Sand cast moulds weighing up to 550kg had to be moved and precisely positioned. The sand casts were fragile and prone to disintegrate when knocked. They needed care and control in lifting and positioning. The company had their own tooling to grip the moulds and only needed a lifter with a hook.
This application required an articulated arm in a balanced state to give the precise control for positioning. It also needed additional safety features in case of total load loss during operation. A crane or hoist was not considered suitable because their jerky up and down movements increased the risk of damage to the mould particularly on positioning.
For this operation a Dalmec MaxiPartner manipulator was chosen with the added safety feature of a hydraulic anti-jump device. The Dalmec MaxiPartner manipulator was mounted on overhead tracking with a pneumatic motorised trolley. The hook and handle were designed to give the operator the best control of the product using both hands. All the controls were positioned ergonomically on the handles so they can be used by the operator without having to take his hands off the handles.
The Dalmec MaxiPartner manipulator can lift weights up to 900kg, the articulated arm and balanced state gives the operator easier control for the moving and positioning of the load. Standard safety features in the manipulator include an air reservoir and one way safety valve. These standard features can be enhanced depending on application. For heavy loads where there is the possibility of total weight loss the hydraulic anti-jump device is available. Other anti-drop or anti-release features are normally included in the toolings/end-effectors because they vary according to the product to be handled.