Aluminium extrusions provide elements for rack

Bosch Rexroth's MGE range of aluminium extrusions and accessories provided the elements of a rack system designed for Hurst Green Plastics' TwinBin fastener management system

Having developed the TwinBin fastener management system, which reduces the wastage of fasteners and other small parts in the aerospace, defence and other industries, Hurst Green Plastics had one remaining problem: how to produce a versatile and cost-effective rack to accommodate the TwinBins.

The original arrangement, based on welded steel racks custom fabricated for each order, had many limitations.

These are, however, completely eliminated in a design developed in conjunction with ADM Automation, which is based on aluminium extrusions and accessories from the extensive Bosch Rexroth MGE range of basic mechanical elements.

At the heart of the TwinBin system is a double bin that has two compartments arranged vertically one above the other and separated by a slide.

This allows the bin to be loaded with products that the operator accesses from the lower compartment until it is empty.

Then, by simply withdrawing the slide, the lower compartment can be replenished.

This ensures that the older stock is utilised first rather than mix with newer items.

The empty upper compartments clearly identify bins where stock needs to be added.

The TwinBin system is a Kan Ban solution that adheres to six sigma principles.

It not only helps to eliminate 'stock-outs' which interrupt production, but also greatly reduces the risk of spilling or contaminating parts, issues which are particularly important in industries like aerospace and defence.

TwinBins are housed in racks which, according to customer requirements, can be supplied to accommodate any number of bins.

When the system was first launched, these racks were fabricated from sheet steel and were produced on an order-by-order basis.

'That gave us a problem,' said Stephen Clarke, Managing Director of Hurst Green Plastics.

'We could have the bins ready for delivery in just a few days, but it was taking six to eight weeks to get the frames made.

We even tried putting frames into stock to get round this, but that didn't help with specials, and we also had problems when customers wanted a particular colour of paint finish'.

These were not the only shortcomings of the fabricated steel frames.

They were also heavy and bulky which made them difficult to stock and to transport to site, particularly for the export orders that form a significant part of Hurst Green Plastics' business.

In addition, the frames were difficult and costly to modify if the end user's requirements changed.

To find a solution to these problems, Hurst Green Plastics enlisted the aid of ADM Automation, a company with wide experience of designing and fabricating structures for industrial applications.

After carefully analysing the requirements, ADM Automation proposed a solution based on MGE aluminium extrusions from Bosch Rexroth.

There are many extrusion suppliers in the market today but using the Bosch Rexroth product has a number of important advantages.

First of all, there is an enormous range of extrusions to choose from, which makes it easy to find exactly the right product.

Secondly, Bosch Rexroth offers a full range of accessories.

Finally, as you would expect from a company with the reputation of Bosch Rexroth, quality is beyond reproach.' The new racking concept developed by ADM Automation incorporates three sizes of MGE extrusions together with coupling components from the MGE range.

Where a specialist component required for the application has been designed by ADM, it has been secured to the structure with standard fasteners from the MGE range.

This arrangement means that the racking can be fabricated quickly and, as customers are invariably prepared to accept the natural aluminium finish without painting, the delivery bottleneck th