Cartridges put vacuum power where it's needed
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In this age of globalization and increased competition, minimizing machine downtime and reducing energy consumption are critical issues. Designing innovative vacuum technology into machinery can play a key role in achieving both, says Peter Tell of PIAB
Industrial manufacturing is currently undergoing a revolution with fresh opportunities and challenges. Average profit margins have declined, putting increased pressure on OEMs to come up with innovative cost saving alternatives to increase productivity. From a global perspective, demand for energy efficient products is rising, as with the trend toward automation and 'lean' manufacturing. These challenges have severely impacted the importance of engineering and design in manufacturing processes.
The OEMs that will remain profitable throughout this revolution are those that recognise the importance of constantly developing new technologies to facilitate greater efficiencies, while ensuring that all environmental safeguards are in place. One of the ways many material handling OEMs can improve manufacturing productivity is through the optimisation of vacuum system design.
Historically, most industrial OEMs have relied on traditional centralised vacuum systems, which consist of one vacuum source, usually mounted remotely and providing vacuum to multiple points of use. Most companies that use centralised systems need to channel the vacuum flow through tubing and manifolds, which can cause flow restriction and potentially reduce system performance and reliability. Conversely, a decentralised system locates the vacuum pumps closer to the points of use, and can range from a zoned system, where groups of cups that work together are isolated, to a system where each cup is completely independent of the others.
As logic would hold, the more distance there is between the vacuum source and the point-of-use, the more energy is consumed and thus, the more expensive the cost of production becomes. Therefore, the less distance between the vacuum source and the point-of-use, the less energy is consumed and the less expensive is the cost of production. By designing a COAX multistage vacuum cartridge ejector directly into the body of the material handling equipment, OEMs can now have access to the ultimate decentralised system-COAX integration.
Benefits of integrated technology
The benefits of integrating with COAX vacuum cartridges are easy to see, although the cartridges themselves may not be. These compact, extremely lightweight cartridges maintain a very low profile while helping to achieve a higher level of vacuum flow compared with traditional alternatives.
Because the cartridges are an integral component of the design, OEMs can position the vacuum power exactly where it is needed. The integrated system thus becomes a custom solution that makes maximum use of energy and increases speed by eliminating line losses and inefficiencies. For example, an OEM customer in the packaging industry recently integrated Coax cartridges into its 'rotary picker' equipment. The company designed its packaging system to pick up cardboard lids and deposit them on boxes.
This machine, with its spinning arms and rotary action, would normally require a remote-mounted vacuum pump and some potentially restrictive rotary fittings (which could lead to vacuum losses and problems.) It would also require tubing, which would have to be perfectly co-ordinated with the rotary action to avoid pump/tube entanglements. The integrated alternative places the vacuum suction directly inside the rotating planetary shafts from which the spinning arms branch out.
The cartridges are not only unobtrusive, but they also increase the picking speed in this packaging application. In fact, after replacing its existing mechanical pumps with vacuum cartridges, one company saw 128 percent productivity increase and 20 percent decrease in energy consumption.
Other applications where COAX technology's low profile has proven to offer a decided advantage include electronics applications, such as chip handling, unique material handling applications, such as the packaging of compact discs, and automotive sheet metal stamping, die-casting and injection moulding. Cartridge integration right at the point of suction is a solution that has proven to meet extraordinary high-speed requirements better than any other solution. This is exemplified by a number of Delta and Spider robot materials handling applications that have achieved faster cycle times by replacing a remote mounted pump with integrated cartridges. These robots pick and place in a complex pattern on different planes, so they greatly benefit from the unobtrusive flexibility and maximum vacuum flow that only integrated vacuum pumping can provide.
Regardless of industry, today's equipment must be short on downtime, use minimal plant resources, and meet both domestic and international standards. By providing the ultimate decentralised vacuum system, COAX integration solves these challenges and offers OEMs the opportunity to achieve optimum productivity during material handling applications.
18 September 2006
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