Motorized Roll Lifter – Precision Placement and Increased EV Production

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By Jimmie Proteau

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February 1, 2023

Situation

• Safe transportation of a 6,500 lb. separator film roll for Li-ion batteries requiring precise alignment at a predetermined height
• Lower the chance of injury while reducing manpower and downtime

A prominent electric vehicle manufacturer needed to safely transport a 6,500 lb. roll of material from the staging area into the production line. The company decided against cranes due to the increased risk of injuries from lifting heavy loads at higher heights.

Once the cart was at the production line, it had to be aligned precisely with the feeding machine. This required raising the roll to a predetermined height. The feeding machine would then lock on to the ends of the roll, allowing the cart to retract the arms and be driven out of the load position.

Solution: Motorized Drive System Offered More Precision With Less Manpower.

154 Series Swivel-On-Swivel Caster with Twergo Wheels

Working closely with the customer, Conceptual Innovations, a subsidiary of Caster Concepts, designed a retrofittable motorized drive lift system. The drive system featured a hydraulic system to lift and lower the side arms of the drive cart to align the roll at the proper height. Individual drive caster power the cart for increased maneuverability.

Twergo 3-Wheel Design

Swivel on Swivel Casters from Caster Concepts were also incorporated on the cart. Each Swivel-On-Swivel Caster consists of two stacked 77 Series Swivel Casters with sealed dual-row ball bearings for high precision and maintenance-free performance.

The Twergo® Wheels feature a tapered tread and independently rolling wheels. The unique design of the Twergo wheels makes them easier to move and turn, which means less power is needed to move the cart. The TR95 tread on the caster wheels has a high elasticity and high tear resistance, which helps increase the longevity of the polyurethane wheel.

Results

• Increased maneuverability with sensor steering and lifting decreased process times while reducing crew size
• Eliminated the need for an overhead lifting system and the downtime created by moving large objects overhead across a production floor
• Safer movement of materials reduced the possibility of worker injuries

The customer received a motorized cart system with increased maneuverability and lifting capabilities while negating the need for an overhead lifting system. These benefits reduced the time and labor it took to position the material into production. This also eliminated the possibility of injury associated with using an overhead crane.