In the early nineties SALICO developed a brand new concept that changed completely the technology of advanced stacking of sheets with sensitive surfaces and/or edges. The new concept was called the “zero inertia” or “start-stop” stacking, as opposed to the solution to drop the sheet with a parabolic drop.

It relies on the progressive acceleration of the sheets in several steps after being cut at high speed, so to create a gap in between sheets that will allow the sheet to be completely stopped inside the stacker just above the pile. The sheets are transported inside the stacker by driven belts connected to vacuum generators. In the moment when the sheet is stopped above the pile, vacuum is disconnected so that sheets is dropped by gravity with no inertia and so without any risk for either the surface or the edges.

This working principle is applied at present with nonferrous strips from 0.1 mm aluminum up to 6 mm thick stainless steel.