Hot stamp cell

A hot stamp cell having

• a source of at least one blank,
• an oven to elevate the temperature of said blank, and
• a press to form said blank to a required shape,
• said oven having openings on opposite sides to permit loading of said blank from one side and unloading of said blank from another, each of said openings having a door assembly to selectively cover and uncover a respective one of said openings,
• said hot stamp cell including a first robot to move said blank from the source to the oven through one of said openings and a second robot to remove said blank from the oven through the other of said openings, each of the robots having a material handling device that includes a fork with tines to carry said blank and a gripping mechanism moveable into engagement with said blank to secure said blank to the tines,
• said oven having a hearth to provide a support surface within said oven to allow stable support of said blank during heating, said hearth having channels extending between the openings,
• said channels dimensioned to receive the tines of the material handling device during placement of said blank on the hearth, said channels permitting placement of said blank on to the support surface by lowering of the fork relative to the hearth and subsequent removal of the fork from the oven,
• said oven having a refractory lining and said channels extending through said refractory lining.