Packaging
Handling of glass and window
Tuesday 06. May 2008 - Vacuum lifting devices VacuMaster Window Comfort and aluminium crane systems form optimally matched material-flow solutions for sheets of glass and windows.
The lifting device series VacuMaster Window from the vacuum specialist J. Schmalz GmbH in D-72293 is specifically designed for companies which cut glass to size and manufacture windows. These lifting devices, which are available in three sizes and capable of lifting loads weighing up to 170, 225 kg and 300 kg, are equipped with either two suction plates with a diameter of 300 mm or four suction plates with a diameter of 250 or 300 mm. In addition to the vertical handling of sheets of glass or complete windows, the devices permit manual tilting of the workpieces by up to 90° to either side. This means that the sheets of glass can be picked up, moved and inserted into the waiting window frames by a single person. In the past, at least two persons were needed for this task. The same is of course true for the handling of windows with one or more sashes. For this purpose, the suction pads can be adjusted to any desired position on two parallel cross beams (maximum dibble thickness 45 mm) to ensure good balance and precise positioning. Practical features for the safe gripping and movement of workpieces include a vacuum reservoir, which was made considerably larger as part of the last product update about six months ago, a vacuum manometer for direct visual monitoring of the vacuum and an electronic warning device which immediately signals any loss of vacuum, thus permitting the necessary measures to be implemented. In addition to the standard version of the VacuMaster Window, Schmalz now also offers a Comfort version for even more ergonomic handling. On this VacuMaster Window Comfort, the controls for the chain hoist and the vacuum are integrated into the operator handle. Tilting of the workpiece by 90° is done manually with the aid of a grip mounted on the operator handle. The user can thus grip a workpiece, tilt it (if required) and release it easily and without moving his hands from the handle. The energy-saving function reduces the energy consumed during handling and thus also reduces the noise level: the pump runs only when the vacuum in the reservoir drops below a certain level, something which happens only rarely when handling airtight workpieces such as sheets of glass. And in order to meet the last remaining wishes of our customers, our engineers are currently developing an electrically powered tilting function, which will be available in the early summer of 2008.
Complete solutions from a single source
Depending on the requirements, the vacuum lifting devices VacuMaster Window can be suspended from chain hoists carried on various crane systems. In this area, J. Schmalz GmbH offers users a wide range of possible solutions and can, if desired, plan, manufacture and install the complete vacuum handling system. An ideal and extremely ergonomic solution is the combination of an aluminium crane system and a VacuMaster Window Comfort, since this offers a high degree of freedom with respect to material flow and, at the same time, access to the machines, the storage areas for glass sheets and the window assembly areas. Schmalz currently offers the following crane systems, all of which are constructed from aluminium rails: overhead cranes (monorail or with one or two beams) for covering large working areas and wall-mounted and column-mounted slewing cranes. All of these crane systems can be equipped, as desired, with a chain hoist or a cable balancer for use with a vacuum lifting device. For such applications, we strongly recommend the use of a chain hoist with frequency regulation, since this permits very precise positioning with little effort. The Schmalz aluminium crane systems are based on a modular design, are very light, are easy to install and can lift loads weighing up to 650 kg. The crane runways or jibs are available in various lengths for optimal matching to the task in hand. The light aluminium construction of the cranes makes it very easy to move, brake and position the loads and thus permits the fast, safe and effortless movement of all types of goods.
Summary
Combinations of a aluminium crane system and a vacuum lifting device VacuMaster Window Comfort are available for maximum workpiece weights of 170, 225 and 300 kg. The wide range of Schmalz aluminium crane systems permits selection of a flexible, ergonomic and safe solution for the handling of glass and windows. Since the systems are constructed from standard components which are kept in stock, such complete handling and material-flow systems can be manufactured very quickly. The easy-running aluminium crane systems and the ergonomic vacuum lifting devices VacuMaster Window Comfort simplify the difficult handling of glass. They also make the work easier for the operating personnel and improve their motivation and performance, resulting in better assembly quality.