Cranes Working With Robots To Create A Safe And Efficient Process
Pen Steel has been supplying steel materials and components to manufacturers since 1998. They have always been proud of their excellent quality and on time delivery. Consequently, they look for partners who have those same values.
Penny E. Rosso, President and Owner has always recognized the value of technology and innovation to get more done.
“I look to work with vendors who want a working partnership. And when I find a company like Riekes - who sets us up for success, listens to our needs, and goes out of their way to make sure we are completely satisfied - we will hitch our wagon to that relationship”
And thanks to a referral from another satisfied customer, Riekes got the opportunity to support a crane installation at the Pen facility.
INITIAL CHALLENGE
Pen Steel utilizes two electric robotic weld cells that work on pieces weighing up to 375 lbs. Their employees couldn’t easily handle projects of that weight except by using forklifts which were risky to operate over an expensive piece of robotic equipment. Pen needed a safe and ergonomic solution that could make the handling of these large pieces more efficient. They knew an overhead crane was the answer, but they needed a partner.
OUR SOLUTION
Pen had started building their own runway system and partnered with Riekes to ensure that their system was safe and capable of handling the weight and type of steel the crane would need support. Riekes took measurements and identified additional bracing needs required for the loads that Pen would be handling. Reikes shared the engineering requirements so the appropriate uprights could be designed. Pen Steel then installed two runway systems each with a crane to move steel around each welding robot.
THE RESULTS
Today Pen Steel utilizes the overhead crane in their operations daily, which saves time while increasing productivity. The important benefit is that the crane protects both the robotic equipment and their team members. The two companies continue to partner and explore other opportunities.