dynamic batch-less direct feed cutter upstream of the buffer storage unit.
1 . An Insulated Glass (IG) line with a dynamic batch-less direct feed cutter.
2 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 1 further including a buffer storage unit downstream of the cutter and having i) at least one storage rack defining a plurality of lite storage locations, ii) a storage rack feeding unit configured to place lites into any storage location of each storage rack, and iii) a storage rack unloading unit configured to take lites from any storage location of each storage rack.
3 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 2 further including a tempered glass supply adjacent the buffer storage unit feeding conveyor wherein the buffer storage unit can selectively receive tempered glass lites from the tempered glass supply.
4 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 3 wherein the tempered glass supply is formed of a plurality of harp rack each rack having a plurality of tempered glass lite storage locations.
5 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 1 further including a feeding table upstream of the cutter.
6 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 5 wherein the feeding table includes a plurality of work piece supply racks adjacent the feeding table.
7 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 1 further including a dynamic IGU assembly line scheduler providing production control on the IG line including the cutter.
8 . An Insulated Glass (IG) line comprising
a) A cutting table;
b) A breakout table adjacent the cutting table and adapted to receive lites from the cutting table;
c) A buffer storage unit downstream of the breakout table and having i) at least one storage rack defining a plurality of lite storage locations, ii) a storage rack feeding unit configured to place lites into any storage location of each storage rack, and iii) a storage rack unloading unit configured to take lites from any storage location of each storage rack;
d) A buffer storage unit feeding conveyor receiving lites from the breakout table and feeding the lites to the storage rack feeding unit;
e) A washer for washing lites downstream of the storage rack unloading unit;
f) A spacer applicator for selectively attaching spacers to lites downstream of the washer;
g) An assembler for coupling multiple lites with intervening spacer downstream of the spacer applicator;
h) An unloading station for removing finished IGUs from the IG line downstream of the assembler.
9 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 8 further including a tempered glass supply adjacent the buffer storage unit feeding conveyor wherein the buffer storage unit can selectively receive tempered glass lites from the tempered glass supply.
10 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 9 wherein the tempered glass supply is formed of a plurality of harp rack each rack having a plurality of tempered glass lite storage locations.
11 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 8 further including a feeding table upstream of the cutter.
12 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 11 wherein the feeding table includes a plurality of work piece supply racks adjacent the feeding table.
13 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 8 further including a dynamic IGU assembly line scheduler providing production control on the IG line.
14 . An Insulated Glass (IG) line comprising:
a) A washer for washing lites;
b) A spacer applicator for selectively attaching spacers to lites downstream of the washer;
c) An assembler for coupling multiple lites with intervening spacer downstream of the spacer applicator;
d) An unloading station for removing finished IGUs from the IG line downstream of the assembler; and
e) A buffer storage unit upsteam of the washer and having i) at least one storage rack defining a plurality of lite storage locations, ii) a storage rack feeding unit configured to place lites into any storage location of each storage rack, and iii) a storage rack unloading unit configured to take lites from any storage location of each storage rack.
15 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 14 further including a tempered glass supply adjacent the buffer storage unit feeding conveyor wherein the buffer storage unit can selectively receive tempered glass lites from the tempered glass supply.
16 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 15 wherein the tempered glass supply is formed of a plurality of harp rack each rack having a plurality of tempered glass lite storage locations.
17 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 14 further including a dynamic batch-less direct feed cutter upstream of the buffer storage unit.
18 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 17 further including a dynamic IGU assembly line scheduler providing production control on the IG line including the cutter.
19 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 18 further including a tempered glass supply adjacent the buffer storage unit feeding conveyor wherein the buffer storage unit can selectively receive tempered glass lites from the tempered glass supply.
20 . The Insulated Glass (IG) line according to claim 19 further including a feeding table upstream of the cutter, wherein the feeding table includes a plurality of work piece supply racks adjacent the feeding table.