PROBLEM

More and more large distribution center warehouses are popping up all around the country. These facilities handle large volumes of consumer products from clothing to home furnishings to toys. Many of these operations are large automated bin storage systems from the floor to the ceiling about as far as the eye can see.

Unfortunately, from time to time, a bin will come loose or a product will fall out and some significant damage occurs. That’s what was happening to one of our local warehouses and they needed help.

SOLUTION

We visited with the maintenance people and reviewed their drive system. Although the speeds were low, the torque to move the large bins was high—creating a great deal of power to do damage when jammed. The compact nature of the design did not give us many mounting options.

We discussed different mechanical overload designs including momentary slip friction types versus ball detent complete disconnect styles. It was decided that complete shut down was required. Next, we had to determine at what torque we would disconnect. We needed to accommodate the high starting torque to get the huge inertia of the system in motion yet prevent damage to the system and products. We reached a decision on a targeted value and selected a torque limiter with up and down adjustment, so it could be fine tuned to their system.

We adapted the overload unit to their drive pulley, which was modified to a bearing mount design. This approach eliminates the equipment and product damage. Because of its quick reset design, as soon as the source of the jam is removed, you can get moving again, so down time is minimized.

If your equipment, no matter what type, costs you money and time because of overloads, give us a call.