The Customer
An industry leader in the manufacturing of metal roofing, metal siding and structural components for the commercial and residential building industries came to Electro Kinetic Technologies with a challenge. In their manufacturing process, they needed to move pieces of steel bundles weighing up to 10,000 pounds with varying lengths from 28 feet to 44 feet. To do this they loaded the bundles onto 1 to 3 manual carts then moved the string of carts down the line using a forklift truck. This was time consuming and at times resulted in damaging the steel bundles. The production lines were being run 2-shifts, 5 days a week soon to be a 24/5 operation. Any motorized solution would need to be reliable, low maintenance and allow for fast charging and the ability to swap out battery packages to keep production going if needed.
Application Evaluation
After conducting a virtual process review with the customer, our engineering team came up with a proposal utilizing one motorized cart and two non-motorized daughter carts on each line. The daughter carts would be tethered to the motorized cart using adjustable tow bars allowing them to customize the length to fit the bundle they were moving.
Solution Description
The design solution for the motorized cart utilized a powerful AC motorized drive wheel and a controller that provided precise speed and torque control. To solve the continuous duty issue, the engineering team designed a 200 Ah battery package that could be quickly lifted out using a jib or overhead crane and replaced with a full charge battery pack. The cart also had an on-board fast battery charger that could be utilized as well. Other features included wireless control, master power on/off switch, battery charge indicator, lifting rings and
flashing side safety lights and oscillating horn engaged during movement.
For additional information on custom engineered solutions for your material handling challenges, contact us and a team member will help answer your questions.