Edge Technologies’ Rebel Ecofeed is a compact bar loader that features a 5- to 65-mm-diameter capacity range for feeding spindle-length round, square, hexagonal and shaped barstock into CNC lathes. The bar loader, which combines the advantages of automatic bar loading with a small footprint and a large magazine capacity, is suited for lengthy periods of unattended operation. A properly sized lathe spindle liner is used for high speed machining because there is no contact between the barstock and the loading magazine while processing the bar.
The bar loader features a 25.6" (650-mm) deep storage capacity, and the inclination of the storage table can be adjusted to give the bar loader a “soft-load” effect. Urethane guides gently raise the bars into the feeding channel to eliminate marring of the surface of the bars, the company says. The loader can accommodate barstock lengths ranging to 60" (1,500 mm), and the maximum bar length is determined by the spindle length of the lathe and the chucking package.
The barstock is loaded into the lathe’s main spindle by a linear feed mechanism with an air cylinder. A fixed bar stop feeds the barstock into position, and an adjustment mechanism sets the correct height for the lathe’s centerline according to the bar’s diameter. The bar loader is equipped with three pusher rods to cover the full range of diameters.
The loader features a Mitsubishi PLC controller and a push-button screen interface with an LCD display. The user-friendly multi-line display and operation station includes virtually all needed information to allow rapid setting and productive operation of the loading process, the company says. After the operator enters the part length, the bar loader automatically adjusts the parameters for loading and bar change. The remote-control pendant provides control and adjustment capabilities from the lathe area.
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