Process optimisation with RUD’s new generation of tool movers
Aalen, Germany (jm).
Cool moves for heavy tools and bulky items: RUD’s Tool Mover takes the strain out of tasks such as unmounting heavy tools from injection moulding machines or dismantling machine parts weighing several tonnes that previously needed a crane and at least two operators. This latest generation of the innovative Tool Mover provides users with a much larger working surface at the lowest possible working height. This isn’t just “cool for tools” but has major benefits for operators, workshop managers, workplace safety inspectors and financial controllers: with Tool Mover, handling tools has never been so safe, efficient and effective in terms of costs or processing.
RUD’s Tool Mover can be supplied in configurations that suit your exact requirements. For example, the smallest Slim version can handle weights of up to 10 tonnes on its sturdy 800 mm table surface. The Tool Mover system has been designed for use in the tool and mould-making industries, with injection moulding and pressing tools, and with pressing, bending and forming technologies. It is also ideally suited for applications in the automotive, electronics and packaging industries.
“If you’re looking for a win-win situation for everyone involved in maintenance, you can’t do better than Tool Mover. Financial controllers are pleased that the machine pays for itself in less than a year. Operational managers and workshop managers benefit from much shorter maintenance processes and service teams can work more efficiently without risk of injury, thanks to the machine’s ergonomic design”, explained Anne Kühling, Product Manager in the Conveyor & Drive division at RUD Ketten Rieger & GmbH und Co. KG, headquartered in Aalen, Germany.
Ergonomics and workplace safety at a glance
Great news for operators: when designing the latest generation of the Tool Mover system, RUD’s engineers reduced the height of the working surface on the smallest model to 595 mm. “Enabling users to work as ergonomically as possible was really important to us. This lower working height means that opened tools can be maintained directly on the working table. Operators can work more comfortably in a natural posture, and there are fewer setup costs”, said Klaus Pfaffeneder, Head of Design at RUD Ketten (Conveyor & Drive division).
The Tool Mover has revolutionised maintenance procedures, enabling operators to work in full compliance with occupational health and safety regulations (such as the German BGV). “Anyone who uses a crane to haul or pull loads across the floor is not only creating a fire hazard but also working in contravention of current standards. For instance, Paragraph §37 of German trade associations accident prevention regulations for cranes specifically prohibits this”, said Kühling.
With an integrated Omega Drive
RUD’s Tool Mover makes it really easy: this innovative tool-handling machine is designed to axially rotate tools and machine components weighing up to 64 tonnes. It rotates and turns over even the heaviest loads, reliably and safely. The machine turns over loads smoothly in their centre of gravity. The Tool Mover’s work table has a frequency-regulated drive to ensure it stops and starts smoothly, without juddering. RUD’s Tool Mover is also fitted with a high-end drive system from the TECDOS range. The Omega Drive at the core of the system ensures perfect rotation during turn-over.
Faster than a crane
The Tool Mover can turn over objects at least twice as quickly as a crane, in less than a minute. Plugs or cooling hoses that usually have to be dismounted for safety reasons during component maintenance using a crane can simply stay in place when the Tool Mover is used to turn over the components.
A revolution in planning
In some cases, you might even save a great deal of money by installing a Tool Mover in your workshop instead of investing in an expensive crane system. The Tool Mover can be moved easily with a fork lift truck or pallet truck, etc., and installed exactly where it is needed. “This gives companies entirely new options for planning production sites. Maintenance procedures and logistics can be completely rethought to benefit from the potential for new hall layouts and innovative handling processes”, explained Anne Kühling.
Yet another benefit: The Tool Mover also protects existing infrastructure such as the production hall floor, because tools and machine components no longer have to be dragged over to maintenance points.
Extensive range
RUD manufactures the Tool Mover at its headquarters in Aalen, Germany. Available in six standard sizes, the Tool Mover is ideal for a wide range of tool sizes. The smallest version, with a table area of 800 x 1300 mm (L x W) can handle up to 10 tonnes. In contrast, the THS 64 (the largest standard version) can rotate tools and machine components weighing up to 64 tonnes safely and smoothly on its 3500 x 2500 mm table area (L x W).
RUD can also fit the Tool Mover with different tabletop surfaces (e.g. polyethylene) to suit individual customer requirements. Anti-slip polyurethane surfaces are also available on request. Optional add-on parts for added workplace safety, such as guard brackets or a protective sheet to prevent operators reaching into the machine, are also available. A light curtain or protective fence can also be supplied to optimise safety in the working environment. A special working platform for ensuring operator safety when attaching attachment points and lashings is also available as an option.
The Tool Mover’s wireless control units have also been designed with practicality in mind: with them, operators can control the rotating table safely and conveniently from outside the danger zone.
You can find a Tool Mover configurator at www.rud.com.
Author: Sabrina Deininger
About RUD:
The company RUD Ketten Rieger & Dietz GmbH u. Co. KG, was founded by Carl Rieger and Friedrich Dietz in Aalen, Southern Germany, in 1875. Today, it has a workforce of more than 1,700 employees in 120 countries and achieves annual revenues of over 200 million Euros. RUD is acknowledged as the global leader in the tyre chains, sling chains and chain systems industry (According to German business journal Wirtschaftswoche, Prestige-Hochschule St. Gallen). With the group’s motto, “Tradition in Dynamic Innovation” firmly in mind, this family-run company continues to manufacture integrated chain and component solutions at its sites in countries including Germany, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Romania and the USA. Its product ranges include not only attachment fittings and non-skid chains but also hoist chains and conveyor systems. The long-established German company also manufactures tyre protection chains and interior and exterior fixtures and fittings.