Conveyor keeps wheels rolling
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 10/2/2006
When attached to the axle of a motor vehicle, rim and tire wheel assemblies roll in a fast, controlled, almost effortless manner. But during the manufacturing process, those same assemblies can pose a time and labor consuming challenge to move between different stations in a production facility.
Astra Services, a direct supplier of rim and tire wheel assemblies for a major automaker, now uses a zero pressure accumulation conveyor system for its 450-zone automated assembly line to solve that problem. The system moves assemblies more easily despite their bulk.
Astra uses a conveyor with individually powered 24-volt DC motorized rollers to handle the weight of the assemblies and provide precise control throughout the system. When the system was installed, Astra learned that not only could it handle the awkward bulk of the tires, but does it using as much as 70% less energy than traditional belt-driven conveyors.
Astra's manufacturing involves very little human intervention, as wheel assemblies are conveyed through the factory to machines that mate components together to form a finished unit. The zero pressure accumulation system starts, stops and indexes automatically as a control card allows it to interface directly with assembly machines. When assembly is complete, the conveyor feeds them straight to trailers.
Interroll 800-830-9680 www.interroll.com
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