Saturday, January 20, 2007
INTRODUCTION TO VERTICAL CAROUSEL
The concept of the vertical carousel is similar to that of a Ferris wheel. Items are stored on shelves, or pans, rotating around an elongated oval track, which allows storage to occupy a large amount of vertical cube while using only a small footprint.
All items are accessible within the width of a single pan, usually about 100 inches and are retrieved at a pick window placed at a convenient elevation. Vertical carousels may have dedicated users, or they may be placed on a manufacturing floor where they function as a freestanding stockroom and are used by a number of workers.
Activity rates vary from the occasional single request, to constant use, such as in kitting, where a light-directed operator selects items sorted by locations.
Attention must be paid to weight distribution within the carousel, in particular to severe unbalanced load conditions. The entire contents of the machine are rotated when a single item is required.
Vertical carousels provide density and convenient access. They are fitted with drawers that offer nearly as dense storage as a hi-rise stacker crane, but with the advantage of bringing the product to the man. In this way, input to and output from the pick station can be done by conveyor or other devices which do not require the operator to leave his position.
Shelves and drawers, or the more hi-tech variants, offer storage densification for small items and small quantities. In general, the items stored in these modules are put away and retrieved by an individual in quantities that can be hand carried.
People are flexible material handling devices. They can easily adjust to variations in storage dimensions and type. Larger sized products and large quantities often result in less flexible storage models. Nevertheless, there are many changes that can be made to increase cube utilization of the shelving.
The system can be visually and ergonomically attractive, equipped with furniture-finish panels and adjustable, movable-height work counters, and special options such as extractors.
The combination of rapid access, high-cube, elimination of ‘walk and search’ time, high accuracy with light displays and bar code scanning, and high security, have made vertical carousels popular for small parts, particularly high value-to-weight or fragile items such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, optics, instruments, molds, photo masks, medical supplies, and bench and line stocks.
They have also found use in tool rooms, kitting for assembling, JIT buffer storage, clean room or other special environments, sorting of small items, online storage and similar special applications.
The different features of the Vertical Carousel System:
Structure
Basically, the vertical carousel is a box which pans or shelves are hanging from a heavy roller chain, revolving around a track. A second guide track is configured so that the pans/shelves always face the front. Pan styles come in many different designs and can vary within the same carousel itself for flexibility.
Double and triple tier pans can be combined with pans for reels, drawers and special cabinets. Sizes of the pans range from about 1 to 2 feet deep and as much as 10 feet wide.
The pitch of pan may also vary for flexibility. The pans are heavy gauge steels and can be coated with a special conductive outer layer for electronics applications. A wide range of totes and trays is available and can be effectively utilized to subdivide the pan. Additionally, dividers are also available.
Drives and controls
The chain is driven by a motor and gear box carefully matched to application. An optical vane switch counts motor revolutions and stops the pan at a pre-selected position. A motor controller not only can offer smoother transition, but also enhanced speed and stopping accuracy.
Vertical carousels can be activated by manual control switch, push-button or keypad control, microprocessor, or computer. A variety of keypads is available which allows up to several hundred picks to be queued and sorted to increase throughput. Personal computers can direct operation activity and can network the vertical carousel to other systems.
The variety of software available is broad and there is also a wide scope of activities for special applications, such as tool room management, and some for specific capabilities, such as barcode input or item tracking. Major advances in controls and software have significantly increased productivity.
For example, computer-driven light bar systems can speed picking and enhance accuracy. Software can control and operate several machines to further improve productivity.
Safety systems include interlocks to prevent unauthorized access to the inside of the machine and various types of pinch-point protection including photo-electric and touch-sensitive devices.
That's all Folks!
10:41 AM
0 people bothered to read:
| View Show | Create Your Own | Playlist