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| The following state-of-the-art snap-shot was prepared by the students of IENG4571 Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems at Dalhousie University's Industrial Engineering department in September 2004. CONTITECH – Leaders in Innovation and Technology of Conveyors - by Achilles Dimitropoulos ContiTech is a division of the Continental AG organization that specializes in rubber and plastic technology and under the ContiTech umbrella there is a unit called the Conveyor Belt Group. The Conveyor Belt Group has developed an intelligent conveyor belt system called ContiTronic, a new technology which will reduce the amount of energy required to move items on large conveyor systems, and a new innovation using a transportation concept developed with a cable car manufacturer and construction company. The most interesting development that has come from ContiTech is the ContiTronic, which will be the main focus of this report. There will also be mention of the other two developments.
Hoist Cranes - by Aaron MacNeil Kone Cranes have developed a new control system for increased safety
and reduction in maintenance costs, ControlPro. The control system prevents
overloading of the crane, so as to not damage the machine or the operator.
It also adjusts its speed depending on load size to minimize impact forces
that can cause wear and tear on the hoist crane. Kone Cranes have developed a normal headroom trolley that is used in
monorails where there is very little side clearance or curved tracks.
The state of the art system uses a new mechanical configuration and speed
settings that can also be found in the hoist cranes for reducing stresses.
Industrial Trucks - by Reha Kiralp The website I found is http://www.crown.com/ There are also other good
websites on Industrial Trucks such as:
Conveyor Manufacturers - by Mike Hickey Company I: Cisco-Eagle is an American based manufacture of material handling systems
for warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, and commercial operations.
They manufacture many types of material handling solutions including
shelving, racks, lifts, carts and trucks, mezzanines, etc, but specialise
in conveyor systems. Company II: Flex Link appears to specialise in flexible and specialty conveyors.
For example, they manufacture “clean environment” and ESD
(electro-static device) solutions. Also, they do not appear to have the
typical large manufacturing or distribution center size conveyor systems.
However, their smaller conveyor system solutions appear to be top-rated.
Alternate Energy Sources for Lift Trucks - by Jeff Nephew An oft-forgotten element of the material handling process, the lift truck, or fork lift, is an essential element in the day-to-day operation of any warehousing environment. The research presented here looks at the future of power sources in lift trucks and other industrial vehicles. Traditionally the machines have been powered by gasoline, diesel, propane and more recently DC electrical power.
Automated Storage and Retreival Systems - by Michael Dickson By definition an Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) is an automated, robotic system for sorting, storing and retrieving physical items. There are many variations and uses of ASRS’s, some examples are as follows.
Industrial Trucks - by Kristie Woods The state of the art technology can be found in products made by Airtrax that I have not seen on any other company’s websites. These Industrial trucks have several features that are not found in conventional industrial trucks. This company has improved various industrial trucks such as forklifts, scissor lifts and mobile platforms. The newest innovation is that these trucks are omni-directional.
Automated Guided Vehicles - by Josh MacKay Mobile Robots produces a new technology for guiding automated guided vehicles (AGV), which differs from the three major technologies on the market right now. Presently, wire, laser and inertial guided systems guide many of the AGV’s on the market. Mobile Robots has developed the ActivMedia Robotics Control System (ARCS).
The CyberTran is a prototype mass transit system being developed at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, by the United States Department of Energy Research and Development. B.E. Wallace Products Corp: Manufacturer of Portable Gantry Cranes - by Jian Koid This website gives a good description of the different types of portable cranes the company makes. These portable cranes vary by type and can carry up to 15 tons.
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