Güdel gantry robots sort and palletise tyres
Güdel’s Gantry Robot Systems have become something of an industry standard amongst the Worlds’ major tyre manufactures. Companies such as Bridgestone, Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Pirelli all rely on Güdel technology to manipulate, transport, sort and palletise tyres through their various manufacturing processes. Güdel UK’s Will Bourn explains why the Gantry Robot has become the preferred solution.
With an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the roads each year, the volume of tyres for OEM’s and the replacement markets continues to grow, which means it’s essential for manufacturers to optimise the way in which tyres and handled to make best use of precious manufacturing floor-space. Güdel Gantry Robot Systems have established themselves as an efficient and cost effective solution to tyre handling applications for a number of the Worlds’ leading brands. Güdel’s expertise in the sector spans some 15 years, both as a component supplier and as a supplier of complete handling systems. Projects completed by Güdel include transporting, storage, handling and palletising both green and finished tyres within plants in Europe, the US and Asia.
The capability of Gantry Robots to cover large areas whilst requiring only a minimum footprint is at the heart of their success in this sector. Typical installations will span widths of around 15 metres, and can cover distances up to 100 metres in length, enabling the efficient handling, sorting and storage of huge numbers of tyres.
The same Güdel Gantry Robot System concepts are used for completed wheel and tyre assemblies. In this application sets of 4 or 5 wheels, depending upon the type of spare wheel to be fitted to a vehicle, are sorted and stored. These are then picked as required to fulfil JIT and sequenced presentation to the vehicle assembly line.
Long gone are the days when a particular vehicle type would all have the same wheel and tyre combination. The increasing levels of personalisation available to buyers of new vehicles mean a wide range of wheel styles and tyre types must be readily available to match the requirements of individual vehicles. The capability of the Gantry Robot to span large areas, provides the maximum workspace available to store all of the different wheel and tyre combinations needed at any time.
As part of the complete solution for this sector, Güdel has also designed specialist gripper systems to handle tyres at their various stages of manufacture, including when in the green state.
Visit the Gudel website for more information
