Modular Laser Automation Keeps Your Cutting Running Around the Clock
When a fiber laser sits idle waiting for an operator to load the next sheet or clear the last batch of parts, your whole process slows with it. Laser automation closes that gap by handling sheet loading, part sorting, and storage, keeping the laser cutting through nights, weekends, and lights-out shifts. Mitsubishi laser automation from MC Machinery is modular and flexible, designed to grow alongside your shop.
Our lineup runs from simple dual-pallet sheet loaders to fully integrated systems that load, cut, sort, and store finished parts with no operator involvement. Wherever you are starting from, MC Machinery’s automation experts will help you settle on the right mix of machines, storage towers, product carts, and break-in stations.
Where Laser Automation Makes the Biggest Difference
From compact shops to massive lights-out operations, laser automation supports a wide range of production goals:
- Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics, and Heavy Fabrication: High-speed, high-volume cutting with minimal operator involvement keeps demanding production schedules on track, with automation matching the throughput of the latest fiber lasers.
- Metal Fabrication and Sheet Metal Shops: Fully automated sheet loading, part sorting, and remnant removal through systems like the ASTES4 remove the manual handling that slows a busy cutting operation.
- Production Managers and Plant Leaders: Lights-out and near-unattended operations maximize machine uptime and reduce labor costs, turning a single-shift laser into an around-the-clock asset.
- Shop Owners and Operations Decision-Makers: Modular, scalable automation grows with production demand, letting shops expand output without adding headcount as volume increases.
- High-Volume Fabricators: Simultaneous raw and processed sheet swapping keeps the laser cutting without interruption, helping shops hit aggressive output targets that manual loading would bottleneck.
An automation configuration that maximizes a single laser’s potential while maintaining full access to the pallet changer whenever needed.
SmartFlex Material Handling and Storage
The SmartFlex line covers sheet loading, unloading, and storage in a modular design that scales from a single laser to a multi-laser production line.
ASTES4 Integrated Cut-Sort-Store Systems
The ASTES4 family automates the sorting of laser-cut parts, helping streamline downstream operations. Paired with SmartFlex’s raw material storage and handling systems, it supports automated material flow from raw sheet to sorted parts.
SmartFlex ELEMENT
A space-efficient automation configuration built to thrive in narrow spaces, helping shops with limited floor space maximize a single laser’s potential.
SmartFlex COMPACT
A load/unload unit with a footprint under 38′ x 28′ (3015), positioning finished goods below raw material so falling slugs don’t interrupt operation.
SmartFlex RAPID
A configurable, expandable sheet loader with a load/unload cycle as little as 52-seconds.
SmartFlex RAPID Tower
The RAPID platform with added storage, from 8 up to 46 shelves across multiple towers, servicing up to 3 lasers on a single line.
SmartFlex RIVER
A flexible system that allows machine access from any bay, integrating RAPID- or COMPACT-style units with a 6,600 lb. load weight for shops that need adaptable layouts.
ASTES4 SORT
Suited for heavy material handling, this fully integrated sorting and cutting system pairs the RAPID automation cell with independent part sorting to keep production moving, even during fast cycle times.
ASTES4 High Speed Skyway
Built for high-volume part sorting, with integrated tool changers that hold six tool types within each sorting head for quick tool changes and efficient operation.
ASTES4 High Speed Advanced
A modular sorting system featuring patented integrated tool-changer heads with six tools and lifting capacities up to 220 lbs. per head, delivering flexibility for demanding production applications.
Why Fabricators Automate Their Lasers With MC Machinery
The business case for laser automation comes down to one thing: uptime. Every minute a laser idles between sheets, or waits for parts to be cleared, is lost capacity, and on a fast fiber laser, those minutes add up quickly.
- Maximized Machine Uptime: Automated loading, unloading, and sorting keep the laser cutting through changeovers and shifts that would otherwise stall the machine.
- Lower Labor Dependency: Automation handles repetitive lifting, sorting, and handling, letting operators focus on programming, quality, and running multiple machines.
- Improved Safety: Keeping workers away from heavy sheet handling reduces strain and injury risk on the floor.
- Scalable and Modular: Start with a dual-pallet loader and expand to towers, sorting, and full integration as volume grows, all on the same modular platform.
- Space-Efficient: Configurations that require up to 30% less floor space than typical setups make automation viable even in tight spaces.
Technical Overview
MC Machinery’s SmartFlex and ASTES4 automation families work with Mitsubishi fiber and CO2 lasers to streamline material flow from raw sheet to sorted parts. SmartFlex manages raw material storage, sheet loading, and skeleton unloading, while ASTES4 uses magnetic and vacuum grippers to pick and sort laser-cut parts. Easy-to-use SortCAM offline programming software simplifies the creation of sorting job lists. Together, these modular, expandable systems help keep material moving through laser processing and organize cut parts for downstream operations, with configurations tailored to each customer’s production needs and available floor space.
Start Automating Your Laser Cutting
Feeding, unloading, and sorting a fast laser without an operator on standby is where the real throughput gains are realized. Let’s start with a conversation about your shop. Our laser automation experts will work with you to understand your laser, your part mix, your production volumes, and your floor space, then design a loading, storage, and sorting solution that fits the work you do. Schedule a consultation to walk through your options, request a quote for a configured system, or talk with a sales rep about keeping your laser cutting around the clock.
