Intelligent Material Handling
Custom Heat Treatment Conveyor
Infeed and outfeed conveyors that singulate, trace and index casting blocks two at a time through a heat treat cell.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
The customer purchased a heat treat cell from an overseas builder. The cell itself was ready, but it arrived without a way to get casting blocks in and out on the plant floor. Blocks came from inspection in a single lane, while the cell loads and unloads two at a time. Every block had to stay traceable through heat treatment, and the conveyors had to fit an existing cell layout, clear the loading equipment and keep team members safe around moving parts.
Key Requirements
- Receive blocks from inspection in a single lane
- Singulate one lane into two for the heat treat cell
- Present and receive blocks two at a time
- Read every block’s 2D code for traceability
- Merge two lanes back to one on the outfeed
- Fit the existing cell layout and meet Category 3 safety
The ICR Solution
ICR designed and built a matched set of heat treatment conveyor lines, infeed and outfeed, with 2D barcode traceability. On the infeed, a Cognex DataMan reads each block’s 2D code as it moves from the manual conveyor onto a shuttle conveyor, which travels 550 mm to split the single lane into two. Two-zone chain conveyors with lifters and drop guide rails index the blocks and present them two at a time, with rails dropping clear for loading. The outfeed reverses the process, receiving two blocks at a time and merging them back to one lane, with a stamp marking unit at the exit. Mesh guarding, light curtains, E-stops and a safety PLC deliver Category 3 safety.
Equipment & Technology
- Cognex DataMan 282X 2D barcode readers
- Infeed and outfeed shuttle conveyors (550 mm travel)
- Two-zone chain conveyors with lifters and drop guide rails
- Heat treat stamp marking unit with clamp cylinder
- Safety PLC, light curtains and E-stops (Category 3)
- PLC, VFD motor control, HMI operator station
- ICR-fabricated mesh guarding and pneumatic panel
Scope of Work
- Up-Front Engineering
- Layout Analysis
- Mechanical Design
- Fabrication
- Controls Design
- Panel Build
- Vision Integration
- PLC Programming
- Installation
- Commissioning
Results
The heat treat cell now runs with conveyance built for it. Blocks arrive in one lane and leave in one lane, while the cell sees two at a time on both sides. Every block is code-read on the way in, so parts stay traceable through heat treatment, and team members are protected by Category 3 safeguarding around every moving part. The overseas equipment fits the plant floor and runs 24/7.