Page 14 - MetalForming June 2010

Modular, Flexible Conveyors
Sustainability and Total Cost of Ownership
More and more, suppliers of machined, fabricated and stamped parts and welded assemblies have been required by their customers to deliver smaller packages containing fewer parts to support downstream, streamlined just-in-time assembly oper- ations. As a result, new requirements for speed and flexibility are being placed on the conveying systems used to support secondary operations and packaging systems.
How can packaging operations keep up with constant change without increasing costs? Surprisingly, new choices in modular plastic-chain con- veyors can help small to midsized sup- pliers of metal parts and assemblies create sustainable packaging systems,
Amy Defayette is product manager, Var- ioFlow conveyor systems, Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, IL: 847/645- 3600, www.boschrexroth-us.com. Amy is located in Buchanan, MI; 269/697-5304.
Cellular manufacturing and requirements for custom packaging to support just-in-time production by OEMs are just two forces acting on suppliers. Careful conveyor selection can counter those forces and lead to more efficient part handling and packaging.
BY AMY DEFAYETTE
with lower costs over the long term, the critical flexibility needed, and a healthy reduction in their overall ener- gy footprint.
Structural Framing Choices
Most packaging conveyors are mod- ular by design, available in preconfig- ured straight or curved sections that bolt together on the shop floor. They prove ideal for complex routing where assemblies and packages of small stamped parts must move up, down and around equipment and other obstructions in the plant, as compared
to setting up a complex series of belt conveyors. Need to reconfigure your process flow, move equipment into a cellular setup, or add a conveyor loop off the side of a press line to accommodate a secondary operation? Modular plastic- chain conveyors might just fit the bill.
Structural conveyor frames typical- ly comprise extruded T-slotted alu- minum rails, welded steel components or, if the manufacturing environment requires it, stainless steel rails. A weld- ed steel frame is typically much more difficult to reconfigure should major upgrades or changes to the process be
12 METALFORMING / JUNE 2010
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