Our experience in forklift mast channels

The telescopic mast is perhaps the most important component of a forklift truck, so processing the mast profiles is key. At Unisign we have developed a special CNC machine for efficiently milling forklift truck masts. More and more forklift truck manufacturers are using our UNIMAST CNC machines to mill their mast profiles. We understand better than anyone in the industry that the uptime of such machines must be high. But we also know there’s more to this than meets the eye. This vertical CNC machining centre offers you the highest levels of productivity, flexibility and safety, and what’s more, it’s easy to program and easy to use.

Since the 1990s, we have gained considerable knowledge and experience of processing profiles for telescopic forklift truck masts. We have translated this knowledge into a dedicated CNC machine: our UNIMAST. With this machine you can process, in pairs, the 4 or 6 profiles which are usually required for a complete forklift truck mast.

Processing in pairs

The rolled steel profiles are fed into our CNC machine in pairs. Just as in the assembled forklift truck mast, they are mirrored relative to each other in the double NC turntable. This enables you to process them both in a single operation.

High flexibility

At Unisign, we are well aware of the challenges forklift truck manufacturers face. U, I and other types of profile with various cross-sections and in many different lengths have to be processed quickly and efficiently in your production process. Our UNIMAST machine enables you to process steel profiles from 1 to 8 metres long and to rotate them along their longitudinal axis for drilling and milling on all four sides. Switching between profile types and the accompanying production programs is streamlined. No matter how extensive your product range and variety of profiles, you can process them all on one and the same CNC machine.

Safe working environment

When you install a UNIMAST machine in your factory, you’ll achieve considerable safety improvements. This CNC machine reduces the number of human interventions to a minimum. So you’ll not only reduce the risk of hazardous situations, you’ll also minimise the chance of errors. What’s more, your employees are always at a safe distance and are fully shielded from the machining process.

The work becomes less labour intensive for your operators. They place the profiles on the loader, or they are automatically retrieved from your warehouse. The barcode or other type of code on the profiles is then scanned, the correct processing program is loaded and the machine automatically sets itself up for the product. Processing the profile pair then commences. When the operation is complete, the profiles are automatically moved to the unloading position. From there, they make their way to the next part of your production process, in many cases, that will be to the welding robots.

Adjusted to your material flow

Where do the profiles come from and where should they go next? Your material flow is a given, we ensure that our CNC machine fits in perfectly. Our concept is extremely flexible and allows you to define all possible variations for loading and unloading. Explain your requirements to us and we will adjust our configuration accordingly.

Easy to program

Our UNIMAST machine is exceptionally user-friendly. It’s very easy to program the in-, through- and outfeed of the various profiles you process. We have developed a special function for this purpose that you can set up in just one programming cycle. It goes without saying that we will also train your employees to do this themselves. We provide three standard training courses: Programming, Maintenance and Operation.

Guaranteed cycle times

Of course you will want to know in advance about the production performance our machine can achieve. We are more than happy to conduct a comprehensive time study to demonstrate this. The cycle time we need to process a complete set of profiles for a forklift truck mast is the time that you too will realise. We guarantee that. We are more than happy to show you round our production site in Panningen, the Netherlands. We’re located less than an hour’s drive from major airports.

Production and factory support

When you purchase one of our UNIMAST machines, you always get the best service and support. We share our expertise with you and are always available when you need a partner to think along with you. In the event of a breakdown, we provide responsive factory support. This means that we always have people available to help you. The service engineers we send to you have the expertise needed to service your CNC machining centre. And if you need to contact us by phone, we’ll ensure you you’ll speak to someone who understands your situation.

Everything under one roof

We produce 90% of the components and technology that go into our CNC machines ourselves. And that also applies to all the stages our products go through. From engineering and design to assembly and installation: we do everything ourselves. This ensures that we know our own machines inside out, and it also means we don’t have to depend on third parties. What’s more, we always have the most important components you may need in stock.