A components supplier of commercial lawn mowing equipment was having difficulty manually lifting and maneuvering heavy, pre-cut sheet metal into their press brake. Two operators were required to lift, rotate and reposition the sheet several times for the 3 bends that were required on each piece. Not only was the operation cumbersome and time consuming, but also placed a significant physical drain on the workers which increased the potential for back and hand injuries.
A custom lifting solution was designed utilizing IMI’s cylinder actuated, rare earth magnetic tooling in conjunction with a Gorbel® Easy Arm™ that allows just one worker to magnetically pick up and hold the sheet metal while easily positioning it into the press brake. The strength of the magnet combined with the G360™ collector on the handle even allows the operator to spin and position the sheet metal so that all three bends can be completed without setting the load down.
With the new magnetic lifting solution, the customer was able to realize a 150% gain in output, use 50% fewer human resources in producing the part and provide a safer and more ergonomic work environment for the operator.
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View additional information on IMI’s Magnetic Lifting Solutions.