Topper Industrial, well known as a leading material handling carts manufacturer in North America has developed a fully automated transfer cart. Topper Industrial’s automated transfer carts create an efficient, ergonomic way to move material in a predetermined, mapped out, safe and reliable process. By choosing to incorporate cart delivery, users are able to create a better, more predictable work flow which improves production and combats unnecessary downtime.
Topper Industrial has developed an automated, two-position transfer cart for material delivery. In the earlier stages of designing and manufacturing transfer carts, the transfer was done by manually pushing or transferring the product. The process would start when a driver using a tugger pulls the transfer cart into the transfer location. The driver lines up the cart using visual indictors or by tracking rails anchored to the floor. The driver would then dismount from the tugger, walk over to the container, release all necessary safety interlock and physically push the container of material into the receiving station.
Over time, Topper’s design team started evolving their transfer cart design by moving materials with powered rollers with the consideration of the ergonomic disadvantages in a manual transfer. The new design on the transfer carts improved load capacities, ergonomics and cycle time. They still pose challenges with the alignment to the transfer locations and execution of the transfer.
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With extensive research and development, as well as advances in technology, Topper Industrial was able to improve solutions to the automated transfer cart design that eliminated all tracking, aligning and pushing ailments seen in the older design.
Topper’s innovation to its manual transfer cart is a fully automated transfer cart that can be designed in one or two positions (or stations). The automated transfer cart coupled in a train formation is ideal for material transport. Topper can design the automated transfer cart for smaller aisle and tighter corners if needed and other styles can be configured and customizable to most other individual needs. For instance, we constructed a batch of low profile, two-position, automated transfer-carts for a company that pulls four carts in consecution and as a result, reduce cycle time and increasing efficiency.
The cart is a quad-steer design. All four caster articulate to achieving a better turning radius than a rigid and swivel design and gives the cart excellent tracking.
A machined insert for the tow ring controls the tolerance between the Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) and Transfer Cart, ensuring the cart location at the transfer station.
The tow bar tethers with a powered plug; through this plug, the cart receives power and communicates its commands of protocol throughout the transfer process with the AGV.
The cart is equipped with four photo-eye sensors that communicate to the smart IO block. Two of the sensors acknowledge when the cart is in the proper position. The other two sensors recognize the transfer to the conveyor or from the conveyor to the cart. They also identify the container location and when the transfer is complete. A fifth photo-eye on the conveyor station communicating similar information to the cart. The communication of the process done through wireless nodes receives data from the conveyor and itself, all while executing moves of the power roller conveyor sections.
Each roller section drives from one power roller. Each power roller is capable of moving 2500lbs. If you need more capacity, the addition of a second power roller is ideal. Each power roller couples to a driver card that sends and receives information. It monitors speed, direction, system faults and temperature.
Topper Industrial’s automated transfer carts create an efficient, ergonomic way to move material in a predetermined, mapped out, safe and reliable process. By choosing to incorporate cart delivery, users can create a better, more predictable workflow which improves production and combats unnecessary downtime.
There are many ways to integrate our transfer cart to your facility.
About Topper Industrial
For more than twenty years, Topper Industrial (www.topperindustrial.com) has been and continues to be a leading manufacturer of material handling equipment. Topper provides lean material handling solutions to the supply chain.
Topper Industrial is able to engineer and design Industrial Carts (Mother / Daughter Cart Systems, Quad Steer Carts or Tracking Carts, Specialized Delivery Carts, Transfer Carts with Roller Deck, Static Carts, Rotation Carts, Tilt Carts or Kitting Carts), Industrial Car tComponents (Parts Department), Industrial Containers(Corrugated Containers), Pallets, Lift/Tilt Systems, and Racking. Topper Industrial designs all products with ergonomics in mind, focusing on ease of use and best positioning of material to get the job done. Topper Industrial is a proud member of MHI. Follow on Twitter @TopperInd. Call 800-529-0909. Contact pr@topperindustrial.com.