“The issue of intralogistics is becoming more and more important,” says Yves Dicke, Manager Montrac of Montech. More and more companies are willing to deploy automated solutions to transfer small plastic parts produced by their injection molding presses. “Normally, the parts are transported manually or by means of fork-lift trucks to a buffer area, waiting to be transferred to the packaging department,” says Dicke.
Most Montrac applications in the plastics industry are found in warehouse logistics and secondary process logistics. With Montrac, the parts produced by the injection molding presses can be carried directly to the packaging area. The empty boxes are sent to the presses using a just-in-time method. Just-in-sequence and just-in-time transport, based on Chaos Technology to assign the final destinations of each shuttle, can be implemented with an affordable investment. According to Dicke, another benefit of this solution is that possible flaws and quality issues are identified immediately, thus minimizing production wastes.
Transport system, belt conveyor and scale, all in one Specifically for the plastic industry, Montech has developed a Montrac module provided with a belt conveyor and integrated scale. Through an accumulation belt, which works independently of the machine and process cycle time, the finished parts leaving a machine (for instance, an injection press) are collected and fed into a container located on a shuttle of the Montrac system. Here, the integrated precision scale by Eilersen measures the content weight with an accuracy degree up to 1/10 grams. The whole process is automated and the parts can be dosed in batches of any size and weight with no further manual operations. “With this solution, injection molding presses can be perfectly integrated with the logistic system,” Dicke explains.
Universal shuttle system With Montrac, Montech has developed a transport system with a modular concept for universal applications. The self-moving shuttles run along the maintenance-free monorail track with speeds up to 30 m/min. The electrically operated elements (switches and crossings) do not require pneumatic operation (compressed air). Electric power is supplied directly through the rails. Shuttles and rails communicate via infrared rays.
Easy installation The Trac monorails and TracLink connection elements ensure quick and easy assembling: two tools are all it takes to install a Montrac line or to adapt it to new situations and requirements. “In this way, the layout flexibility is virtually unlimited,” says Dicke.
Belt conveyors for the plastic industry The product range by Montech includes traditional conveyors, available in different lengths and widths for three different configurations. The belt conveyors in standard, Minidrive and Maxi versions are designed to carry parts to or from the various manufacturing stations or they are combined to form complete production lines.
Modular construction The Montech conveyors are based on a modular concept with ready-to-use standard components. Thanks to their modularity, the conveyors can be assembled in variable configurations, extended or shortened with a simple and cost-effective approach. “With their modular construction, all belts can be used to create specific transport solutions for each customer”, said Gianluca Aloisi, Manager Conveyors, Montech AG. The conveyors have standard widths included between 45 and 800 mm, while their length can be selected freely up to 15 meter length in one millimeter steps. The conveyors can carry weights up to 125 kg.
Basic belt conveyor Latest news from Montech includes the Basic model added to the range of belt conveyors. These new belts have limited functionality, for instance only five speeds can be set. The Basic conveyors are available with drives installed at the end or in the middle, and frame widths between 45 and 800 mm. “The Basic belts are like high-end cars without options like heated seats, navigator or sunroof,” says Aloisi. With this product, according to Aloisi, Montech delivers high-quality belt conveyors in the lower price range, thus offering an interesting solution for the plastic industry.
