FEATURE MATERIALS HANDLING & CONVEYING
AUTOMATED ENGINE TRANSFER increases efficiency and safety
LB Foster’s ability to complete the task was the deciding factor. They were able to demonstrate that they had designed and installed similar lines for other companies by showing us professional photographs and video evidence.
AUTOMATED LINES In the past the large diesel engines were mounted on carts and moved manually through the different sectors of the paint process. The decision to automate the lines was taken as part of a lean manufacturing initiative by Cummins. Each line is split into two in-floor
Automated engine transfer lines are delivering improved efficiencies for Cummins while ensuring operator safety
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B Foster Materials Handling has begun work on an automated engine transfer contract for the engine manufacturing plant of Cummins in Daventry. Every engine is spray painted in the
specific colour requested by the customer. The prestigious contract is for two automated systems to transport the engines through two paint processing lines. Both have been designed to process a maximum of 10 engines at a time, each weighing up to 12 tonnes. One line has already been finished with
the second due for completion later this year. Cummins has previous experience of working with LB Foster as the company has manufactured conveyor systems for several assembly lines in Daventry. As a result the equipment is known to be well engineered, robust and very reliable. “Automation in manufacturing is quite a niche market however it was a still a competitive tender,” explains Ian Bennion, manufacturing engineering leader for Cummins. “Confidence in
COST-EFFECTIVE, ADAPTABLE CONVEYING SYSTEM
BHL Conveyor Technology has entered into a contract to supply a cost effective conveying system that is easy to self-assemble, install and maintain. The company offers a simple solution in the Easy range of conveyors which are as adaptable as they’re flexible and can go alongside most existing systems. The Easy conveyor method can save significant time and cost and is designed so that you are able to
maintain, self-assemble and eliminate any waiting time. As the conveyor system is standard and not bespoke the lead time is considerably shortened. Available options include: belt conveyor EBS; straight mat top conveyor EMCS; mat top conveyor EMBS;
and table top conveyor ETS. These systems are designed for different purposes allowing for changes in production. They can adapt to fluctuation in production offering a cost effective solution to operate your factory with a low running cost, easy to clean, easy to maintain and can be incorporated into existing systems.
BHL T: 01942 405 300
www.bhl-uk.com Enter 312
The diesel engines are mounted onto the LB Foster towline conveyor where they enter the engine wash facility
towline conveyors divided by a paint spraying booth. At the start of the process an engine is picked up by an overhead crane, secured onto a cart before starting its slow journey down the line where it enters the engine wash facility. This is followed by a trim process where sections of the engine which do not require painting are masked off. An additional crane is then used to position the engine into the paint spraying booth and from there it is put back onto a cart to be towed by the second conveyor to the end of the line. This process transports the engine into the drying oven through post paint trim, inspection and then finally it is transferred by crane onto a shipping skid.
SAFETY PARAMOUNT “We’ve developed a close relationship with the LB Foster team over the years and they’ve done a very good job on the first part of this project,” continues Bennion. “They collaborated well with our other suppliers and the installation crew was absolutely fantastic. “Safety of our employees is paramount; in using the new automated line we have taken away many of the manual processes. At the end of each process alarms sound and a system of sensors ensure that operators have cleared the area for the engines to automatically move up to the next one. “In addition we’ve increased our engine throughput and improved efficiency by processing engines more quickly and moving them smoothly down the line in a disciplined way.”
LB Foster Materials Handling T: 0116 276 1691
www.conveyors.co.uk Enter 313
S12 JULY/AUGUST 2014 | MATERIALS HANDLING & LOGISTICS / MATERIALSHANDLINGLOGISTICS
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