Moving it: tools for handling materials

Automotive Design & Production, July, 2004

1 WHAT: Series of conveyors for small part transfer.

NAME & SOURCE: CSR20 series from ASG, a division of Jergens (Cleveland; www.asg-jergens.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: Designed for handling such things as thin, card-shaped pieces that can't be stably moved with a flat-belt conveyor, as it uses two 2-mm diameter round belts per conveyor. Standard belt lengths between pulleys: 132 to 500 mm; widths between 10 and 200 mm.

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2 WHAT: Powered conveyor.

NAME & SOURCE: PosiGrip Accumulation Conveyor from TKF, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH; www.tkf.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: Because its drive gears are formed right onto the rollers (which are powered by belting in a positive drive), there are no separate sprockets or gears. The conveyor provides the ability to have non-contact, zero-pressure accumulation, with accumulation zones driven by the rollers. Zones can be up to 75-in. long and 48-in. wide, individually controlled, and can handle up to 400 lb. each.

3 WHAT: High-capacity vacuum lifters.

NAME & SOURCE: Custom Mill-Duty Vacuum Lifters from Anver Corp. (Hudson, MA; www.anver.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: Engineered to handle non-magnetic materials with a high-capacity vacuum lift. Feature beam and vacuum pad attachments with application-engineered foam seals. Capacities up to 30,000 lb.

4 WHAT: Tall container carrier.

NAME & SOURCE: Low Rider Cart from Topper Industrial (Sturtevant, WI; www.topperindustrial.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: The cart is designed to make it easy for operators to reach into tall containers by lowering the pivot point and tipping the container by as much as 60[degrees] toward the operator, controlled by a foot pedal. The cart rides on six 8-in, casters for easy positioning in the work area. It can handle a load up to 2,000 lb., but can be positioned with just 35 lb. of force.

5 WHAT: Small conveyor sections.

NAME & SOURCE: EF-6045 Mini Plastic Wheel Conveyor from Creform Corp. (Greer, SC; www.creform.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: These sections are designed to be integrated into flow racks for components or for empty tote returns. The conveyors are 29.5-mm wide and are available in section lengths of 2.5 and 4 m. A 900-mm span provides a proportional limit of 167 lb. and a maximum load limit of 270 lb.

6 WHAT: Robot for handling molded parts.

NAME & SOURCE: Axess robot from the Conair Group (Pittsburgh, PA; www.conairnet.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: This three-axis servo-driven beam robot is designed for pick-and-place applications on 200-ton (and lower capacity) molding machines; it has a payload capacity of 6.6 lb. It provides simultaneous motion on all three axes; maximum speed of 6.5 ft/sec can be achieved over horizontal stroke lengths of 40 to 100 in. The system is available for about $30,000, and is said to be about 25% less than comparable robots.

7 WHAT: Rotating components bins.

NAME & SOURCE: Tandem Tilting-Bin from Pentalift Equipment Corp. (Buffalo, NY; www.pentalift.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: There are two tilt-bin platforms (133 X 50 in. with a 10-in. backstop) that are fitted to a pneumatically powered rotating platform. Each bin can handle 3,000 lb. of content. The operator can tilt a bin 30[degrees] so as to have access to what's inside, then lower it, and rotate the platform 180[degrees], thereby achieving access to the other bin.

8 WHAT: Pre-configured motion systems

NAME & SOURCE: Cartesian Motion System (CMS) from Bosch Rexroth (Hoffman Estates, IL; www.boschrexroth-us.com).

FEATURES & FUNCTIONS: The CMS permits users to quickly assemble Cartesian robots with up to three axes of motion by combining modules, servomotors, mounting brackets, controllers, cables, and other components (or it can be ordered pre-assembled). Depending on how the system is configured, it can provide strokes of 1,000 mm X, 700 mm Y, and 800 mm Z axes. Payloads up to 25 kg can be handled. Part transfer speeds of 1.0 m/sec can be attained.