Vacuum suction spider optimizes insulation board handling

Homatherm, based in Berga in Saxony-Anhalt, can look back on a successful history. The manufacturer of innovative insulation materials produced the world's first flexible insulation mat made of cellulose in 1994. Recently, a wood fiber insulation board with tested flame protection was introduced to the market. Around 120 employees in Berga produce around 310,000 cubic meters of wood and cellulose insulation materials per year on an area of 38,000 square meters. These are used, for example, in roof and wall construction, but also as a composite thermal insulation system or impact sound insulation. Customers are building material and timber dealers, architects and planners.

The suction spider enables reliable separation of all panel thicknesses from 20 to 250 millimetres.

Homatherm relies on reliable and safe handling technology in the production process. An important work step is the profiling of the boards, which have already been cut to size and given tongue and groove for seamless installation. To do this, complete stacks of insulation boards travel along a roller conveyor to the handling system. The next work step is highly complex - and a challenge for the handling technology: the pressure-resistant wood fiber insulation materials must be separated and moved without damage to a higher roller conveyor for further processing. The previously used solution repeatedly resulted in damage to the surface of the boards. In addition, high maintenance and spare parts costs were a cause for concern, and it was not uncommon for the entire system to come to a standstill.

A challenge for handling technology

Transporting insulating materials with different suction characteristics The company had had good experience with solutions from vacuum specialist Schmalz from Glatten in the Black Forest in previous projects. Homatherm plant manager Joachim Lippum also remembered this. The vacuum experts took a close look at the conditions on site and found out about the customer's requirements: The profiling system processes pressure-resistant wood fiber insulation materials with a thickness range of 22 to 240 millimeters and a weight of 50 to 210 kilograms. Special feature: The insulating materials with densities of 110 kg/m3 to 220 kg/m3 exhibit different suction behavior during suction and movement with vacuum, depending on the density. "This requires a flexible and reliable vacuum solution that can handle different densities, panel dimensions and weights," explains Peter Gröning, Head of Business Development and System House, Vacuum Gripping Systems at Schmalz. In addition to damage-free handling of the workpieces, the specifications of the insulation specialist therefore also included high system availability and low maintenance costs.

The panels are transported to the handling system via a roller conveyor.

Schmalz's thorough analysis and proposed solution convinced those responsible at Homatherm: the vacuum specialist was awarded the contract for a suction spider attached to a portal system. The spiders are characterized by a high degree of flexibility, Schmalz configures its systems from more than 3,500 components - individually tailored to the customer's requirements. Due to the different workpiece properties, the system consultants at Schmalz recommended the use of four suction plates.

Reliable solution - satisfied customer

"With the old solution, the tearing out of material segments repeatedly resulted in surface damage," says plant manager Joachim Lippum. "The consequences were complaints and additional costs, for example due to plant downtime." The suction spider with the four suction plates now ensures reliable separation of all board thicknesses from 20 to 250 millimetres. It picks up the insulation material reliably and gently and transports it to the next processing step via the portal system. Changeover times and maintenance costs are minimized. "We now have far fewer rejects and save material as a result. Process reliability has increased noticeably, which ensures higher throughput," says plant manager Joachim Lippum happily. The maximum output of the system is 5,400 panels per day. The employees at Homatherm are completely satisfied with the function and user-friendliness of the system. "We want to continue to grow in the wood fiber insulation market," says Managing Director Andrew Zipser. "That's why we are constantly working on the product quality and efficiency of our systems. We are delighted to have partners like Schmalz on our journey to help us achieve our ambitious goals."

Contact:Homatherm GmbH 06536 Berga Tel.: 3 46 51 / 4 16 61 E-Mail:[email protected] www.homatherm.com

J. Schmalz GmbH 72293 Glatten Phone: 0 74 43 / 24 03-0 E-mail: [email protected] www.schmalz.com