Intelligent Material Handling
Steel Insert Lifter Conveyor
An AMR-fed tray lifter conveyor for steel inserts, with Category 3 actuator safety and guarding that keeps hands out.
CLIENT
INDUSTRY
SOLUTION
DURATION
The Challenge
A casting line needed to receive steel insert trays directly from an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), the same way its sister lines already did. The existing conveyance sat outside the robot fence and blocked the AMR’s path, and any new transfer point would put a lifter and pneumatic actuators right where team members load and clear trays. The customer needed a proven lifter design that fit the existing conveyance and controls, kept actuators at Category 3, and made it impossible to reach into a moving machine.
Key Requirements
- Receive full trays from an AMR and return empty trays
- Clear the AMR path by removing old conveyance
- Match the proven lifter design on the sister lines
- Category 3 safety on lifter and pneumatic actuators
- Guard every reach-in point around the lifter
- Confirm the AMR is docked and aligned before transfer
- Run from the existing robot cell controls
The ICR Solution
ICR removed the old conveyance outside the robot fence to open a clean AMR path, then designed and built a twin-bay lifter conveyor based on the proven systems already running on the sister lines. The AMR docks against an alignment rail, and a Keyence non-contact safety switch confirms it is in place before the lifter moves. Full trays transfer in and empty trays return to the AMR. Inner, outer and lower safety light curtains and ICR-fabricated guard panels surround the lifter, so no one can reach into active motion, and the actuators run on a Category 3 safety circuit. A new control system and remote panel tie into the existing unload-robot cabinet and its safety I/O.
Equipment & Technology
- Twin-bay pneumatic tray lifter conveyor
- Keyence GS non-contact safety switch (AMR docked)
- AMR alignment rail
- Inner, outer and lower safety light curtains
- ICR-fabricated guard panels (8 designs)
- Remote operator panel
- Safety I/O via the existing robot cell controller
Scope of Work
- Up-Front Engineering
- Removal of Existing Conveyance
- Mechanical Design
- Fabrication
- Controls Design
- Safety Circuit Design
- Remote Panel Build
- PLC Programming
- Commissioning
Results
The line now takes steel insert trays straight from the AMR with no manual handling, matching its sister lines. Every actuator runs on a Category 3 circuit, transfers only happen with the AMR confirmed in place, and light curtains plus guarding keep team members’ hands out of active motion. Building on a proven design and the existing controls kept the project fast and predictable.