New buffer store by Excel doubles machine throughput

New buffer store by Excel doubles machine throughput

Keyword: BAE

Construction of a new combined machine jig and components store by Excel Storage enables BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace) to more than double machine utilisation of its ICY (interchangeability) panel machine at its Blackburn plant. This turnkey project required a certain amount of civil engineering work, height limitation requiring the buffer store to be sunk 2m below ground level (see Figure 1). Confidence in Excel Storage's automated storage and retrieval knowledge together with the Excel Group's materails handling expertise and its client pedigree gave rise to BAE Systems awarding the whole contract, including civil work, to Excel Storage as main contractor.

The BAE Systems facility in Blackburn manufactures "flying surfaces"for a variety of aircraft. One key operation is the automatic pre-drilling of a number of panels on the ICY panel machine. A variety of surface substrates are manually mounted on a single specially designed frame. Once loaded the frame is transferred to the machining centre. After completion the frame is automatically removed, returned to an operator position where the "flying surfaces"are unloaded and new panels mounted for the next machining operation. This cycle of events introduced significant machine downtime which now has been totally eliminated with the new buffer store designed and built by Worcester based Excel Group.

Figure 1

In the buffer store empty and pre-loaded frames are held for automatic transfer; loaded frames to the ICY panel machine and empties to one of two operator stations to have "flying surface" panels mounted and then returned to the buffer store to await call-out to the machining centre for drilling. Immediately a machining cycle is completed, the frame is transferred to an operator station for removal of finished components, here the emptied frame is loaded with appropriate blank panels prior its return to the buffer store.

The position of each frame within the store is automatically controlled by a Wiscon SCADA system. This ensures that the identity of each storage location,the frame and its components are known at all times in order to achieve the required degree of automation.

In order to accommodate the frames and required movement the storage facility had to be 9m high. Existing building constraints only allowed a 7m height above ground level, thus Excel was required to sink the store 2m. Now fully operational, the store has a maximum of capacity to hold 18 frames in two adjacent racking structures, each steel frame measuring 4 2m and weighing up to 3,500kg. The frames are stored horizontally, with a fully automated narrow aisle stacker crane used to manoeuvre the units in and out of the racking locations. Frames are transferred to the load and unload stations via integrated shuttle cars, whilst full frames are fed to a specially designed tilt table via an Excel overhead gantry before they are rotated into the vertical position for the machining operation.

In designing the store Excel had to take into account the environment situation. Since the store and ICY machine were situated close to both BAE offices and a major access door, it was a design criterion to clad the store to ensure that as far as possible the machine frames were kept within a temperature band to maintain machining accuracy. In addition to this, the store was fully enclosed with safety gates and key exchange systems to prevent accidental access to the store area.

The Excel organisation is Britain's largest independent materials handling group, with its four main divisions specialising in automation, conveyors,storage and lazerway AGVs all within its Worcester facility. Its pedigree and excellent reference sites gave managers at BAE Systems confidence that the company could develop a solution to maximise machine utilisation.

For further information please contact: Kevin Staines, Excel Group, Gregory's Bank, Worcester WR3 8AB. Tel: +44 (0) 1905 721500; Fax: +44 (0) 1905 613024;E-mail: kevin.staines@excel-automation.co.uk;Web site: www.excel-automation.co.uk