APPLICATION
This application involves the lifting and transferring of light truck floor pans (weighing up to 75 lbs.) from one of six (6) different shipping racks to a welding cell.
BUSINESS
Automotive OEM – Body Shop
THE CHALLENGE
The traditional Unfied enclosed track bridge crane & air balancer being used were identified as an ergonomic and productivity problem in the plant. Because of the large size of the part, the operator is required to pick the part and then turn 180 deg. which resulted in a significant amount of upper extremity strain as they twist the handle bars of the end effector to move the bridge crane. The challenge was to find an improved ergonomic system offering higher speeds.
THE SOLUTION
Stanley-Cobotics collaborated with the welding cell integrator to install an iTrolley IAD running on the existing Unified runways in the work cell. The system uses an air balancer to provide the Z-axis up/down movement, mounted to a carriage suspended from a dual Unified aluminum bridge crane in order to gain additional hook height for the existing end effector.
BENEFITS
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Elimination of ergonomic strain
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Precise, smooth, rapid movements provide enhanced quality and productivity
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Favorable production speeds maintained
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Simple operation
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Fast cycle times
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Operator acceptance
For more information on our iTrolley product, click here.