One of the pair is a brand-new sheet feeder for Summa’s F-series flatbed cutting tables, which will replace the third-party feeder made by IMC. Working in unison with a robot picker from Universal Robotics, it is demonstrating live an automated Summa cutting room.

Randi Kerkaert, Summa product manager, said: “If you can automate your cutting, you increase your productivity - and this is a completely automated workflow that’s reliable.”

Set for a flat €40,000 price tag, the feeder will be launched to market after summer 2024, and can handle loads up to 500kg.

Also on display is a new feeder from fabric cradle and feeder firm Caron, configured specifically for Summa’s L-series laser cutters. Fespa 2024 marks the first show appearance for the feeder, which has been fine-tuned in beta testing since its 2023 release.

Kerkaert said: “We’ve linked up our laser cutter to the feeder, so that they move in unison – you just fold up the roll, the conveyor moves, and the material moves at the same speed. 

“Like any product, we wanted to have it fully [field] tested before we promoted it – and now it has been running for more than a year with customers without any issues.”

The feeder will be available for purchase through Caron.

Also being previewed on the Summa stand is its new GoData software for its laser cutters, which allows customers to track all their cutting jobs from a single program.

Kerkaert said: “Basically, it logs everything you’re doing: it doesn’t matter where or when a job is within a workflow, you can always track it.”