Page 16 - MetalForming July/August 2009

A Successful Switch from
Large Parts Bins
Small Totes
to
Sensor-outfitted conveying systems keep productivity high as the Polaris Industries stamping facility engineers a transition from large-batch production using big parts containers to low-volume runs and small plastic totes.
BY TODD WENZEL
Managers at Polaris Industries recently placed new requirements on its stamping plant in Osceola, WI, as part of its continuous-improve- ment efforts and adoption of lean prac- tices. Producing large batches of parts and delivering them to assembly oper- ations in large containers had to end. Instead, the stamping plant was tasked with delivering parts in new, smaller totes, sized specifically to meet assem- bly-line schedules. Totes hold as few as 25 parts, and as many as 300.
This new directive meant that press operators could no longer run large num- bers of parts into containers and move the containers using lift trucks. Nor could they continue to rely on the press con- trol’s batch counter to count press strokes until it reached a preset value, allowing thousands of parts to drop into each container before the counter would stop the press and trigger the operator to change bins and restart the press.
Todd Wenzel is president, TCR Integrat- ed Stamping Systems, Wisconsin Rapids, WI; 800/676-2240; www.tcr-inc.com.
New conveying
systems installed
on 200-ton presses
at Polaris feature a
pair of conveyors
(from QC Indus-
tries, Batavia, OH),
with drives built
into the drive-pul-
ley assembly, that
work together to
deliver parts into
small, plastic
totes. The top con-
veyor slides in and
out, adjusting to reach several different sizes of tools. To watch a video of the sys- tem in operation go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIuwEaQQ9jI.
More Bin Changes Tough on Productivity
Switching to the use of small, plastic totes with a specific, small part count per tote created several challenges to the plant. The small bins cannot be placed on the floor, as had the large bins. And, coming off of the presses, the new setup had to ensure that the parts would consistently land in the small
totes and not bounce out after a long drop from the bolster. There also were ergonomic issues, as the new system had to avoid requiring operators to bend over to lift totes from the floor.
Also of concern was accuracy of the part count, since the previous end-of- line method monitored press strokes and assumed that each stroke created a part. When filling huge bins, if the count
14 METALFORMING / JULY/AUGUST 2009
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