By Tim Knerr
Sales Engineer
Thomas Conveyor & Equipment Co.
Thomas Conveyor was recently brought in to redesign a crating line being utilized by a large scale stainless steel equipment manufacturer to upgrade not only the efficiency of the line, but the safety features the line could have to ensure the safest work environment for those workers working on the line itself. Our goal was to find any and all deficiencies in the line so that corrections can be made to our new line which would create no delays or downtime throughout the working day.
After consultation and an onsite visit, a design concept for a Chain Driven Live Roller (CDLR) Conveyor was created and refined through meetings with our team and the customer’s maintenance managers.
Our new design would provide easier controls of the line as a whole by utilizing push button stations on both work platforms allowing workers to start, stop, and reverse the line without having to leave their working area. This saves the workers time and makes it much easier for workers to crate more and more finished products at a much quicker rate.
Safety was another major concern which the customer needed Thomas Conveyor to address. The main focus was the ability to stop the line in the event of a worker having tools, equipment, or even parts of their body (hands, feet, etc) within the active conveying line itself. Since workers were expected to work directly on the conveyor when product was stopped in front of work platforms, we needed to ensure that this line could not be powered on until the inter-line platforms were cleared of all workers, tools, and equipment.
We achieved this by using pressure-sensitive mats that prevent the conveyors from turning on in the case of sensors being tripped. This ensured any obstructions were cleared on the line before sending the product forward to be picked up at the discharge end of the system. Along with the safety mats came the installation of standard emergency pull cords and photo eyes which ensured the conveyor had all necessary safety features throughout the entire system.
The customer was extremely satisfied with the end result and is seeing an increase in worker efficiency and overall optimization.
Be sure to contact Thomas Conveyor & Equipment for all of your material handling automation needs. Call us today at 844-220-0086.