Completed WMS projects

Kasto Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG

Intelligent Stacking Cradle Systems offer utilization potentials for different applications - Friedrich Kicherer KG

Customers

Friedrich Kicherer KG, Ellwangen

Completion

30.06.2003

Branch

• Metal- and plasticsworking industry

Description

Task description

In metal distribution, in the metal processing industry, in public service companies or in job shops, the responsible parties for material flow and production are recognizing the rationalization potentials that lie dormant in the area of internal material logistics. The process chain starts with the unloading of material, affects the economic space-saving storage and ends with the shipment of semi-finished or finished products. Most of the heavy and bulky bar stock, cut-pieces, remnants, sheet metals or other bulky goods have to be stored and moved in a way that they can be moved in and out at short notice and that they are available for on time shipment. Access to these goods has to be quick and easy without too much effort.

A common storage system for bar stock, flat or bulky goods - for small to medium access frequencies - is the storage in stacking cradles, where a large number of the previously mentioned items can be stored on a small footprint and commissioned. The so far used conventional systems only allowed a single lift, which means the restacking of one cradle layer, resulting in slow restacking cycles. Therefore, the system was only used where it made undisputed economic sense or where the stacking heights could be kept low.

To avoid these disadvantages, KASTO analyzed the stacking cradle storage some years ago and has worked out an new concept giving all companies with material flow problems when storing bar stock, flat and bulky goods an interesting alternative. The advantages of the patented intelligent Stacking Cradle System UNIBLOC are, besides others, the new possibility of multiple lifts and easy handling. To lift or deposit the cradles – either individual cradle layers or multiple layers at the same time - the locking and unlocking of the grippers is done by lowering or lifting the spreader beam . A large selection of spreader beams allows KASTO to find a solution for each application: For single or multiple lifts, combined with magnetic operation or as an automated system.

If different lengths need to be stored, telescopic spreader beams are available. For special applications, special versions can be easily designed. From the beginning, KASTO paid attention to the ability to automate the stacking cradle systems to make a solution for economic commissioning with automated material provision available.

Fully Automatic UNIBLOC Stacking Cradle System for 12 m material
A fully automatic KASTO Stacking Cradle System was installed in the summer of 2003 at Friedrich Kicherer KG in Ellwangen to utilize the same rationalization potentials with 12 m material as with both of the – already installed- KASTO Honeycomb Systems. The stacking cradle system was designed with 198 high storage locations for rectangular tubing, 100 low storage locations for angles as well as 30 remnant cassettes. The competent partner for the automatic crane was the company Scheffer Krantechnik GmbH, Sassenberg, with their product area LEG for sway-free cranes. For an accurate positioning of the cradle spreader beam, the crane, with a span of 30 m, was robustly designed for low deflection. The crane was installed at Kicherer, put into operation in manual mode and KASTO added the automation components like a laser way measuring system. According to KASTO specifications, intelligent drive controllers were used, controlled via a profibus-able PLC. The automatic crane lifts loads of up to 10 tons with 20 m/min; with empty travel 29 m/min are reached. Travel speeds are 40 m/min for crab speed and 70 m/min in longitudinal travel. For a stable guide of the stacking cradle spreader beam, which can accept two cradle layers, two 5-fold telescopes are available. The KASTOStacking Cradle System UNIBLOC A feeds from the two shelf blocks a commissioning station with three deposit locations (one location for remnant cassettes and two locations for commissioning. The proven inventory control computer KASTOlvr is used to control the stacking cradle system UNIBLOC A. The KASTOlvr is connected with the higher-ranking host system via Ethernet. Besides heat management, the software options ‘multiple booking’ – the removal of several line items of the same material and for premanufacturing when feeding an available saw - are also used. Another important software option is the remnant cassette management. To increase cycle times, the software contains a restacking program that restacks cradles that are ready for processing to the upper layer.

This examples shows that intelligent stacking cradle systems offer users in the steel distribution, distribution, supply companies, in industry and job shops improvement potentials by using only little space, having high access speeds and better handling. For each individual task the appropriate cradles or cradle fixtures as well as the appropriate transport spreader beams, are available. For an increased turnover requirement, a fully automatic computer controlled stacking cradle solution is available. It offers a further increase in productivity, is more economic and is a competition force. For a task-oriented stacking cradle system that is properly designed according to the required task, amortization is only a question of time: The quantifiable rationalization success -compared to conventional technology – is immediately obvious.

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