Parts Accumulator
The patented Royal Rota-Rack® is an automatic accumulator that can be used with any bar-fed CNC lathe to safely collect finished parts, providing hours of highly profitable, unmanned production.
- Large Capacity
- With over 850 square inches of surface area, the Royal Rota-Rack® can hold hundreds of parts* and provide hours of unmanned operation.
- Unique Rotary Spiral
- Gently guides finished parts to the center as the turntable rotates.
- Coolant Management
- Integral drip tray with drain collects excess coolant.
- Totally Self-Contained – No Machine Tool Contact
- The Royal Rota-Rack® is a complete stand-alone unit – there are no electrical or physical connections of any type with the machine tool. This provides hassle-free installation and ensures that all machine warranties remain intact.
- Very Heavy-Duty Construction
- Weighing in at 450 lbs., the Royal Rota-Rack® is a serious piece of equipment that is built to withstand years of abuse in the harshest production environments. A heavy gage welded steel frame provides outstanding rigidity, enabling the Rota-Rack® to easily support up to 700 lbs. of finished parts.
- Excellent Part Protection
- Low-friction UHMW coating on all contact surfaces protects finished parts from scuffs and dents. This durable plastic is the same material used in the manufacture of motorcycle chain guides.
- Universal Design
-
The Royal Rota-Rack® adapts to any CNC lathe that is equipped with a part catcher:
-
Turntable can rotate either clockwise or counter- clockwise, and can be positioned to either the left side or right side of the lathe
- Height range 10.5 – 53 inches. Other height requirements can be a accommodated upon special request
- Rota-Rack® is completely free standing – no bolting to the machine or floor is required
- Control box can be positioned anywhere on circumference for optimal clearance
- Easily adapts to machines with existing conveyors
-
Turntable can rotate either clockwise or counter- clockwise, and can be positioned to either the left side or right side of the lathe
Additional Information:
-
User enters the part cycle time and degree of turntable rotation via a simple PLC controller. A counter can also be set to shut the Rota-Rack® down after a specified number of parts have been collected.
-
As a finished part comes out of the lathe, it drops onto the conveyor and is moved towards the Rota-Rack’s® rotating turntable.
-
Each time a part comes out of the machine, the Rota-Rack® indexes to the next position. The degree of turntable rotation is easily adjusted according to part length.
-
As the turntable indexes, the parts are gently guided towards the center via the spiral.
-
After several hours of unmanned production, finished parts are manually removed from the center of the Rota-Rack®.
Adding a Royal Rota-Rack® to a bar-fed CNC lathe greatly increases machine utilization and throughput.
- Run existing machines extra hours: nights, weekends, lunch breaks, etc.
- Faster cycle times - no waiting for an operator to unload parts / empty collection boxes.
- Higher efficiency - produce more parts per shift.
- Better employee utilization - why have a person do a job that can be handled with simple automation?
- Increased profitability.
The Royal Rota-Rack® has been designed to provide maximum part protection, a feature that is important for all parts but one that is especially useful for parts with delicate external features like threads, edges, and corners.
- Each time the Rota-Rack® collections a finished part, the turntable smoothly rotates to the next position to ensure that the following part will not forcefully coolide with any of the previously-collected parts.
- All contact surfaces of the Royal Rota-Rack® and conveor are covered with a high-lubricity UHMW plastic material to minimize friction and protect surface finishes.
- Reducing scrap and rework costs directly improves profitability.
- The Rota-Rack's® unique spiral helps keep finished parts in sequential order, aiding in quality control/inspection.
All fields are required and must be numeric.
Large Enough to Hold Lots of Parts, Small Enough to Fit Almost Anywhere
The diameter of the Rota-Rack’s® turntable is 36", making it large enough to hold a significant number of parts, yet small enough to fit into tight spaces. The Econo-Rack™, our light-duty parts collector, is even more space-efficient at 28". When considering space utilization, it is very important to note that the Rota-Rack® can double or triple capacity, yet its footprint is only about 10% that of a new lathe and bar feeder.
| Usable Surface Area | 850 in2 / 5480 cm2 |
| Max. Part Length* | 10" / 25 cm |
| Min. Part Diameter | 0.25" / 0.6 cm |
| Max. Part Diameter* | 3" / 8 cm |
| Payload Capacity | 700 lbs. / 318 kg |
| Height Range | See drawing |
| Power Supply | 110V/60Hz |
| Unit Weight | 450 lbs. / 205kg (including conveyor) |
| Description | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| Short | 53" | 16" |
| Standard | 75" | 38" |
| Long | 94" | 57" |
Notes - unit shown is configured for left- hand positioning. Changing to right-hand configuration simply requires flipping the spiral and conveyor bracket
We often refer to the Rota-Rack® as "Off the Shelf Automation" because it is such a breeze to install. In fact, most users report having it up and running within an hour of unpacking it from its shipping crate.
Each Rota-Rack® normally ships with its height and orientation preconfigured according to customer specifications. And because the unit does not need to connect to the lathe either physically or electrically, installation is simply a matter of attaching the legs, sliding it into place in front of the machine, and plugging it into a standard 110v outlet.
The one additional step that may be required for some installations is the modification of the lathe’s part collection box, usually located on the door of the machine. In order for parts to reach the Rota-Rack® or its conveyor, the bottom and side of the box may have to be opened up as shown in the photo.
The Heavy-Duty Royal Rota-Rack® is Available with Two Control Options and Three Conveyor Options:
Deluxe Control- The deluxe control enables the Rota-Rack’s® operation to be matched to the machining cycle time.
- Three inputs are entered by the user: part cycle time, amount of rotation, and auto-shutoff quantity.
- With this control, each time a part drops out of the machine, the Rota-Rack® will energize and index.
- The deluxe control is useful for applications where accurate spacing is required to prevent delicate parts from coming into contact with each other.
- The basic control eliminates operator input of the timing/rotation functions.
- With the basic control, the conveyor and turntable maintain a continuous low-rpm motion.
- No auto shut-off feature is available with the basic control.
- There are three conveyor options to handle all clearance needs.
- The conveyor bolts to the Rota-Rack® and plugs directly into the control.
- Long conveyor includes a support leg.
| Description | Part Number |
|---|---|
| Heavy-Duty Rota-Rack® with Deluxe Control | 51002* |
| Heavy-Duty Rota-Rack® with Basic Control | 51003* |
| Description* | Part Number |
|---|---|
| Short | 51021 |
| Standard | 51022 |
| Long | 51023 |