Transporting Cylinders Through Finishing Line Certified Cylinder Service (CCS, Inc.) operates a maintenance and refurbishing facility for compressed gas cylinders in Ontario, Canada. With some of the most advanced hydrostatic testing equipment available in the market, Certified Cylinder also does Hydrostatic Re-qualification and has played host to Transport Canada inspectors for equipment training. Certified Cylinder is also an approved vendor for Linde, Air Liquide, Praxair and many other Canadian gas suppliers. The company has grown steadily over the last five years and has recently installed a second test station that is unique in their industry. From Start to Finishing Line in Two Weeks Time Since opening its operation 5 years ago, Certified Cylinder had relied on an entirely manual system for transporting their cylinders through the paint and finishing process. Cylinders were rolled, lifted and moved all using human labor. With the business growing, Scott Robinson knew that some automation would be required in order to maintain the volume of output with any degree of efficiency. Scott had a vision for his new finishing system. His goals were to: minimize the lifting of cylinders by the operators. reduce the drying time of the cylinders between paint applications. allow operators to easily rotate the cylinders while painting. avoid paint run off during transportation of the cylinders from the paint booth to the drying area. In addition, Scott needed the new system to be in place NOW, so he was looking for a company who was capable of providing a very quick turnaround. Scott contacted Robert D’Alesio at Pacline Overhead Conveyors to discuss the project....
Overhead Conveyor for Over-the-Top Children’s Store Kids Cavern is 35,000 square feet of children’s toys, electronics, candy, high-end clothing and gifts in an environment designed to entertain and wow children and adults alike. Located in the Sands Cotai Central complex in Macau China, this spectacular space was designed by Christian Jochman of Callison Designs in Seattle, Washington. Pacline Overhead Conveyors was called in by the engineering team of Dillon Works who were responsible for adding the animation and theatrical effects that brought this dazzling space to life. The Challenge In the toy area of Kids Cavern, the Callison design included a unique curved, powered conveyor track integrated into the ceiling area. The track needed to move large toy helicopters and other objects in a large specific multi-diameter loop. PACLINE has installed numerous overhead conveyors in retail settings over the years. However, as is the case with all PACLINE installations – no two jobs are the same and Kids Cavern was no exception. When PACLINE engineers reviewed the design drawings it was apparent that the track curve requirements were ‘unique’ and standard PAC-LINE™ curves were not going to meet the specs. Dillon confirmed that the curve requirements of the ceiling track had been an issue with other suppliers who were unable to meet the specific requirements of the project. The Solution The PAC-LINE™ Overhead Conveyor The PAC-LINE™ enclosed conveyor was deemed ideal for this project. The low profile enclosed track is quiet and easy to install in virtually any environment. Also, the PAC-LINE™ product line offers standard track and curves and all parts are bolt together with no welding required,...
Overhead Conveyor Transports Alpine Sleds The Challenge Winter Park ski resort in Colorado needed to find an easier and safer way to transport their sleds from the bottom of the alpine slide track to the chair lift at the bottom of the the mountain. Here, the sleds would be placed on the chairlifts to take them to the top of mountain. However, since the top of the alpine slide track extended above the top of the chair lift, there was also a need to transport the sleds from the chairlift unload area to the very top of the track. The Solution The solution for the Winter Park Alpine Slide was an overhead conveyor system designed by Pacline Overhead Conveyors. This type of conveyor system is typically used to handle automotive parts or to carry items through various manufacturing processes but has proven to be highly versatile and suitable for a very wide range of non-industrial applications. The PAC-LINE™ overhead conveyor consists of a 2 inch diameter round track which encloses the conveyor chain. For this application, chain pendants allow for hooks to be attached to hold the sleds. The hooks could then be spaced to match the timing of the ski lift chairs. The enclosed track design provided some added benefits for this unique conveyor application installed outdoors The conveyor system installed for the Alpine Slide is powered by a simple ¾ HP, 120-volt single-phased motor. A key feature of the PAC-LINE™ enclosed track conveyor that made it ideal for this outdoor installation was that the track is zinc plated to prevent rusting and corrosion. Also, the round enclosed-track...
Conveyor Handles 400 lb Parts for Paint Finishing THE CHALLENGE This customer, a manufacturer of iron fittings for the water and waste-water industry, had a $1,000,000 back log of orders. They were having difficulty keeping up with the final cementing and painting requirements and their facility was becoming congested with forklifts and other equipment and machinery. They needed a solution for accumulating the large volume of cemented pipes and to move them through the painting process. The system had to be capable of handling parts weighing up to 400 lbs. THE SOLUTION Using Solidworks drawings, the engineers at PACLINE Overhead Conveyors designed a system that utilized a combination of roller conveyors and the Pacline PAC-MAX™ heavy duty overhead conveyor. In designing the new finishing system, the first issue to be addressed was the need to accumulate and cure the very large volume of parts prior to the painting process. To handle this, several banks of roller conveyors were installed. PACLINE supplied a transfer cart that would dock with the roller conveyors. This allowed the customer to shuttle the skids of cured parts from the roller conveyors onto the transfer cart. The cart was then undocked and manually pushed to the PAC-MAX™ overhead conveyor line. Here, the skid of pipe fittings was pushed onto a scissor lift. The lift was operated with a pedal keeping the operator’s hands free to attach the part to the load bars which were hanging from the overhead conveyor. Using PAC-MAX™ 45 and 90 degree curved tracks, the PACLINE system carried the heavy parts through the dip tank where they were painted and then into...
Side Slot Conveyor for Plastic Parts Finishing PAC-MAX™ Conveyor System replaces the typical spindle / chain-on-edge conveyor. Choosing the right conveyor to move automotive parts or any other part through paint finishing operations requires careful consideration and must take into account a host of issues such as: Weight and size of the product Type of carrier or holder for the part Type of paint finishing Temperature of the drying or curing oven Physical dimensions of the space When this Tier 1 automotive parts supplier was building a new facility to handle paint and finishing of plastic parts, they were looking to improve on the material handling process they had used in the past. The Old System – Chain-on-edge Spindle Conveyor The previous system consisted of a floor mounted conveyor with spindle trolley carts. This system required external guide rails to support the moving carts and help stabilize the carrier and part. This type of system (shown to the right) posed several potential problems: The external bearings were exposed, making them susceptible to dust, paint and other debris. The heavy cart and exposed bearing on the side tracks can create increased friction, especially around curves. This friction and the increased power required to move the carts can make it especially difficult to operate if there is an incline in the track. Around tight curves there is an increased possibility of the trolley cart jamming in the guide track. The Challenge When building their new paint finishing operation, this customer came to PACLINE looking for a conveyor that would eliminate the need for external support rails and one that had the chain and bearings...
