Case Study #1: Woodlink Ltd.

Situation Analysis:
The specification was for a chain driven live roller conveyor with a "flip/push off" device. The device was required to flip/push off random lengths of wood exiting a rip saw into a mobile cart, where the wood would accumulate and stack for ease of manual transfer to the next stage in processing. One of the main objectives for the Almac team was to ensure that there was a maintained continuous flow of material, while pieces were selected and cast aside.

The concept and design for the Automatic Rip Saw Cart Loader was developed by one of Almac's teams, Peter Sheppard (Sr. Technical Sales), Klavdia Gartsbein (Engineering), and Victor Lourenco (Fitter/Welder 2/Electircal Technician Level 4), in answer to Woodlink Ltd's needs.

Problem(s):

• The product was exiting the ripsaw at a fast rate.
• The distance between each wood piece was very minimal.
• Products had to complete a clean transfer, with minimal markings on wood.

Almac's Solutions:
The solution was to use a chain driven live roller conveyor and design an air operated retractable "flip/push off" device that was mounted under the system. When sensors detected a positioned piece of wood, the device was activated and the wood was flipped off into a mobile cart. Since the retractable fingers were situated under the conveyor, it allowed for them to reset, without disrupting the flow of traffic. This allowed for the system to handle the quick piece count and limited room between products.

The force behind the fingers was great enough to eject a piece of wood from the conveyor, yet was not hard enough to damage the selected products.

The ejected product was quickly and easily stacked into a mobile bin, where they were swiftly moved to the next stage in the process cycle.

Final Synopsis
This pneumatic device, when sensing a piece of wood in position, allowed for the selection of wood products after passing through the ripsaw, and eject it into a mobile companion cart, where they were transferred to the next processing step.

Almac's ability to deal with the issue of timing allowed for the selected pieces to be dispersed of, without disrupting the flow of material. The material handling unit, which came to be known as "The Flipper", has increased the level of efficiency, allowing Woodlink Ltd. to free up manpower for other areas of manufacturing.

Case Study #2: MDS Nordion

Situation Analysis:
MDS Nordion, one of Almac's largest and oldest customers, required a major modification to address safety and ergonomics issues in relation to their tote load/unload stations.

Almac was able to help MDS with this situation, as we understand that when dealing with the massive amounts of product that Nordion deals with on a daily basis, you need the latest technology in order to keep up with market demands. If any part of the system is down, it has detrimental impact on the entire product flow.

The system needed to be designed to allow for a continuous, efficient and ergonomically correct method of loading and unloading products.

Problem(s):

• Machine must be constantly active, with minimal downtime.
• Must be able to manage heavy loads.
• Must make the loading and unloading ergonomically easy on employees.
• Must take into consideration the fragility of the products, while maintaining the strength and durability of the system.

Almac's Solutions:
In order to guarantee maximum product flow levels, there were a couple of matters that Almac took into consideration in order to minimize the downtime of the tilt station.

• Limited the number of moving parts. This limited the number of items that could possibly malfunction.
• And, because Almac used a variable frequency drive (V.F.D.) method, instead of the typical chain and sprocket system, Nordion did not have to make the mandatory regular adjustments, which was a major positive factor in the production method.

Using the typical heavy-duty structural steel frames that Almac is known for, it allowed for the system to maximize its durability and longevity.

While in the designing process, Almac took into consideration the type of product and the human component to determine how to safely transfer the manufactured good, while lessening the human effort of this repetitive task. The titling angle that was designed into the final product allowed for simple extraction of the product with the least amount of possible strain on an employee.

A 1 HP Eurodrive, multi-stage gear motor with break, activated the tilt mechanism. By using the Eurodrive, it allowed for complete control over the tilt stations at all angles of rotation. Well experimenting with several types of gearboxes and drive shafts, it wasn't until they tried a VFD drive shaft that they had complete control.

Final Synopsis
Once again, Almac rose to the challenge by designing and building a device that did not utilize any chains or sprockets, but rather a VFD drive shaft mount to meet the needs of Nordion. This allowed for the tilt stations to function around the clock, without the general maintenance that most systems need.

This system had a warm reception by the employees at MDS Nordion. Not only was Nordion pleased with the unload/load tilt systems, but they were also extremely happy with the entire Almac produced conveyor system, which handled products for the entire irradiating process.

Case Study #3: The Peelle Company Ltd. Manufacturer of Freight Elevator Doors

Situation Analysis:
Our customer, The Peelle Company Ltd, is an Ontario based manufacturer of elevator doors. They required a heavy-duty conveyor that had two-fold functionality. Specifically, a system that allowed both the in-feed and out-feed of angle iron, via an ironworker machine.

Although this was an extremely basic project, it does show the fundamental craftsmanship that is in all of Almac's projects, no matter how technologically advanced they are.

Once again, Almac's clients were extremely pleased with the end result and have continued using our services over the past few years.