A leader in the energy and utilities industry, a producer of heating, cooling, water and waste management solutions. The company was building a new plant in India for the production of large chillers weighing up to 65 tons. While designing the plant, the company had originally planned to use rail transfer carts for heavy-duty handling. This would have required the installation of a fixed rail system and the use of 2 coordinated motorized carts. MORELLO proposed a more efficient and cost-effective solution.
THE CHALLENGE
To transport semi-finished chillers weighing up to 65 tons, at different stages of the production process, to various work areas distributed throughout the entire plant. The equipment needed to be moved both indoors and outdoors. Space was a key problem and was very limited for the maneuvering of the semi-finished chillers. Another challenge was how to distribute the load to be transported, since in very large chillers, the weight is concentrated on the ends.
THE SOLUTION
MORELLO worked with the Process Engineer to develop an alternative solution. To solve the operational problems, a heavy-duty transfer cart was proposed in the multidirectional motorized cart category, which was 12 meters long. The client preferred this solution rather than the original plan involving a rail-mounted system with two transfer carts.
Steering: omnidirectional steering was found to be perfectly able to solve all steering and space issues. The use of a single motorized cart also ensured greater speed of movement. Moreover, the plant would not be limited by the installation of a fixed rail-mounted transfer cart system.
Space: the company managed to optimize the plant layout without having to install rails or a sunken bay for the second transfer cart.
Cost: a single cart was found to be the most cost-effective solution. The cost of installing a rail-mounted/sunken bay system, a two-way operating system and two transfer carts would have been decidedly higher.
Load management: the construction of the heavy-duty transfer cart needed to consider the uneven distribution of the weight inside the chiller. A careful calculation was thus required using Morello’s proprietary software to ensure entirely safe handling and operation. The cart’s loading bed could also be lifted and adjusted by means of a hydraulic system, thus making it possible to maintain the horizontal position at any time. This function was implemented to mitigate any slopes encountered during movement.
Safety: the heavy-duty transfer cart was equipped with 4 safety laser scanners positioned on each side for added safety during heavy load handling both inside and outside the plant.
Electric motors: the cart was equipped with a high-precision brushless electric motor that minimizes maintenance.
After-sales support: on-board remote assistance can be installed on all motorized carts, whether multidirectional or otherwise. This allows MORELLO to provide rapid diagnoses and technical support directly from its headquarters, if necessary. Moreover, MORELLO’s international network of technical partners can manage requests for on-site assistance, if required.