S M A R T FA C TO R Y
2D-CODE READERS GET AUTOMATION ROLLING
Automated conveyor application at Tyre-Line from assembly identification to tire inflation.
Autarky Automation is one of the leading British developers and manufacturers of automation and conveyor systems. To meet the demanding requirements on an automated tire system, Autarky opted for the latest 2D-code readers from Leuze.
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large part of what Autarky Automation offers is in the area of modular conveyor technology. Here, Autarky offers a wide range of standardised components and accessories. The company thereby contributes to minimise project planning times and assembly costs. A good example of this is the project for Tyre-Line: Since 1984 the company has been supplying the industry with wheel and tire assemblies – from wheelbarrows to high-performance sports cars.
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The task: conveyor system for tire inflation For a long time, the tire line at Tyre-Line operated with a simple tire inflation device for standard steel wheel sets. The tires for high-end alloy wheels were inflated manually. Due to increasing growth in orders, a Hofmann tire filling machine was purchased that could handle the complete range of wheel and tire assemblies. The entire process of storing and retrieving assemblies in the machine was now to be automated. Autarky won the tender to produce a suitable conveyor system and relied on Leuze. 25 | Industry EMEA | July 2020
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The challenge: tires are round Attached to each wheel and tire assembly at Tyre-Line is a slightly adhesive bar code label. It would have been too complicated for Tyre-Line to affix the label at exactly the same location on each assembly. Autarky was therefore charged with developing a solution that could reliably read the bar code. And could do so at any location and at any position over the entire width of the conveyor belt. “A round object that always looks the same independent of its position is a true challenge for a code reader.” “Proper identification of the assemblies was, however, of decisive importance for the success of the line: the detection of the bar code information needed to tell the Hofmann machine which assembly is approaching and, thus, what air pressure is necessary. That’s why it was so important to select the best possible code reader for this task,” explains Brad North, managing director of Autarky. To solve this problem, Autarky turned to the Sensor People at Leuze.
