CLS Auto, unique non-stop production process

12 Jun '09

4 min read

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials-textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials—, is pleased to announce the launch of the new CLS Auto leather cutter, designed to support automotive manufacturers in the optimization of their industrial processes.

The automotive market is among those most severely affected by the current economic crisis. It is currently going through a period of profound change: it is becoming more and more important for companies to deploy flexible production models adapted to shorter runs, and these require solutions specific to each material-textile, leather and airbag fabric.

For leather (automobile seats and interiors), CLS Auto provides the perfect way to overcome new challenges related to productivity, competitiveness and flexibility by offering a cutting process that is unique on the market. Able to reduce production costs through just-in-time operation, that process generates significant material savings and accelerates the time-to-market of new models while maintaining flawless quality.

A unique non-stop production process
CLS Auto operates non-stop on a conveyor, managing every stage of the production process: loading of pre-marked hides, recognition of hide flaws by scanner, automatic contour detection, calculation of the actual hide surface, automatic nesting of pattern pieces taking flawed zones into account, cutting, and sorting of pieces for offloading.

CLS Auto stands out from the competition thanks to its unique nonstop production process that eliminates waiting time between the different hide processing stages. The time needed for manual intervention such as loading hides and offloading cut pieces is kept under total control, guaranteeing optimal productivity.

Maximum leather savings achieved through a combination of three integrated tools
HideScan recognition software controls a very high resolution scanner which automatically identifies hide flaws and contours. AutoNest software then automatically nests pattern pieces, ensuring material savings of 5% to 10% compared to die-cutting systems. Finally, Offload (Lectra's offloading assistance software), which guides operators offloading combinations of several cut orders, generates additional material savings of 2% to 5%.

CLS Auto: a combination of unrivalled cut quality and unparalleled ease of use
In addition to its optimized production process, the CLS Auto's level of cutting quality has also been carefully thought out in order to achieve the best combination of productivity, cutting speed and finished product quality.

Through the automation of certain steps (scanner identification of flaws on pre-marked hides, automatic nesting and cutting), CLS Auto is designed to be simple and easy to use—qualities highly valued by operators, who are thus able to concentrate on loading hides and offloading pieces. Finally, workstations have been made more user-friendly, operator comfort and safety have been enhanced, and the physical effort and movement required of users are kept to a minimum.

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