Carts are available to accommodate 30" and 36" diameter disc grinding wheels. All models can be towed behind in-plant vehicles and can hold four grinding wheel/backing plate assemblies at a time (one on the change mechanism, one face-down on the table, and two on the outer support cradle).
Some processes and procedures are inherently time-consuming, labor intensive, or even dangerous, and there’s simply nothing that can be done about it. However, if that brings to mind anything that goes on in your business, it might be worth a second look to see if that’s really the case. With a little ingenuity and a willingness to approach the irksome process with fresh eyes, you might just find a better way.
C & B Machinery, a manufacturer of grinding machines in Livonia, Michigan, recently reassessed one process that it says has been plaguing users of double-disc grinding equipment for years. Common in automotive applications, these machines use two opposed, abrasive discs to simultaneously grind opposite faces of a workpiece. The sheer mass and weight of some of these wheel sets makes change-overs not only a difficult chore, but also a process fraught with potential for injury or possible damage to shopfloor equipment.
The company’s solution is the Wheel Change Assist Fixture and Transfer Cart. Wheel and backing plate assemblies mount on a flange that can be rotated between horizontal and vertical positions with the turn of a handle. A pneumatically actuated table can be raised or lowered to the desired height, whether to mount a new wheel assembly to the flange or remove a used one. Aside from actuating the table and rotating the handle, operator involvement consists of little more than guiding wheel assemblies between the machine and cart with a crane and securing them in place.
Joe Parker, CEO, owner and founder of C & B, offers more detail in this YouTube video. Illustrations and a step-by-step guide for using the cart are located on C & B’s website.
Perhaps your organization has similarly re-imagined some difficult process. If so, we’d like to hear about it. Leave a comment below or send me an email.
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