Arburg has got the hang of it . . .

Germany-based Arburg, a leading manufacturer of plastics processing machinery, is now using a RUD Tecdos TM Tool Mover, at its headquarters in Lossburg, which is designed to safely and efficiently turn, rotate, and tilt heavy moulds and tools on the shopfloor — at the touch of a button.

Arburg offers trials and tool tests for its customers in its 2,100m² customer centre at its head office — where it houses more than 30 of its flagship Allrounder injection moulding machines, 3-D printers and laboratories for special processes. This enables customers to test tools and machines, and optimise processes in a practical and professional environment — an added benefit for the Arburg team is that the RUD Tool Mover is designed with aesthetics in mind.

Roland Gruber, Group manager of application programming and commissioning in the automation and turnkey department, said: “When tools arrive at our premises, they are usually 'inverted' so that they must be turned 90deg for testing. This is now carried out by the RUD Tecdos TM Tool Mover.”

The injection moulding machine manufacturer also uses the tool mover during the commissioning of turnkey projects, for example when a customer uses a machine and mould before delivery. Arburg uses the RUD Tecdos TM 13/13-10 model, which rotates moulds weighing up to 10 tonnes safely and efficiently. When tools arrive in Lossburg, the company previously used a crane for the 90deg turning of tools weighing between 200kg and 10 tonnes, and up to 1.2m in size. Mr Gruber explained: “With the crane, the entire turning process was taking 30 to 45min — now we have a net turning time of around 45sec.”

However, saving time was not the main factor in Arburg’s decision to opt for the RUD Tecdos TM. Mr Gruber, who sees the time savings as an added bonus, said: “Our focus was clearly on increasing work safety and ergonomics for our workers.” The tool mover enables BGV-compliance and safe working without the risk of injury.

Transported easily
For the teams in the customer centre and in commissioning, the handling process has changed fundamentally — previously, employees used to drive the tool to the crane and to the attachment points. Now staff can bring the tool mover to the tool and the RUD Tecdos TM can be moved with an industrial truck, such as a forklift or pallet truck, and can be transported easily between the various halls at Arburg to the desired location.

In addition to increased work safety, the Tecdos TM also mkinimises the risk of injuries. The customer tools that arrive at Arburg are lifted onto the tool turner by crane and then rotated by the employees at the touch of a button while standing. For the Tecdos TM, which Arburg also uses in its customer centre, the engineers at RUD have come up with a special system — they have lowered the work surface to a height of 595mm. Thanks to the low working height, it is possible to work directly on the tool if required.

The RUD Tecdos TM not only makes work safe for people, but also for the tools. The tool turner is designed for axial rotational movements of tools and machine components up to 64 tonnes (in the largest version). The load is turned at the centre of gravity smoothly — the Tecdos TM ensures particularly smooth starting and stopping, and is equipped with a high-end drive system from the Tecdos range.

Depending on requirements and customer wishes, RUD equips its tool mover with different table supports made of polyethylene; anti-slip polyurethane supports, and custom supports are optional. Additional extras such as safety bars or guard rails as well as light curtains or safety barriers ensure higher safety. The RUD Tecdos TM for Arburg is equipped with polyethylene table supports as increased protection for the customer‘s tools. Another special feature for Arburg is that RUD has branded the tool mover in Arburg’s dark grey colour.

Arburg has also made a special adaptation for the pallet truck on the tool mover. Tobias Rathgeb, area sales manager for mould handling at RUD, said: “This adaptation was made in consultation with us, and we calculated everything necessary, for example the load capacity. Although we manufacture our mould-handling products in a standard version, we are open to customisations as required.”