Multi-level storage
April 1st 2006

When mechanical seals manufacturer, AESSEAL, improved receipt, storage and distribution of stainless steel tube at its Rotherham headquarters, an automated, multi-level storage system from Kasto was central to the solution. Stocking up to 72t of tube and delivering it to operators at waist height, the system improved safety and freed up floor space for manufacturing expansion.

Called Unitower E3, the 8m high Kasto store comprises 24 cassettes, each capable of holding three tonnes of tube, and a gantry crane that picks up the selected cassette and drops it to an unload station at the front of the tower in less than a minute.

From there, if the load is relatively light - say below 15kg - the operator carries the stock by hand to one of the CNC lathes and loads it into the magazine or puts a single tube straight into the spindle.

For heavier picks, he uses a Scaglia electronic counterbalance handling trolley with dedicated tube handling attachment, the whole unit being moved between store and machine on an electric pallet truck.

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