Search
More safety at work and more efficiency when handling tools weighing several tonnes: that is now the case at Arburg. The leading machine manufacturer for plastics processing is using the RUD Tecdos TM turnover table at its headquarters in Lossburg (Baden-Württemberg), and is thus moving tools more safely and efficiently than before. The turnover table turns and rotates moulds in seconds at the push of a button. This is not only good for the tool, but also for Arburg's employees: the RUD Tecdos TM ensures optimised occupational safety and ergonomics.
In the 2,100 m2 customer centre at the company's headquarters in Lossburg, Arburg carries out trials and mould tests together with its customers. More than 30 Allrounder injection moulding machines, 3D printers for additive manufacturing and laboratories for special processes are available for this purpose. This allows customers to test tools and machines in a practical, professional environment and optimise processes. And the employees in the turnkey area are also pleased about a particularly ergonomic turning aid: the RUD Tecdos TM.
In less than a minute: turn tools 90 degrees
‘When moulds arrive at our premises, they are usually the ‘wrong’ way round, so they have to be turned through 90 degrees for subsequent tests in our machines. This is now done by the RUD Tecdos TM turning table,’ explains Roland Gruber, Group Leader for Application Programming & Commissioning in the Automation & Turnkey department at Arburg. The injection moulding machine manufacturer also uses the rotary indexing table when commissioning turnkey projects, i.e. whenever it thoroughly tests a machine and mould from a customer before delivery. Arburg uses the RUD Tecdos TM 13/13-10, which safely and efficiently turns moulds up to 10 tonnes.
Moulds up to 1.20 metres in size and weighing between 200 kilograms and 10 tonnes arrive in Lossburg. A crane was originally used to turn the tools through 90 degrees. ‘With the crane, the entire turning process could take 30 to 45 minutes; now we have a net turning time of around 45 seconds,’ emphasises Gruber.
Occupational safety and flexibility
However, time savings were not the main factor in Arburg's decision to use the RUD Tecdos TM. ‘Our main focus was on increasing safety and improving ergonomics for our team,’ says Gruber, who sees the time savings as a nice side effect. The turning table enables safe and BGV-compliant working without the risk of injury, for example from diagonal pulls.
The handling process has changed fundamentally for the teams in the customer centre and in the commissioning department: whereas employees used to have to move the tool to the crane and to the attachment points, it is now the other way around: they can simply bring the turning aid to the tool. This is because the RUD Tecdos TM can be moved using an industrial truck, such as a forklift or pallet truck, and is transported between the various halls at Arburg to the desired location.
Ergonomics for employees
In addition to increased occupational safety, the RUD Tecdos TM also ensures ergonomic working. The customer moulds that arrive at Arburg are lifted by crane onto the mould turner and then turned by employees while standing, at the push of a button. For the RUD Tecdos TM, as used by Arburg in its customer centre, the RUD engineers have come up with a special ergonomic plus: they have lowered the work surface to a height of 595 mm. Thanks to the low working height, it is possible to work directly on the tool on the turning table if necessary.
Gentle on the tool
The RUD Tecdos TM not only makes work safe for people, but also for the tools. The tool turner is designed for axial rotation of tools and machine components up to 64 tonnes (in the largest version). The load is turned at its centre of gravity and therefore with absolute gentleness. The RUD Tecdos TM ensures particularly gentle starting and stopping and is equipped with a high-end drive system from the Tecdos programme.
Individual adaptations
Depending on the requirements and customer requests, RUD equips its rotary table with different polyethylene table pads. Optionally, anti-slip polyurethane pads and individually tool-adapted pads are also available. Optional accessories such as protective bars or hand guards, as well as light curtains or protective fences, ensure even greater occupational safety. The RUD Tecdos TM for Arburg is equipped with such polyethylene table covers – for increased protection of the tools of customers who are tested in Lossburg. Another special feature: RUD has painted the turning table in the desired Arburg colour (dark grey).
In addition, Arburg has made a special adaptation for the pallet truck on the turning table. ‘This adaptation was made in consultation with us and we have calculated everything necessary, for example with regard to the load capacity. Although we manufacture our products in the Mold Handling range in standard designs, we are open to many adaptations and extras and supply them as the customer needs them in practice,’ says Tobias Rathgeb, Area Sales Manager for Mold Handling at RUD.
