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JEEP PLANT Daimler-Chrysler has had installed one of the most sophisticated parts handling systems at their JNAP assembly plant which produces the Jeep® Grand Cherokee. The side-by-side rack-handling system is responsible for bringing cradle modules right up to the assembly line in an efficient, cost-effective way while isolating line workers from forklift traffic. The purpose of the cradle module is to hold the engine, which is fitted further along the assembly line. The side-by-side system for handling the cradle modules eliminates demand service and achieves full product accumulation of up to 48 cradle models at a time, with zero pressure indexing. The side-by-side system brings to 30 the number of pieces of automated handling equipment designed and installed at the plant by SailRail Automated Systems Inc. of Markham, Ontario. Other SailRail pieces include 'L'-shaped automated systems, linear systems, and over/under machines. They all perform much the same function, which is to deliver parts to the assembly line while automatically conveying emptied racks to the rear. Intelligent Buffering In essence, SailRail's equipment can achieve intelligent buffering anywhere along the assembly line, ensuring that the right parts are in the right place at the right time for the assembly process to take place smoothly while enhancing employee safety. SailRail is also installing five powered turntables at the plant, to assist in unloading various commodities. Built in 1991, JNAP is huge, occupying 2.6 million square feet on a 283-acre site and producing up to 955 Jeep® Grand Cherokees a day in a two-shift operation. Its annual capacity is over a quarter-million units and it employs some 3,000 people. The plant underwent major expansion in July 1999 and now has 24 miles of conveyors and more than 350 robotic devices to assist in the assembly and finishing processes. SailRail sees its role at JNAP as helping to unburden Daimler Chrysler from issues relating to material handling and system integration so that it can concentrate on production. SailRail uses a sophisticated Parametric Automated Design (PAD) tool for all its engineering work and has been an ISO 9001 QS/TE supplier since March 2000. Pride of Workmanship "There is a real pride of workmanship at JNAP," says Ian Scarth, SailRail's president, "and we are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to it through our system design and engineering. It's also a real thrill to be handling the engine cradle modules, for the engines are, of course, the lifeblood of this famous vehicle."
At the entry point to the side-by-side equipment, sequenced racks containing the cradle modules are presented by forklift truck, double stacked, to the load position. The forklift destacks the modules, placing them on a two-position transfer cart that indexes down the inbound lane, which is capable of holding six racks from zero pressure accumulation. The carts make a 180-degree turn, courtesy of a cross-transfer device, then come back up the adjacent line to the operator plat form for unloading. The cradle modules are presented to the operator horizontally, in racks, two per layer and three layers high. After the first layer is unloaded by the operator with the aid of an overhead handling device, he/she cycles an integrated ergonomic lift, which raises the rack for access to the next two cradle modules for unloading, then finally the last two. The unloaded cradle modules are staged, ready for the assembly process. Create a Safe Environment "While our first priority is always to ensure that parts are delivered to operators on the line in the correct sequence, we are also acutely aware of the need to remove the emptied racks and to create a safe and ergonomically friendly environment," Scarth says. After the removal of the last cradle, the operator initiates a cycle start. The lift lowers and the transfer cart carries the empty rack away from the pick position and along the outbound lane, making way for the next full rack. The empty truck arrives at the unload position, for double-stacking and removal by forklift -- well away from the operator. Rack dimensions are 96 by 77 by 62 inches, with each rack holding up to 3,600 pounds. The side-by-side equipment handles the racks with Indexer, a mechanical transfer system with lift-and-carry technology. It has a rigid outer frame and an electrically powered transfer car that runs along rails inside. The load is placed on the frame, the transfer car moves under the load, and pneumatic load isolators lift it up. The load is moved to the desired location and placed back down by lowering the load isolators. For all its efficiency, the side-by-side equipment occupies an area of just 960 square feet. "Material handling does not add value to a product, so it is incumbent upon all of us to reduced the costs related to it and improve the efficiency," Scarth says. "As well, the less space we can do it in and the smaller the footprint of the equipment, the better it is for the customer." SailRail Automated Systems Inc. RECYCLING BOXES NOW
FITTED WITH CASTERS Solidly established in North America, Cascades, Inc. is a leader in the production, conversion and marketing of packaging products, including boxboard and carton board, as well as fine specialty papers and tissue papers. Recycling paper waste since 1964, Cascades has enormous expertise in the recycling and de-inking of fibres. Its Montreal-based division, Recuperation Cascades, is dedicated to the management of fine paper recycling.
For customers operating in high-rise office towers, however, there was a further challenge, which was how to move the box easily from the point of use to the pickup location, generally the loading dock. Dollies and carts proved quite unsuitable because they called for difficult maneuvers of boxes with contents of 50 kg or more, often in confined locations. Instead, Recuperation Cascades looked for an integrated solution that would minimize the use of auxiliary equipment. Recuperation Cascades found the solution through the addition of heavy-duty casters to the base of an extended-length Buckhorn bulk box. Not only is the box easier to handle, its capacity is far greater than the previous box, so Recuperation Cascades is able to reduce the frequency of pickups and save on its labour and transport costs.
Extended-length boxes by Buckhorn measure 64 1/2 by 48 x 34 inches high (1640 x 1120 x 860 mm), and, with or without casters, they are the solution for handling and storing a wide range of products. Buckhorn Canada Inc. INDUSTRIAL VACUUM For more than 27 years, Shamrock Boats has built versatile, distinctive boats designed for both the sport fisherman and the dedicated recreational boater. Each is carefully built one at a time, and all hulls and parts are either hand-laminated or feature mechanically applied fiberglass roll stock and resin. Shamrock's boats are manufactured in a 60,000 square foot plant, staffed by approximately 130 employees. The plant is in full operation 10 hours a day, five days a week. All told, this adds up to a consistently heavy production schedule. It also added up to a lot of dust which became evident when Shamrock's general manager noticed a decline in overall air quality within the plant. "There seemed to be a lot of dust floating in the air and settling on equipment," said the plant manager. "It was clear that we needed to do something. We feared that the dust problem was compromising our pledge to maintain a safe, comfortable work zone for our employees." A Dusty Business Shamrock's plant is divided into two sections: part production and boat assembly. Both processes generate nuisance dust that was left to float around the plant and contribute to the dust problem. During part production, large amounts of debris are created -- especially during the lamination process. This involves laying out fiberglass to create a boat shell, pulling out the mould, and trimming and grinding the parts to finish the basic shell. It's in the trimming and grinding processes that the bulk of the dust is generated. Previously, Shamrock provided respirators for the safety of each worker. But since the dust being generated during the trimming and grinding process was never collected, it was circulating in the air, threatening employee safety throughout the plant. The other stage of production is the actual assembly of the boat, This involves drilling and fastening the parts for each boat, which leaves debris in the boat hulls. Shamrock previously blew this debris out of the hull with an air hose. Although this process eliminated the dust from the boat hulls, it circulated around the plant. After seeing an ad for Nilfisk-Advance's industrial vacuum cleaners, the plant manager contacted the company to find out what its vacuums could do for Shamrock. Nilfisk-Advance senior district sales manager, Rick Stegbauer, performed a thorough analysis of the Shamrock plant and its processes. Together, they devised a cost-effective cleaning system designed to dramatically improve the plant's overall air quality. The core of the program was the integration of vacuum cleaners into Shamrock's production processes. As part of the program, Shamrock integrated the Nilfisk GM 811 vacuum into its cutting saws. These tools do the trimming and grinding during part production. With the vacuum, workers are now able to pull dust and debris away from the cut as it is made, collecting and retaining it within the vacuum for safe disposal. During assembly, the GM 811 captures the debris at the bottom of each boat hull, replacing the less effective air hose method. The new vacuum prevents dust from being circulated into the air and ensures a safer working environment. To complement the two production applications and keep other areas of the plant clean, Shamrock uses the Nilfisk GM 83 for general plant maintenance and cleaning. The portable GM 83 enables workers to easily reach overhead pipes as well as clean the plant's walls, air filters, floors, machines, and aisles. When the GM 83 is not being used for maintenance, it is used in production with up to three power tools attached. Shamrock is astounded by the overall improvement in the plant. "During the past year, we've seen a major drop in the amount of dust in our plant. In fact, we've realized a 94.4 percent improvement in air quality. Now, we don't have to worry about the safety of our employees because we know that the dust we generate during production is being securely retained in the vacuums." The GM 811 and GM 83 come equipped with a heavy duty trolley giving the vacuums the ability to move around the plant, as well as a HEPA filter that ensures that 99.97 percent of all ultra-fine particles, toxic and nuisance, are retained in the vacuums, down to and including 0.3 microns in size. An extra large main filter ensures a steady, even airflow which extends filter life and eliminates premature clogging. The motor thermal protection device prevents overheating caused by failure to keep filters clean or by accidental blockage in a nozzle or hose. Nilfisk-Advance Canada Company WELD FIXTURE BUILDER Stryver Manufacturing, a leading weld fixture builder and weld cell integrator for the automotive industry often finds itself in search of dependable and reliable sources for high-quality custom components with consistent lead-times and low costs. The company is in constant search to bring its products quicker to market at the best possible prices possible without compromising quality and performance.
As Ron Karka, project manager from Stryver, stated: "One way to achieve lower costs and quicker to market products is to utilize more standard off-the-shelf components," adding, "there are limitations because you can use so many standard components before you compromise your designs. Misumi has mastered the ability to make custom components within a loose framework of a standard design, offering components with highly flexible size, material and tolerance parameters." Ron Karka affirms, "Stryver benefits by utilizing Misumi components in its use of locating pins. With Misumi's many styles and size availabilities, we can dramatically reduce our design and build times as well as our overall costs. Before, we had to design and build them ourselves or out-source them to a machine shop at long lead-times and premium costs. With Misumi you can order the size you need by creating a catalogue number, placing the order and they're shipping you the pins in six days or less." Misumi of the Americas, Inc. FLEXIBLE AIR QUALITY
SOLUTIONS It is often the things we cannot see that cause us the most harm. A good example of this is the unhealthy fumes caused by the use of adhesive substances. A Kitchener area plant owner had been searching for a way to keep his employees safe and to minimize their contact with the noxious fumes originating from the application room. Although he had already installed specially designed extractors to properly evacuate the glue fumes, it was a challenge to keep the fumes from escaping into the main plant area, as the product and employees moved frequently in and out of the workspace. Shaver Industries met with the owner on-site to analyze the situation. Following a careful evaluation of the challenges and objectives, Shaver was able to custom design and install a fabric enclosure combining opaque fabric walls with clear PVC strips. The clear PVC strips allowed the product and employees complete freedom of movement while keeping the glue fumes inside the glue application room for minimal seepage and maximum extraction. In addition, equipment changeovers and periodic maintenance were simplified with the use of a sliding wall on one side of the enclosure. Fabric enclosures provide a flexible and cost-effective alternative to the more conventional rigid types, as they can be installed, modified or removed at fraction of the cost. All materials used are flame retardant. Shaver also provides innovative environmental solutions for the management of in-plant drafts, machine mists, robotics, welding, and general production line issues. Their new line of Power Roll-Up curtains and shields provide a unique alternative for the effective handling of environmental issues. Shaver Industries INJECTION MOULDER A contact manufacturer of a variety of plastic components reduced its initial scrap rate by more than 90% and lowered its purging costs by 52% when it switched from using in-house resins to commercial purging compounds to purge its two Van Dorn 230 cold runner injection mounding machines. JC Tech Industries was running its own resins to purge when changing over from flexible PVC to acetal resin in the production of bicycle tires for training wheels. At a running rate of 200 parts-per-hour, the company was discarding an average of 40 defective parts, a scrap rate of 20%. On a weekly basis, this translated into as many as 200 defective parts per week. After switching to Dyna-Purge, the scrap rate fell from 20% to 1.5%, a 93% reduction and the cost to purge was reduced by 52%. "Resins are designed for processing, not purging," said Tim Cutler, Business Manager for Dyna-Purge Division of Shuman Plastics, Inc. "Commercial purging products are formulated and intended for cleaning injection moulding, extrusion, and blow moulding machinery faster and more effectively than in-house resins and regrinds," he added. Dyna-Purge V, which JC Tec uses, is one of ten formulations in the line of Dyna-Purge non-chemical, non-abrasive purging compounds. Dyna-Purge V is a grade specifically designed for purging rigid and flexible resins from injection moulding or extrusion equipment at 160° to 204°C, according to Dyna-Purge. Shuman Plastics, Inc. |
Canadian Industrial Equipment News September 2004 |
May 16, 2008
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Indeed,
the 4.7 liter V-8 engine has amassed a ton of praise from users -- both
the High Output version rated at 265 hp at 5,100 rpm and the Power Tech
version rated at 235 hp at 4,800 rpm. Also dependable and a popular choice
is the 4.0-liter I-6 rated at 195 hp at 4,600 rpm and standard on the
Laredo and Limited models.
Initially,
Recuperation Cascades went about the collection of waste paper by
providing its customers with extended-height bulk boxes from Buckhorn
Canada Inc. Customers would store their waste in the boxes and rely on
Recuperation Cascades to come and remove them when full, leaving an empty
box behind. The waste papers would be collected anywhere from once every
two months to five times a week, depending on the
establishment's needs.
In
fact, due to the efficiencies brought about by the new type of container,
Recuperation Cascades estimates that the payback per box is in the region
of 10 months, compared with years for when they were using other waste
paper collection methods. The bulk boxes are so durable that their life
expectancy is realistically measured in terms of decades, not just years,
and their solid one-piece base makes an ideal platform for the heavy-duty
casters.
Stryver
has found such a source in Misumi of the America's Inc., a mechanical
components supplier, specializing in custom-made components at low costs
and short lead times, ideal for custom machines, fixtures, prototypes and
run-offs.
