"We now design around 60 percent of our palletizing systems for floor rollers," says Stefan Deck, one of the two Managing Directors of IEF-Werner. These transport trolleys can be used to move raw and semi-finished products stored in trays or on pallets from A to B, for example. It must then be possible to ergonomically feed the products for further processing - for example with the help of palletizing systems.

IEF-Werner has various palletizing systems in its range. One solution is the modular Variostack, which can be customized for any task. The user can operate the system with an integrated IEF product handling system or connect it to an existing robot or handling system. The compact machines can be loaded with pallet trolleys or conveyor belts as standard - even from the side in the belt loader version.

Perfect for floor rollers
Customers are increasingly asking the automation specialist for palletizing solutions that can also be used to ergonomically load and unload floor rollers. These flexible transport trolleys are becoming increasingly attractive for many companies: they can be equipped with handles, can be raised on request and are available as sheet metal, tubular steel or mesh trolleys for different pallet dimensions. "To adapt our systems to this, we worked with a leading manufacturer and expert partner for transporting, lifting and handling," reports Deck. The result: users can now safely operate the palletizers from IEF-Werner with their different floor rollers.

The PSU belt loader: The trays are lifted via a foot switch in the excavation station. The infeed conveyor then transports them into the machine shaft. © IEF-Werner

In a specific application, a palletizer from the Variostack series picks up roller and hydraulic tappets for the assembly of motors and places them on a line connected to the customer. The components are placed in wash trays measuring 600 by 400 millimetres. Up to seven of these load carriers are stacked on a floor roller. An employee pushes the transport trolley into the first shaft and closes the door. A spring-loaded, pre-tensioned device is attached to the door, which positions the floor roller precisely. In the second shaft there is an empty trolley for the processed trays.

A vertical axis picks up the top load carrier and lifts it onto the pallet table. A five-fold gripper integrated into the system picks up the components column by column and places them on the conveyor belt. Once the tray has been processed, the system transfers it from the pallet table to the second floor roller via a vertical axis. Once all the empty trays have been stacked on it, the door of the second chute unlocks. The operator can remove the floor roller, insert a full trolley and restart the process.

With ramp and lifting function
IEF-Werner also offers ramps with a lifting function. And this is how they work: In a specific application, the employee drives a loaded mesh trolley onto the ramp and presses a foot switch. The lifting station reaches through the grid floor with its profile and lifts the load up a little so that the operator can push it onto the infeed conveyor with little effort. The trays enter the system automatically and are processed one after the other via the vertical axis, pallet table and product handling. The trays are discharged in the same way as they enter the system. Once the stack has reached the end of the outfeed conveyor, the operator activates a second foot switch and raises the ramp so that the stack can be pushed onto the trolley.

"We equip all of our customers' systems, including product handling, with a control unit, valve terminal and maintenance unit," says Managing Director Deck. The PA-Control Touch can control several servo axes as well as the integrated handling for the workpieces. On request, users can also obtain the floor rollers from the IEF partner. as