Focus on: Material handling and conveyor systems

Material handling

Medium rate sorter

The Pivot Arm Sorter, new from Siemens Dematic, offers positive, medium rate carton sorting with throughput rates between 30 and 74 cartons per minute depending on conveyor speed and carton size, according to the company.

The new sorter is designed with a pivoting arm diverter and integral vertical belt drive to offer a variety of divert configurations for conveyor sorting systems. It can be configured as a single side or bi-directional sorter.

The sorter is easily integrated into belt or roller conveyor applications and can be easily retrofited to existing systems. The advanced modular design has a compact configuration which assures quiet operation and quick access for maintenance, according to Siemens Dematic. The sorter is activated by controls which can be housed within the unit or remotely. It can also be activated by photo eye, PLC or manually.

For more information, go to www.siemens-dematic.us/ma.

Conveyor systems

Belted system offers true-zero-contact accumulation

FKI Logistex introduced its new belted Accuzone accumulation conveyor, the latest in its lineup of 24-volt Accuzone conveyors.

The new belted Accuzone technology accumulates products at more than a 15-degree pitch, enabling easy accumulation on inclines and declines. By combining belted technology with Accuzone's conveyor system, the new belted system provides a system for handling products that would typically be difficult to handle on a standard roller conveyor, since packages can reliably start and stop, and package sliding is eliminated.

The belted Accuzone system allows for conveying rates of up to 30 cartons per minute and carton weights of up to 75 pounds in flat zones, according to the company.

Visit www.fkilogistex.com/automation for more information.

Conveyor systems

Low profile magnetic conveyors

Prab, Inc. says its new standard duty magnetic conveyors are low profile, and can fit in where others don't.

The conveyors are completely sealed, self-lubricating and provide dependable, maintenance-free performance, says the company. Prab manufactures magnetic conveyors for scrap removal and / or parts handling, as well as hinged steel belt, oscillating and pivot belt conveyors. It also makes and installs complete metal-stamping scrap handling systems.

Visit www.prab.com for more information.

Conveyor systems

Conveyor secures and separates items

Dorner Manufacturing Corp.'s new Pallet Option 3200 Series conveyors are great for securing or separating items on a conveyor for further assembly or processing, says the company.

Pallets are often found in different shapes and sizes, depending on the application. Typically, pallets are small containers attached directly to the conveyor. They are ideal for applications requiring items to be separated from each other, or for applications needing additional assembly further down the line.

Dorner's conveyors are all made to order, so building the pallet option, or making modifications to other Dorner conveyor platforms is simple, says the company.

For more information, check out www.dorner.com.

Material handling

Compact vacuum pick-up pen

A new industrial, high-power vacuum pick-up pen is foot-switch controlled for handling delicate components, such as work on circuit boards, according to I& J Fisnar Inc.

The VPP511-110 is supplied with a full assortment of vacuum cups and tips and is a great for applications involving fine placement, dispensing and soldering work.

Go to www.ijfisnar.com for more information.

Material handling

Destacker uses magnetic levitation technology

ATR-Strothmann's new MagShuttle series SRE 2/300 Linear Induction Motor shuttle and lifter has been ordered for use in a DaimlerChrysler destacking system. The company says it's the first destacking system in North America to use linear induction motor shuttle technology - much like high speed magnetically-levitated trains.

The system will handle steel and aluminum blanks at very high rates of speed with high payloads - up to 300 lbs. The system also offers fully automatic end-effector changeover in between die changes.

ATR-Strothmann manufactures linear and rotary robotic components and systems used in a variety of material handling applications, including: sheet metal stacking / destacking, part and pallet racking and stacking, linear and gantry robots for transferring parts, and machine tool load and unload systems.

Go to www.strothmann.com for more.

Material handling

Miniature vacuum pumps for limited space applications

Anver, Corp. introduced a new line of air-powered, miniature, in-line venturi vacuum pumps that it says are ideal for end-of-arm tooling and limited space applications.

The JV Series Mini vacuum pumps feature thermoplastic construction, weigh 16 grams and measure 1" x 1.69", allowing them to be mounted close to the pick-up point, thus speeding response time and minimizing air consumption, says the company.

Capable of achieving a 24" Hg vacuum with either 0.5 or 0.74 scfm flow rates, the pumps are available with or without a silencer, and with two different flow rates. The pumps are moisture resistant and operate from -10C to 80C.

For more information, go to www.anver.com.

Material handling

Horizontal assembly carousel for kitted components

Remstar says its progressive horizontal assembly carousel can improve productivity and assembly throughput in operations using kitted components.

The carousel is a system of horizontally rotating shelves suspended from a guide rack. In a kitting application, this carousel is used to store items that, when combined to form a kit, are used in the final assembly of a product, says Remstar. In operation, several assembly stations are arranged around a continuously moving carousel. Personnel remove items from pre-defined shelves and add them to another shelf that has been allocated to the kit in progress. The carousel transports the partially completed kit to the next workstation where more components are added.

Check out www.remstar.com for more information.

Material handling

High density lightweight pallet

ORBIS Corp. now offers a high-density polyethylene, 40" x 48" pallet that combines fire safety with a durable plastic construction, resulting in a lightweight and high-performance product, according to the company.

The Structo-Cell pallet was designed and manufactured for a wide range of warehousing, distribution and pooling applications. It is used to move, store and distribute product within a single operation or entire supply chain.

Molded as a one-piece, double face pallet, it provides the hygienic properties demanded in pharmaceutical and food applications. According to Orbis, it features seamless interface with conveyors; smooth contoured edges and corners for easy handling; and a static load capacity of 30,000lbs / dynamic load capacity of 4,000 lbs.

Go to www.orbiscorporation.com for more information.

Conveyor systems

High speed vertical conveyor

Designed to handle cartons and other smooth-bottom loads up to 50 lbs, TKF's VALU-LIFT vertical conveyor is a four-strand, continuous lift, light-duty conveyor with a patented platform designed for high-speed operation, says the company.

The conveyor's unique platform design consists of simple, lightweight interlocking molded polymer flights with steel connecting pins, lifting at a maximum speed of 118 feet per minute; and it can be tweaked for up, down or reversible operation.

Standard safety features include 24V DC control, a current sensing relay which shuts down the conveyor if overloaded, and totally enclosed shroud-type tunnel guards, says the TKF.

Go to www.tkf.com for more information.

Simulation software

Simulate your material handling ideas

Flexsim Software Products, Inc's new Flexsim 2.6 3D, object oriented software gives customers the ability to easily and accurately simulate their processes in manufacturing, material handling, warehousing and supply-chain.

With the software's 3D, object oriented environment, users can develop powerful models of their processes that not only give them accurate results, but also enable the user to use the model for presentation purposes. Flexsim also provides a unique 3D presentation environment. 3D models, slides, text, graphs and charts are integrated into the Flexsim package, according to the company.

The software's 3D animation uses OpenGL standard and will import any standard 3D formats. This will enable the user to develop models that truly reflect the process and illustrate the proposed changes.

See www.flexsim.com for more details and a free evaluation version.

Case study Fully automated test stand captures product data Bosch-Rexroth built a high-power winch test stand using National Instruments' Compact FieldPoint RT controller and LabVIEW software. The Company: Bosch Rexroth Canada, a supplier of industrial automation systems and other products for manufacturers. The Challenge: To develop a stand alone and versatile winch test stand system that could be easily upgraded as test requirements changed. The Strategy: Bosch Rexroth worked with National Instruments to implement a software system with fully embedded intelligence and with maximum flexibility. They opted for a National Instruments Compact FieldPoint RT controller, and LabVIEW software. The Results: The creation of a fully embedded industrial test stand system with a simple graphical user interface, with a host of data acquisition and software analysis functionality. Bosch Rexroth Canada wanted a robust software system to act as controller and user interface for its newly-designed winch test stand system. The system required a product that was versatile, fully-embedded and flexible. This was required to allow future modifications to the hydraulic levels and upgrades at the software level. The test stand also had to be rugged enough to operate in an industrial environment with potential oil spills and temperature fluctuations. For the data acquisition part of the project, the company opted for National Instruments' Compact FieldPoint RT Controller - cFP 2020. This ran as an embedded system to control the broad selection of compact FieldPoint modules. This unit comes with a removable flash RAM storage system that allows users to back up critical test data. The system captured information from pressure, flow and temperature transducers; and angular motion. The second main component of the system was a touch screen embedded computer that integrated with National Instruments' LabVIEW software. The test system often requires the tracking of part and serial numbers so that each element making any specific winch can be identified during testing and in the future after the test. To keep track of all of this data, a relational database is created to record past and present tests with an adequate relationship structure that allows effective inventory of parts, their testing cycles and performance. This data tracking is critical for warranty, customer satisfaction and also for industrial certifications. Information was provided by National Instruments (www.ni.com) and Laurent Mingo, Project Leader & Systems Development with Vancouver, B.C.-based Blue Systems Integration. (www.bluesystem.ca)

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