PFlow Industries, Inc. (booth # 4424)

Summary of Innovation

A leading manufacturer of large farm equipment, Bourgault Industries, wanted to create a large scale, moving assembly line to minimize parts handing and maximize production efficiency in their new plant expansion. PFlow custom designed, manufactured, and installed a 370’ long x 25’ wide moving floor assembly line to make the farm equipment company’s vision a reality.

The moving floor assembly line was installed flush with the main floor of the plant to provide seamless integration for parts delivery and assembly. PFlow’s system features thirty-seven-floor sections, each measuring 10’ long x 25’ wide that are pushed down the assembly line, end-to-end, by a pair of servo-controlled hydraulic cylinders.

A spinning tube conveyor system is installed in the pit beneath the moving floor and extends the length of the system. When a floor segment reaches the end of the assembly line, a PFlow lift conveys the floor section down into the pit, where the spinning tube system transfers the section back 370’ to the front of the assembly line. Here another PFlow lift returns the floor section up to the main floor level where it is inserted back into the stack to begin another cycle.

This sequence of synchronized handoffs between the hydraulic pushers and the vertical lifts is repeated over and over again to smoothly and continuously cycle the moving floor assembly line at a user-selectable speed.

The simplicity of the drive system of two servo-hydraulic pushers vs. conveyors or individual
drives for each section of the surface offers significantly improved cost vs. performance as
compared to conventional methods of moving large machines during assembly.
Maintenance costs and downtime are expected to be significantly lower than those of alternate systems
due to the few number of moving parts.

Innovation Statement

PFlow’s industry-leading vertical lift technology and PFlow’s innovative horizontal floor conveying system was integrated to provide a world-class solution for a Bourgault Industries. The system design is patented in the US and Canada.

Applicability

The industrial technologies developed by PFlow for Bourgault can be scaled to provide a wide variety of over/under conveyance systems for any industry.

 

Posted Date	12/19/19
Contact	Chuck Cobb
Contact Email	chuckc[at]pflow.com
Category	Best New Innovation

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