Sheet metal workshops that run fiber laser cutting machines spend a large part of every shift moving plate. Plate has to be lifted off a stack, checked for stuck sheets, carried to the cutting table, aligned, and later removed as finished parts. Each of those steps is manual labor, and each manual step adds cost, cycle time, and inconsistency to the cutting process. Herochu built an answer that covers the entire sequence: a smart storage and automated material handling system that combines a three-dimensional warehouse, a bilateral gantry truss, and a composite loading/unloading manipulator into one production unit. Plate is stored centrally, fed to the laser in the right order, and taken away as finished parts without an operator touching it.

Storage, Retrieval, and Feeding in One Production Unit

Most automation offered to laser cutting shops automates a single motion, usually the feed. The Herochu system takes a wider view. It is assembled from a three-dimensional storage warehouse, a bilateral gantry truss, a composite truss manipulator for loading and unloading, a finished material truck, a PLC control system, and the laser cutting machine itself. Together these components form a sheet metal automatic production unit that covers the full workflow: centralized three-dimensional storage of plates, automatic sheet separation, automatic feeding to the cutting table, and automatic blanking of finished parts. The unit issues material and reclaims it with no manual step in between. Because storage and handling answer to one PLC, the sequence from plate in to parts out runs as a single continuous automated loop.

Double-Tower Warehouse Sized for Real Plate

The storage side of the Herochu system is a double-tower plate warehouse arranged for full-automatic one-to-two operation: one manipulator line serves two laser cutting machines. That layout keeps capital cost down while doubling the throughput potential of the handling equipment. The warehouse concentrates plate inventory in a compact footprint, and every key dimension is selected to match the production program:

All figures can be adjusted when the unit is specified. A shop that cuts mainly 1.5 m blanks today can later move to 2 m plates without redesigning the handling side. Layer counts in the 8–13 range let operators separate material grades, thicknesses, and open jobs in the same tower, which shortens changeover between cutting programs. Storing plate vertically also recovers floor space: the same tonnage that once covered the workshop in stacks now sits in a tower a fraction of the footprint.

How the Manipulator Keeps the Cycle Reliable

At the heart of the Herochu unit is the composite truss manipulator. It picks plates with a vacuum suction cup system whose cups are switched individually, so the gripping pattern can be adapted on the controller for different sheet sizes, thicknesses, and surface conditions. The relative position of each cup is adjustable within a defined range, which matters when a job changes from a full-size plate to a narrow strip. A pneumatic rotating structure turns the plate 90 degrees to match the transverse or longitudinal feeding requirements of the laser machine. Movement is driven by a high-speed variable frequency motor, giving fast traverse speed and repeatable positioning.

Double-sheet prevention is built into the feed. Air-blowing and vibration modules separate thin or sticky plates before they reach the cutting table, and the system’s sensors flag plates that would otherwise feed as a pair. The frame is built from high-strength Q355 industrial steel and handles plates up to 6,000 x 2,500 mm at a payload of 500 kg, with larger configurations available on request. The vacuum components are sourced from established industrial suppliers, and each suction cup carries an independent control switch, so a cup can be deactivated from the controller when a smaller sheet is being handled. That level of control keeps the grip matched to the job instead of relying on a fixed tool. Every mechanical component is chosen for a production environment that runs all day, so scheduled maintenance stays simple and predictable.

What Changes on the Shop Floor

Shops that install the system see the same three effects. First, product quality becomes consistent: every sheet is separated, positioned, and fed the same way, so cutting accuracy stops depending on who loaded the machine. Second, throughput rises because the laser is never waiting for the next plate; the warehouse issues material ahead of demand. Third, labor intensity drops. Operators no longer lift plate, and the hazards associated with manual handling, strain injuries, dropped sheets, and pinch points, are removed from the process.

The one-to-two architecture of the Herochu unit also means a second laser machine is fed for a fraction of the cost of a second dedicated loader. For job shops running steel, stainless steel, and aluminum plate through multiple machines, the system pays for itself through the labor and scrap it removes. Because the PLC coordinates storage and handling with the cutting machine, the same unit can also absorb small format changes during a shift, which keeps short-run work profitable. The finished material truck completes the loop: cut parts are unloaded automatically and collected in one place, so sorting, deburring, and welding prep start from a tidy position instead of a cluttered table edge.

One Unit, Not One Machine

Smart storage and automated material handling for laser cutting is not a single machine; it is a production unit. The Herochu double-tower warehouse, bilateral gantry truss, and composite manipulator are engineered as one system, controlled by one PLC, and sized to your plate program. If your cutting tables are idle waiting for material, this is the configuration to evaluate. Contact Herochu with your plate sizes and machine layout, and the team will prepare a system proposal with tower configuration, layer count, and load ratings matched to your operation.