Introduction to Industrial Automation Logistics services MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS APPLICATIONS

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1 MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS APPLICATIONS

2 SUMMARY This short report outlines the core capabilities of IA that are available for the supply of equipment for materials handling and logistics support. A main activity of IA is the design, build and supply of one off and limited run machines for materials handling and logistics support for engineering companies, automotive tier one component and sub assembly suppliers, food producers, brewing and beverage facilities. At Industrial Automation, (IA) we combine the latest in proven technology with years of practical experience to offer solutions that provides the best options for you. Industrial Automation has been designing and building production quality machines for many years. Industrial Automation is the materials handling and automation division of The TEW group We have supplied machines throughout the UK as well as USA, Mexico, Australia, Sweden, France, Germany and Poland and recently the Ukraine. We have technical personnel to service these markets. Our facility in Nottingham is set up to provide the most efficient service for the supply of machines for packing, and handling food products. This includes mechanical design, software, electrical build, and machine assembly and development. We have an organized project management structure to ensure that each machine is delivered to the agreed dates and quality. Clear and concise documentation and training are part of the package, again to ensure that you can make the best use of each machine supplied to you. Installation, commissioning and training are included as required for each particular project. Have a look at our web site for more details of recent projects.

3 SAMPLE OF PROJECTS RECENTLY COMPLETED IA has a long experience of handling components and products during production processes and in logistics environments. Recent projects have included work in progress tray stacking, palletising of boxed products, handling delicate products at low temperatures, and dis-assembling and re-assembling of pallet loads. Other current projects include development of a new bag in box product that is significantly more environmentally friendly than other products. As a system partner for ABB robotics, we can call on their support facilities as well as being able to develop and install their equipment as part of our own cells. Integration of vision systems, as well as other third party equipment into our equipment is not a problem. Third party equipment includes conveyors product and pallet, stretch-wrappers, and labelling equipment. IA favours tailoring solutions to meet the specification, rather than forcing a particular solution to try and meet a specification. For this reason, we can correctly integrate equipment from Siemens, Allen Bradley, Omron, Keyence, SMC, Festo, and Wengler for examples. Below are described a series of projects that are by no means exhaustive, but which give an indication of the type of equipment that we can and do make. Please me, Martyn Paradise, at MartynP@ind-auto.com If I can help in any way Tel

4 PALLETISER SYSTEMS SMART INVERTED PALLETISER This range of machines was developed to allow palletising in factory environments where the operating heights are restricted. The top most layer of product is palletised first. Subsequent layers are added under the first layer until the load is complete. The pallet is added last, immediately prior to feeding the stack out of the palletiser. An unforeseen advantage of this design is that pallets can be added to the product stack at any layer without the need for any extra equipment of any change of operating sequence. The system shown is part of a system of five palletisers for snacks that includes the product conveyors the out feed conveyors, a stretch wrapper and pallet labeller. Up to 7 products from a range of 37 are packed at the same time.

5 DEBANDER BREWERY CAN AND BOTTLE DEBANDING The machine shown is one of over 60 machines that IA has developed, built and installed in the USA, and Europe. At the in feed of high-speed brewery lines cans and bottles are fed in for filling on pallets. Typically, 2500 plus cans or bottles are on one pallet. The cans or bottles are held in place by vertical and horizontal straps. The IA Debander locates the pallet of cans or bottles, finds the straps, vertical or horizontal, cuts them off and shreds them for re-cycling. The debanded pallet of cans or bottles is then fed into the depalletiser and then onwards for filling with liquid. Recent deliveries include Ireland, the UK, Sweden, Holland, Poland and the Ukraine.

6 STAKTEC PALLETMASTER BRPALLET STACKING AND DISPENSING This machine was developed in response to a request from a large logistics company who were suffering from work place manual handling problems. Over 40 machines have been installed in distribution warehouses across the UK. Individual pallets are loaded by manual fork truck to create a reliable stack of pallets. The stack is then removed for re-cycling. Alternatively, pallets can be placed onto the floor for removal on demand from a stack. Each unit is powered by electric power source only, enabling those locations that do not have compressed air to benefit from the IA Staktec. Typical installations use up to 8 machines in one location with the potential of 24-hour operation. Recent developments include mesh side guards for easier access, and a simplified hydraulic and mechanical structure.

7 PALLET TO DOLLY TRANSFER FOR BALE ARM TRAYS Before transfer After transfer Developed in response to a major manual-handling problem for a logistics customer, the IAL pallet to dolly transfer unit takes stacks of bale arm trays from chep pallets and smoothly transfers them to individual dollys. Up to 5 different types of bale arm tray can be handled by the system. Typical cycle time is less than 120 seconds to transfer 30 trays from a pallet to five dollies in stacks of 6 per dolly. Each tray can weigh up to 30 kgs. Total weight transfer is up to 900 kgs.

8 FROZEN PRODUCTS RE-PALLETISING Products held at 25 degrees centigrade are de-stacked without damage from pallets to optimise the available warehouse space. The benefit to the customer is the improved occupancy of the transport system. Significant problems that were overcome with this project were potential damage to electronics at low temperatures, and positive handling of a delicate product. The frozen product could not be damaged during the handling process as this would have an impact on the added value that is achievable by the end customer. Two systems are currently in operation in the UK.

9 TOTE BIN STACKER For an international health care company, small tote stackers were developed. Each tote stacker is able to take an individual tote and stack it safely onto of another tote. This optimises the usage of the transportation system and removes the manual handling of the totes. The tote stackers can also operate in reverse to take two totes and separate them. 8 tote stackers operate in a typical loading bay work area.

10 SMART 2000 HIGH LEVEL PALLETISING The Smart 2000 feeds individual products in at high level and creates a collation. An empty pallet is fed under the high level in feed and the layer is placed onto the pallet using retracting bomb doors. The pallet is then lowered down to allow the next layer to be collated and placed onto the first layer. The process is repeated until the complete pallet is filled. Ancillary equipment feeds out the pallet and repeats the loading process. For a major book producer, Smart 2000 palletisers are used to pack a wide range of soft back and paper-back books. Chep type pallets and pallets as specified by individual customers are handled in the system.

11 SMART 1000 SPLIT LOAD PALLETISING As an option to the Smart 1000 upside down palletiser pallets can be fed into the pallet stack at any point of the pallet stack creation. Typically, an extra pallet is added to create a double stack during the palletising process. This can be used to optimise both transport systems and down stream ware housing usage.

12 UNSTABLE PRODUCT HANDLING For those products that are not inherently stable, IA uses puck based tooling that creates a reliable and stable platform for each product. Typical products handled have included peanuts, crisps, electrical components and as shown above yogurt and toffee based snack foods. Each of these products would be unstable if handled alone. By placing the product into a puck it can be handled as if it were a very stable can or bottle. The application above operates at 200 products per minute to create a tested and packed snack system.

13 GANTEC 4 AXIS GANTRY ORDER COLLATION AND DESPATCH Based on the IA Gantec gantry robot system, the project above takes individual orders and places them onto pallets for onward distribution. Up to 8 destinations can be handled at any one time. Each pallet load is checked for vertical height and weight to ensure that a stable laod is created. Product and destination data is stored for up to one week to provide the end customer a method of logging volumes of product despatched. A mechanical gripper locates each product box before pick up, as well as allowing the product to be rotated in the vertical axis using the 4 axis of the robot.

14 GANTEC GANTRY 4 AXIS PALLETISER Another application of the IA Gantec 4 axis range of palletising robots, this palletiser handles photographic paper in a number of formats and sizes. An integrated pallet dispenser is able to handle pallets of different formats to suit the products being handled. The gripper used is a vacuum gripper that is able to positively and reliably pick and place the sealed products. The 4th axis of the robot is used to create interlocking pallet patterns.

15 SMART 3000 PLATE PALLETISER WITH SAME FOOTPRINT STRETCHWRAPPER For heavy products such as detergents and chemicals the Smart 3000 based palletiser offers a reliable solution. Individual products are collated onto a solid transfer plate. This plate is then lifted to the level of the next pallet layer. The plate is moved above the pallet stack and then retracted to place the layer collation onto the pallet stack. The process is then repeated to create a full pallet load. The project above uses an IA Staktec pallet dispenser, and integrated IA stretch-wrapper to create a complete system. The IA stretch-wrapper wraps on the same footprint as the pallet stack is created. This is particularly useful for those products that are inherently unstable when initially palletised due over square products.

16 GANTEC MACHINE TOOL LOADING A long linear two-axis gantry machine was developed from our range of gantry equipment to load and unload grinding wheels for a turbine-grinding machine. Other applications have included machine to machine transfer, loading finishing and boring machines, and feeding components through a sequence of test and assembly processes. All the machines are developed from the Gantec range of 2 and 3 axis pick and place and gantry robots.

17 GANTEC - DRUM AND BARREL HANDLING AND PALLETISING Based on our range of 3 and 4 axis Gantec gantry robots, this application is used for vacuum handling of drums of adhesive and paint. Combined with an integrated lid placement unit and lid integrity checker the complete cell offers compact and reliable handling packing and palletising of difficult products. Operating at a rate of up to 7 drums per minute, the Gantec is able to handle up to three 15kg drums or four 7 kgs drums simultaneously. Servo drives for vertical and horizontal motions are combined with pneumatic vacuum tooling for picking and placing the drums onto the pallet. Pallets are placed by fork truck into two positions on the production floor with interlocked guards. This allows the filled pallet to be removed and a fresh empty pallet to replace it.

18 ROBOT BASED ASSEMBLY AND PACKING CELL Developed with a large flexible solid board and corrugated cardboard supplier, the robot-based concept creates a bag in the box product that is environmentally friendly. By using existing box making equipment and then lining the created box with a polythene bag, any customer can use existing filling lines for the new product. The robot in the packing cell takes the pre-folded cartridge from a matrix box of cartridges and inserts then inflates under carefully controlled conditions the bag into the box. The resulting product is novel and provides an efficient method of packaging liquids and powders. IA has developed additional equipment to create the bag in box as a semi-automatic system and is currently developing a system for pre-folding the cartridge that the robot uses.

19 KEY SKILLS OF IA IA has identified all the key areas of success necessary for the consistent supply of one off and project specific production quality machines. Sales/Project Development - Concept Development - Mechanical Design Electrical Design - Software Technically skilled engineers to ensure that the project is specified as required by the end customer, and that the concepts and ideas put forward are both exciting and commercially viable. In house team that has won 3 DTI Smart awards for innovative machine design and development. We have the ability to quickly generate ideas and models that demonstrate potential solutions. 3D using Solid Works, 2D using Autocad provides reliable and efficient designs once concepts are proven. Using Eplan reduces errors in electrical panel design and manufacture. IA can create software for Siemens, Allen Bradley, Omron, Mitsubishi PLCs, including servo systems, bus based control systems, (devicenet, profibus and ASI). We also incorporate individual machines into factory SCADA systems. Full in house software specification and ability to create and debug the above. Project Management - Assembly and Test Area - Project Engineering Team - Documentation - Feasibility Studies - Project planning using Microsoft Project Up to date control and review of each project as it progresses to balance resources against agreed milestones. This includes FMEA study at the beginning of each project square feet, laid out in machine build bays each with local power points for compressed air, 400 volts 3 phase, 240 and 110 single phase, 24 volts DC. This includes electrical panel building and test. This is staffed with multi-skilled engineers able to assemble, test, install and commission each individual machine. Typically, the same engineers who assemble the machines will install and commission the machine and carry out customer staff training. Full operating manuals and training manuals, and spares lists with delivery of machine, in the agreed language. Operating and maintenance manuals are created in house. CE marking. This is carried out in house, as part of the IA ISO 9001 procedures. Provides a way forward when no solution is immediately obvious. IA has done many in all key industries.

20 In house database - IA has developed an in-house computer network that allows all staff access to key parameters of the business on a real-time basis. Ordering, progressing chasing, performance monitoring, are all dynamically logged. Drawings, and updates are fed back from the shop floor to include any development modifications into the machines being constructed.