Precision Meets Increased EV Production Thanks To Motorized Roll Lifter.

Roll Cart.135

Precision Meets Increased EV Production Thanks To Motorized Roll Lifter.

Blog Author

By bdemink

Categories:
February 8, 2023

Motorized Roll Lifter Offers More Precision with Less ManPower and Downtime.

Situation

▪ Required precise alignment of  separator film roll or Li-ion batteries at a pre-determined height

▪  Didn’t want to use cranes due to increased chance of injury with loads/heights

A prominent electric vehicle manufacturer needed to safely transport a 6,500 lb. roll of material from the staging area into the production line. The company decided against using cranes due to the increased chance of injuries from lifting heavy loads at higher heights.

The other challenge was once the cart was at the production line, it had to be positioned precisely to align the roll into their feeding machine. This required raising the roll to a predetermined height. With the role in position, the feeding machine would lock on to the ends of the roll, allowing the cart to retract the arms and be driven out of the load position.

Hand Controller

System Components

The system is comprised of 2 DRIVE CASTER®, a control box, a power charging box, and a wired hand controller.  The drive system is designed for tank steering operation.  The DRIVE CASTER® are in a fixed position with steering controlled by speeding up or slowing down the wheels on one DRIVE CASTER® relative to the other.  Powering the motors in the same direction causes the DRIVE CASTER® to translate forward or reverse.  The system includes a hand controller with a 2-axis joystick for control.  The Drive Lift System has an emergency stop, located on the hand controller, able to shut down movement in case of any user faults.

Solution

  • Retrofittable and motorized Drive Lift System
  • Hydraulics lift and lower side arms of the drive cart to align the roll at the precise height.
  • Increased maneuverability

Working closely with the customer, Conceptual Innovations, a subsidiary of Caster Concepts, designed a retrofittable motorized roll lifter. The system featured a hydraulic system to lift and lower the side arms of the drive cart to align the roll at the proper height.  Individual DRIVE CASTER® powered the cart for increased maneuverability.

Results

  • Increased maneuverability with sensor steering and lifting decreased process times while reducing crew size
  • Safer movement of materials reduced the possibility of worker injuries.

The customer received a system designed to increase maneuverability with sensor steering and lifting, decrease process times, and reduce crew size. The system also negated the need for an overhead lifting system and the downtime created by moving large overhead objects across a production floor. Which also increased safety to prevent injury/death to individuals.