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Intelligent Multi Spindles Increase Production and Quality
Problem:
A local axle manufacturer has had ongoing issues with accurate torqueing of axle shaft bolts. The bolts are inaccurately torqued with pneumatic pulse tools or missed altogether by the operators as they are in 8 lug and 12 lug patterns and require many accurate rundowns to produce a quality part.
Air Power Solution
Apex Tool Group intelligent 4 spindle multi-spindles with torque management arms eliminate both inaccurate torques along with potential mishits of fasteners. The 4 spindles will be adjustable to hit both patterns, highly accurate within a few percent of the targeted torque, and have rotational transducers that will tell us which fasteners have been hit and eliminate missed fasteners and re-hits by the operators.
Results
This solution will decrease the amount of manual operator input of fastener tightening thus speeding up the manufacturing process, as well as, eliminate re-hits and missed fasteners by the operators. This system will collect data and communicate with their existing MES system to confirm the accurate torque of each set of axle bolts, providing data points and a birth certificate of a successful assembly. This will have a profound effect on both the quality of the parts produced as well as the speed at which they are produced. One ergonomic bonus – the system will remove the operator from handling the existing large pneumatic pulse tools manually creating for a safer and more sustainable work environment.
Counterweight Confusion
This case study was presented by Baltimore Key Account Manager Lorne Rickert.
Challenge
A counterweight was attached to a turntable before the Hydraulic Motor which “keys” the turntable to the frame, located underneath. The counterweight caused the turntable to rotate until it was so far off balance that the Turntable with Counterweight fell off the Frame, coming to a rest about 2’ from a Team Member! This posed a significant safety hazard, as well as, assembly frustration to the onsite engineering team.
Air Power Solution
Air Power utilized an Ingersoll Rand QX Power Tool and Sturtevant Richmont Digital Wrench to positively confirm that all of the tightening’s have been completed before the Counterweight can be installed.
Results
Air Power’s Engineering Team, Michael John and Jesse Bryant, designed a “Lifting Sling Lock” device that will not release the lifting sling for the counterweight until the Tightening’s are complete – a Poke Yoke control to insure safety. This “Lifting Sling Lock” is utilized in conjunction with the I/O output of the Ingersoll Rand QX and the STR Digital Wrench, thus eliminating the safety hazard of a dropped counterweight. The Lifting Sling Lock will only unlock once all tightening have been positively confirmed, removing a safety hazard and improving overall production quality.
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