Handle with care

The materials used every day in a converting plant – from giant reels of film to pails of printing ink – all have to handled as efficiently and, most importantly, as safely as possible at all stages of the operation. Suppliers and manufacturers of materials handling systems and equipment are constantly developing and improving them to meet these twin requirements.

Due to recently introduced manual handling regulations and the trend by converters and mills to run wider reels and different core sizes, UK-based specialised equipment supplier Jarshire was asked to design and supply powered trolleys for the extraction of core plugs, expanding shafts and spools. This led to the development of the company’s Speedy powered trolley, designed for the extraction and handling of core plugs and expanding shafts that have a weight of up to 800kg.

The trolley comprises a base frame mounted on wheels, an electro-hydraulic pump, and a piston that drives the vertical carriage that, in turn, supports a hydraulic vice onto which the journal of the plug or shaft is clamped. The trolley is powered electrically by a high capacity battery.

In recent months, a number of these trolleys have been supplied to UK tissue mills for use with expanding core plugs that have a weight of 500kg.

In a further development, one trolley has been supplied to a tissue mill that uses a non-expanding (spider’s web) core plug. The mill considered the standard plugs to be too heavy, as operators were suffering repetitive stress problems due to the insertion and extraction of plugs under tight tolerance conditions. As a result, this mill has gone from just meeting manual handling regulations to eliminating manual handling issues and problems on the line altogether.

Jarshire says development work on powered trolleys is continuing and it will be pleased to talk to any mill interested in a standard or customised design requirement.

With more than 20 years’ experience of solving individual issues, Southworth Handling has developed products and solutions for a variety of materials handling problems, while reducing the risk of operator injury and increasing operating efficiency.

Pallet Pal 3 is the latest development of the company’s power-free automatic pallet leveler, with a simple tubular steel construction and powder coated finish. Eliminating the bending stretching and walking associated with loading pallets at floor level, it is capable of handling pallet loads from 200-2,000kg.

Also available are Hallins Newton mini stackers for loads up to 250kg – handling roll weights up to 70kg with ease and allowing operators to handle awkward loads with confidence. Optional attachments include all-stainless steel and specialist solutions for use in general and food or pharmaceuticals industries.

For heavier duties there are Manuvit LEV adjustable stackers for loads from 300-600kg and roll and container handling applications up to 350kg using a range of attachments. These suit a wide range of applications, and the stackers’ adjustable width allows the unit to be stored more easily than a fixed width machine.

FlexPack Automation of Switzerland offers reel handling and robotic converting lines that automatically pick up reels from slitting rewinding machines ‘damage-free’ for further transportation within the plant. Different reel loading systems are available to suit each customer’s production line, with all reels being transferred to conveyor belts and automatically weighed and labelled twice.

All reels, regardless of size and weight, are automatically wrapped in PE film and palletised using a 6-axis industrial robot.

Using this automatic converting system, a reel is ready for dispatch every 30 seconds. The complete packaging and palletising line does not require set-up, no matter how many slitters the rolls are delivered from and how often job changes are carried out on the production line.

A recent innovation for reel lifting and handling from Packline is a clamping vertical spindle designed to overcome the problem of telescoping reels. These can occur if reels are not wound tightly enough, and can make them impossible to lift via the core. Packline’s novel way of clamping the external diameter of the reel, while still handling via the core, eliminates this problem.

The reel is rotated using a linear actuator while the clamping and finger expansion is carried out via hand wheels. This is a quick and simple way to re-orientate difficult to handle reels.

With a maximum safe working load of 130kg, while handling a wide range of reel diameters and widths, the clamping vertical spindle is built to suit the customer’s specific needs.

Penny Hydraulics designs, manufactures and services lifting and load handling equipment for use in a wide range of applications.

Of particular interest is the Mezz Lift for handling loads between ground floor and mezzanines. It does not require a floor pit because it has a relatively thin platform that allows easy access, while its hydraulic control equipment is mounted to the side of the installation. One of the principal limitations of other types of goods lift is therefore avoided, which means that the Mezz Lift can, if required, be relocated more easily and with little or no work to the building infrastructure. It can also be installed outside the building.

According to Penny Hydraulics, devices such as the Mezz Lift allow users to match the configuration very closely to the job in hand. They can be supplied with bespoke platforms, perhaps to fit through an existing opening in a floor or in a purpose-built self-contained shaft. A wide variety of standard designs are available to meet individual requirements. As there are few restrictions on lifting height, it can be installed, or extended, for multi-floor applications.

The maximum working load is generally in the 250-500kg class, which covers the vast majority of loads encountered in most industrial applications.

One of the biggest advantages of a lift like the Mezz Lift is said to be that it does not require the same level of safety certification as people-carrying lifts. However, like any other piece of lifting equipment, it is covered by the normal LOLER and PUWER regulations, which means it must undergo a statutory thorough inspection at least once a year. These regulations are designed to ensure safety, but are not as onerous as those covering lifts designed to carry people.

The STE05-RRH02 heavy duty 1,500kg roll handler from STS uses a parallelogram mechanism to keep the clamps always perpendicular to the roll while it is being clamped. This allows the same unit to pick up a variety of rolls with differing diameters. The clamping mechanism has a mechanical brake to ensure the roll is not released if the power is disconnected. Variation in specification can be made to suit each application.

This unit clamps and lifts the roll, then rotates it clockwise. It can handle roll diameters from 600-1,100mm and is said to be especially adept at handling rolls that are prone to telescoping. The clamp pads are lined with a chemical and abrasion resistant material to protect the rolls while clamped. The equipment is battery hydraulic powered, but pneumatic hydraulic is also available.

Some 40% of STS roll handling units are of a bespoke design, as Technical Sales Director Colin Jones explains. “This is because it is very important that the customer gets the best possible solution. I always tell customers if we can improve our unit by 15%, this will have a massive effect over its lifetime. We are able to do this because we control 100% of the design and build.

“We feel it is important to build strong units that have a long life span. This is quite easy to achieve by selecting parts with a higher safety factor. The cost and weight increase is negligible but the benefit in the long term is massive,” Mr Jones stresses.

“We also offer all our units on a sale or return basis - on bespoke or standard units. We do this because we believe it is important to try a unit out in your own factory for a week before the decision to buy the unit is made. There is nothing like getting the feedback from the operators who will be using the unit on a daily basis. If the customer decides not to keep it, no invoice is sent - not even for the delivery.”

Reels of any size or weight are automatically wrapped in PE film and palletised by Flexpack’s equipment. Flexpack Jarshire's Speedy powered trolley will extract and handle core plugs and expanding shafts that weigh up to 800kg. Jarshire The new Pallet Pal 3 from Southworth Handling suits pallet loads from 200-2,000kg. Southworth A parallelogram mechanism enables the STE05-RRH02 heavy duty roll handler from STS to pick up a variety of rolls with differing diameters. STS

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Flexpack
Jarshire
Packline
Penny Hydraulics
Southworth
STS