The TCI Cutting Smart Cell is a turnkey production automation island that integrates 2D fiber laser cutting with automated material handling — loading, unloading, AI-driven parts sorting, and robotic palletizing — into a single continuous workflow. Built around the Dynamicline Fiber laser cutting machine and controlled by the Manager PRO production management suite, Smart Cell eliminates the manual labor between cutting and downstream bending or welding. Each system is engineered to the customer's specific production requirements at TCI Cutting's factory in Valencia, Spain, with modular options for smart storage towers and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) output to further processes.

How does Smart Sorting identify and extract parts?

The heart of Smart Cell's automation is the Smart Sorting subsystem. A SCARA robot equipped with the TCI Sorter software automatically calculates extraction formulas for each nested part using AI-based geometry recognition. The software continuously self-learns — improving its sorting strategy with every cycle without manual reprogramming. Parts are extracted simultaneously with the cutting process to eliminate idle time: large parts (up to 1,500 × 910 mm, 50 kg) are palletized directly, while small parts (down to 25 × 25 mm) are handled off-line to avoid interrupting the cutting sequence. Multi-tool gripper options provide total versatility across part geometries.

What does lights-out production require?

Smart Cell is designed for continuous unattended operation. The Load & Unload system exchanges raw sheets and finished skeletons simultaneously, keeping the laser cutting while material handling runs in parallel. Smart Storage Towers feed raw material automatically, and the entire process — from nesting through sorting to pallet destination assignment — is orchestrated by Manager PRO. For factories moving toward full smart manufacturing, finished pallets can be collected by AMRs and transported directly to bending, welding, or assembly stations without human intervention.

How does software tie the Smart Cell ecosystem together?

TCI Cutting's MAS Concept (Machinery + Automation + Software) underpins Smart Cell with a unified digital thread. Manager PRO handles central production management — nesting, part destination assignment, traceability, and analytics with a BI module. TCI Sorter controls the sorting robot with AI-assisted configuration. At the machine level, TCI Smart Touch 6.0 provides the operator HMI, while Fly Cutting and Fast Piercing optimize cutting trajectories and cycle times. The software stack is designed so that configuration changes — new part geometries, different nesting strategies — propagate automatically across all subsystems without requiring per-machine reprogramming.