Product category:
Plant Design and Construction
News Release from: Sandretto UK | Subject: RGE Engineering
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 March 2005
New injection moulding machine
installation
Leading injection moulding machinery supplier Sandretto UK has just completed a 16 machine, hole-in-the-wall factory redesign and refurbishment for RGE Engineering in Yate, Bristol
Leading injection moulding machinery supplier Sandretto UK has just completed a 16 machine, hole-in-the-wall factory redesign and refurbishment for RGE Engineering in Yate, Bristol The RGE facility has been designed to supply components for a new range of Indesit manufactured white goods - condenser and vented driers for the domestic market
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 23 Jan 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Both domestic appliances employ a radical design of plastic base.
The new Sandretto moulding machines at RGE Yate - from 485 to 1000 tonne locking force - are all equipped with Dal Maschio based automation systems and are all serviced with a custom designed and built Sandretto UK Green Box cooling system.
Sandretto UK managing director Terry O'Reilly comments that 'we are delighted to have secured what, to my knowledge, is the biggest single contract for injection moulding machines in the UK over the past 15 months.' O'Reilly adds that 'more and more we are seeing demand for the Sandretto UK full-service package - not only for designing and supplying automation and chilling equipment with the injection moulding machines, but also in handling the project management, factory design and logistical services for the whole job.
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We see this kind of contract as a trend for us and are looking forward to developing similar turnkey projects later in the year.' The effective production of White Goods demands leading-edge design, high output, and reduction of processing costs.
All of these are key to meeting production targets and the choice of injection moulding machine is critical to ensure that the manufacturing is profitable.
Consequently Sandretto UK was given responsibility and accountability for the design and layout of the new RGE factory; including conversion of the former metals press shop and stores to the current newly equipped plastics moulding shop.
The project management involved many aspects, including discussing tool layouts to ensure they can be cost effectively automated to dealing with material flow through the factory and ensuring that the most efficient use was made from the allocated space.
The production of the plastic base for the condenser dryer at the RGE facility was one of the most critical jobs to engineer at the factory since it is the largest moulding in the dryer and the longest cycling component.
In operation, two pairs of a Sandretto 1000 tonne and 820 tonne machine first mould the two halves of the dryer base.
These components are then stacked in groups of four on an indexing conveyor which drives them to a Sandretto UK-supplied 6 axis robot.
The robot places the base halves into a vibration welding work station.
After being welded together the finished base is palletised on a euro pallet, the full pallets been conveyed in and out of the cell automatically.The Nove S range of machines was chosen to mould the smaller internal components.
'Our current range of Machines,' notes O'Reilly, 'has a highly efficient hydraulic system with low power consumption and cooling needs.
Limited floor space at Yate was another factor in the choice of machines, the Mega T ES range is a lot shorter than the traditional Mega range from Sandretto, and so we were able to meet the machine footprint criteria.
The Mega T ES range of machines offers many benefits to the customer, including generous platen dimensions; low power consumption thanks to the innovative energy efficient hydraulic circuit that also requires reduced water-cooling.
The sturdy structure of the machine will ensure many years of trouble free service.
'All the Sandretto machines at this facility require automation to varying degrees,' notes Chris Whitlam, Sandretto UK National Sales Manager for Automation and Ancillaries.
'It is now an almost automatic pre-requisite of any new mould shop build or turnkey package.
Part of the challenge with the Yate job,' adds Whitlam, 'was the configuration of the available floor space - a square footage area which, as the project developed, was subject to a number of changes.' Sandretto UK helped ensure that all the injection moulding machines were supplied with standard 3 Axis servo drive beam robots except for the moulding machine that was running a stack mould.
This machine was fitted with a 5 axis dual arm beam robot system.
The five axis robot twin arms will remove the two components from the cavities in the mould and place them to a conveyor.
Whitlam also notes that the Yate facility also gave Sandretto UK an opportunity to show the client the advantages of a free cooling system, featuring three way valve technology 'and driven by a free cooler airblast chiller outside the shop floor.
The whole installation was ideal in enabling us to demonstrate a full range of our skills - in processing expertise, automation experience, and in large project management.'.
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