The Customer
Electro Kinetic Technologies developed a custom solution for a manufacturing client with a uniquely elevated process that required workers to use tools and materials several feet above the ground.
Application Evaluation
The customer wanted to safely deliver materials by cart along elevated track to employees working on a long platform several feet above the ground. Our engineers not only adapted a solution to the track, but also the cart that would move on, off, and along it. The functional requirements of an adequate solution would have to satisfy the following:
- Safe and easy to move on and off the track for occasional service
- Move independently and safely along the track
- Adapt to slight imperfections of the track structure to prevent cart deviation
Solution Description
The elevated track structure was designed by others from lightweight and minimalist materials in order to accommodate the cost and space requirements of the customer. The simple design for supporting the cart consisted of two flat surfaces a few inches wide each plus the needed structure for support. Structural tubes 10” high running the length of the track on both sides also doubled as a “fence” available to keep the cart on track so it could not fall.
In order to allow the cart to operate safely on the elevated track, which does not present a suitable walking surface, Electro Kinetic Technologies built the cart for wireless control by an employee at a safe distance away. This addition included clearly visible indicators for battery charge level and for whether the cart was powered up. For initial installation and periodic servicing, our engineers added hoist rings on all four corners of the cart, which allowed for easy lifting of the cart on and off track. Guide rollers were installed at the four corners of the cart and run along the fence to keep the cart operating safely without leaving the track. For that same project, our engineering team accounted for the possibility of imperfections in track structure by providing spacer plates for adjusting caster height, guide roller height, and width wise location.
For more information on custom motorized solutions, and Electro Kinetic Technologies’ engineering services, visit our contact page and consult with one of our experts.