Recently, a customer asked us: Is there a better solution for equipment blades replacement?

Blades Characteristics

Multi-blades Combination: 40 pieces

Length: 1800mm

Diameter: 400mm

Weight: 40kg

• The tool to be replaced this time is actually a blade set (also called a saw blade set) with nearly 40 saw blades strung at equal intervals by a long rotating shaft; the saw blade set, with a length of 1800 mm and a blade diameter of about 400 mm, weighs about 40 kg. obviously, the replacement of a tool of such length and weight on the equipment is not an operation that can be done by one person with his bare hands.

• Of course, each blade (saw blade) is sharp, and the blade set consists of 40 blades together, each of which may pose a threat to the operator's safety. Even if the operation is completed with two people lifting, this is a job where you have to be alert to the risk of workplace injury at all times.

Multiple Specifications

Length (number of blades)

Diameter

Weight

• The set of saw blades to be replaced, too, is not of one or two types, but of various sizes (nearly 20), with different lengths, saw blade diameters and weights. All of these, add to the uncontrollable factor of the threat of workplace injury.

Blades Position

Heart of the equipment

High above the ground

• Grooving machines, which are important processing machines in the production process, are required to cut grooves of specified width and depth for products (high-tech sheets). One of the core components of the grooving machine is the blade set, which is installed at the heart of the machine.

• Every time a production task is issued, if the processing drawing is changed, it is necessary to change the blade; since it is a blade change, it is to go to the heart of the production equipment to replace it. In other words, the operator has to stand at the inlet of the equipment (where it is 1500mm high from the ground) to perform the relevant operation.

Post Operation Method

Cantilever

Electric hoist

• In order to solve the weight lifting problem, the station is equipped with a cantilever, using an electric hoist as the lifting power. In order to reach the pick-up and discharge points, the radius of the cantilever needs to be more than 3,000 mm. The long arm makes it difficult to move the cantilever, resulting in poor control of the positioning operation when picking up and discharging the tool, and high resistance to movement. As the equipment is equipped with multiple air duct systems, it is also easy to bump with the equipment if the operation is not careful.

Electric Hoist Disadvantages

Separate hand operation: 

People who have experience in electric hoist operation know that to carry heavy objects, two hands need to be operated separately: one hand to operate the hand electric door, one hand holding the hook to control the positioning of the workpiece. With only one hand, control the movement of heavy positioning, is quite difficult.

No precise positioning:

The lifting and lowering action of the electric hoist is achieved by electric pulses driving the motor forward and reverse, one pulse is at least 5mm, and it is very reluctant to move 2~3mm for short distance for macro movement, which makes the precise positioning unattainable. This, especially for the discharge action increases the operational difficulty.

Start/stop with strike:

 When the hoist is running up or down, there is only a fixed speed (V or V1/V2), so the hoist needs to overcome the sudden change between 0 and V when starting and stopping, so there is a noticeable shock or jitter, and the degree of risk-averse caution required to accomplish such a movement with a blade cannot be overstated.

Although the electric hoist has improved the load problem of heavy lifting, its not-so-friendly man-machine operation characteristics hide many troubles and dangers in the changing operation during the production process.

Tool Change Position Interference

Protection cover interference

Mounting position interference

When changing the saw blade set, it is also necessary to open the protective cover and put it into its mounting position. Here, it is necessary to avoid the interference caused by the protective cover, which further increases the operational difficulty of changing the blade.