Work cell operators at Goulds Pumps load motor adapter castings ranging from 35-70 lb into a twin spindle milling machine. The adapters are lifted out of a bin and transferred to the milling machine, where they are lined up and then carefully placed on the soft-jaw chuck. The adapters must be placed with care to prevent damage to the chuck. The milled piece is then moved to a table for deburring and loaded into the second spindle of the milling machine.
Operators frequently lifted the parts by hand or with an air balancer, creating potentially harmful situations. The costly soft-jaw chucks in the milling machines were repeatedly damaged when castings were put down with too much force. In addition, air balancers took so long to bleed pressure before placing the load that valuable cycle time was lost.
Ergonomic Assessment: Manual Lifting Too Big a Risk
The manufacturer was concerned that the position operators had to maintain while trying to carefully place the castings on the chuck put them at a higher than acceptable risk for injury. Repetitious maneuvers were suspected of causing or contributing to injuries reported at this cell.
An ergonomics assessment of the work cell identified potential hazards and problem areas to address to ensure workers'' safety. So the pump manufacturer began exploring ways to improve the overall safety and productivity of the area.
The solution? The G-Force™ lifting device from Gorbel.
The Teachable Lifting Device
Among the G-Force''s™ versatile features are its teachable virtual limits and speed reduction points, which have proved extremely valuable in this application.
The G-Force™ BXi unit can be easily taught to stop or reduce speed when it reaches specific points in the lifting range. Through use of a sensor mounted on this custom crane system, two zones were created, one over the pick point and one over the milling machine.
When the operator is in the pick point zone, he is free to move at his natural pace as he lifts the casting out of the bin. As he nears the milling machine, the sensor senses that he is in the other zone, activating preprogrammed virtual limits and speed reduction points, which cause the G-Force™ to automatically shift to a slower speed, preventing the operator from slamming the part onto the chuck or into the sides of the machine. As he moves away from the milling machine, the operator returns to moving at his natural pace.
Protecting People and Parts
G-Force™ has been an ideal solution in many ways:
- Reduced Damage to the Machine: Damage to the soft-jaw chucks decreased, eliminating the need for frequent, costly recutting.
- Easier Machine Maintenance: When the 300 lb chucks do need replacing, the G-Force™ can change them out in a matter of minutes, much quicker and easier than using a cherry picker to do the job!
- Improved Job Satisfaction: Perhaps most importantly, the operators are thrilled with the G-Force™.
As operator David Rothfuss said, "I couldn''t be happier with it. There''s just no comparison. The G-Force™ is so much smoother than an air balancer -- and I don''t have to wait for the balancer to catch up!"
G-Force™ Doubled Productivity
As a result of the new production machine plus the G-Force™, Goulds Pumps has increased productivity 100%, enabling them to decrease their on-floor inventory by 50%. They are no longer losing valuable cycle time waiting for an air balancer to bleed pressure.
And the operators can move at their natural pace without worrying about possibly damaging the adapter or the milling machine. They can count on G-Force''s™ virtual limits and speed reduction points to protect their products.