Gantry robots keep tyre manufacturers on track
Güdel’s gantry robot systems have been installed with Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Pirelli to manipulate, transport, sort and palletise product says Güdel UK’s Will Bourn.
The capability of Gantry Robots to cover large areas while requiring only a minimum footprint is at the heart of their success in this sector. Typical installations will span widths of around 15 metres, and can cover distances up to 100 metres in length.
The same concepts are used for completed wheel and tyre assemblies. In this application sets of 4 or 5 wheels, depending upon the type of spare wheel to be fitted to a vehicle, are sorted and stored. These are then picked as required to fulfil JIT and sequenced presentation to the vehicle assembly line.
Long gone are the days when a particular vehicle type would all have the same wheel and tyre combination. The increasing levels of personalisation available to buyers of new vehicles mean a wide range of wheel styles and tyre types must be readily available to match the requirements of individual vehicles. The capability of the Gantry Robot to span large areas, provides the maximum workspace available to store all of the different wheel and tyre combinations needed at any time.
Güdel has also designed gripper systems to handle tyres at their various stages of manufacture, including when in the green state.
