BEKA Schréder has increased its average production rate of LED luminaires by 50% through four new semi-automated manual production systems (MPS) supplied by Tectra Automation at its Olifantsfontein factory. The production line replaces a more batch-oriented configuration for the assembly of four recently designed LED light ranges used for street, highway and outdoor facilities lighting. Tectra Automation supplied an MPS for each range as part of a turnkey project that included the design, supply, factory acceptance testing, integration and commissioning of the MPS, as well as its electrical installation.
Each of the four production lines consists of five workstations, connected in a 10 metre long line of aluminium rails and runner blocks where operators assemble the luminaire units on specialised aluminium trays. Tectra Automation fitted these trays with specialised mounting blocks that secure the units during assembly.
At the end of the production line, units are removed from the tray for quality inspection. The tray then enters a lowering station, where it is automatically lowered to a return line and delivered to the front of the production line. Trays can accumulate one behind the other before being fed to the top one by one.
“All production line lifting and lowering requirements are achieved through a maintenance-free pneumatic system,” explains project engineer, Jaco de Beer. Tectra Automation supplied valves, pneumatic actuators, air supply units and filtration systems. “We used the new Aventics AV03 valve to control each pneumatic cylinder,” de Beer explains. “This valve is ideally suited to these types of applications because of its compact, neat, all-in-one functionality,” he concludes.
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