Handling

Tandem Heavy-Duty MGVs

What’s better than one heavy-duty MGV? Joining it with another to create a tandem material handling Goliath. Whether an MGV or an AGV, where one or the other is imagined for the manufacturing and assembly industries, they need to be built with stamina in mind. Multiple cycles running machines day and night to produce a client’s product must be engineered and manufactured robustly with intelligent systems to alert operators of scheduled maintenance or failures on the vehicle.

A recent project for the energy industry asked if Handling Specialty could make them several 100-ton MGV’s with specialized tooling to lift and move massive engines through the assembly process.  Each of these MGV’s would have to have the capacity to link with one another  to haul the larger engines in a tandem effort.

The Traction/Steering modules provide the force to move the MGV, driven by a servo brake motor. These MGVs feature traditional steering as well as crab steering capabilities. These engine transporters also feature Zero Turn Radius (ZTR) steering which allows the vehicle to turn about its centre. All of these steering modes are available in both unloaded and loaded conditions offering maximum flexibility of use.

All models have an e-stop button on the corners of the mainframe as well as amber strobe lights and audible signal that indicate the MGV is going to start motion and is in motion. Proximity sensors add another level of safety, allowing the vehicle to stop should an obstacle move in front of it.

These heavy-duty models feature an integrated hydraulic lift function that allows the transporter to pick up engines with the assistance of the specially designed tooling fixtures.  

Through proven practices and exceptional custom engineering, the Manually Guided Vehicle’s were built from the ground up in Handling Specialty’s own Plant 2 located in Hamilton, Ontario. Tested and delivered on-time, these behemoths are now happily performing their intended duties safely and efficiently.

Four-Post Iris Assembly Platform

Model: CV324-100. 10,000 lbs capacity. 36” lowered height 360” raised height.

This custom designed vertical assembly platform will be used to position technicians at the correct elevation and location during the build of large turbines. The assembly’s unique iris opening allows for exceptional placement around the diameter of the product to build the turbine out.

Raising and lowering the platform and stair assembly is actuated via four heavy-duty ballscrews placed at each corner post driven by powerful motors, each mechanically synchronized with one another.  The central iris opening actuation is hydraulic.

The articulating staircase makes accessing the platform at any height simple and safe. When the platform is fully raised the staircase assumes a comfortable 47-degree pitch.

The operator control panel is located on the platform enabling technicians’ easy access to alter height and width while working. The vertical assembly platform is surrounded by 90.5” high guarding with graphite black mesh-mounted to the floor. The same guarding lines the platform itself. Locking mechanisms on the guarding’s sliding door offers an increased opportunity for safety while work is being done at heights. Fall-safe switches and limit switches also work to keep employees and products safe from harm.

As with all of Handling Specialty’s four-post lifts, this custom vertical assembly platform can be repositioned on the facility’s floor as the floor plan changes over time.

Personnel Lift for the Energy Industry

When your assembly process requires up/down motion to position your technicians with 360-degree access to the product, Handling Specialty should be your first call.

Engineered with optimal usable space, this system holds all necessary material on the platform with at least (2) operators. Additionally, this particular personnel lift can raise and lower as well as move portions of the platform hydraulically inward, towards the components, offering exceptional ergonomics. Each side, front and back, can move in and out independently of one another to accommodate multiple sized transformers.

The control station mounted on the lift give the operator/technician(s) full access to all operations.

The collapsible staircase raises and lowers with the platform, allowing technicians the freedom to move off the lift safely at several heights.

Additional mechanical safety interlock systems keep all personnel on the lift at the same height in the case of power loss or equipment failure.

As a four-post lift, there are no supports under the working areas of the platform which allows the lift to be raised in its highest position and allow a fork truck to place material on the pad with no obstruction.

This robust personnel lift was designed and built for the Energy industry to enable the assembly of turbines in an ergonomic setting.