To design, supply and install a handling solution for loading & unloading rolls of carbon fiber material.

A specialist composite materials manufacturer required a handling system for their facility that focuses on the process of prepreg carbon fiber using a hot-melt production method.

The requirement was recognized when the high value product was becoming damaged when loading and unloading from the production machines.

A site visit was carried out which identified several health and safety improvements that could be made using a Met-Track® workstation bridge crane system. As well as protecting the product from damage by manual handling, the system can reduce operator fatigue and injury, improve efficiency, and increase productivity.

Met-track’s CraneBUILDER® online portal – a program that provides instant crane drawings and quotations was originally used to produce a standard crane but due to the space and the handling requirement for two process machines it became apparent that a custom design was needed.

Met-Track’s design team worked closely with the client and produced a design for a ‘Twin’ crane system using one freestanding structure.

The custom system is supported by one structure made up of four columns, two I-beam headers with four separate bridges allowing full coverage of the area of work.

Each 250kg SWL rated bridge is supplied with 4Ductor™ to power the electric hoists, operated by radio remote controls.  All four bridges can be in operation at any time as the structure is rated to 1000kg SWL.

As part of the complete solution, Met-Track^® also designed special balanced manipulators to handle the rolls of material easily and safely, eliminating the need to touch the finished product. The rolls of carbon fiber are now effortlessly lifted off the machine using the special manipulators and placed into the client’s bespoke boxes ready for despatch.