Tectra Automation supplied three Schmalz vacuum lifters to mining supplier RSC Ekusasa Mining’s packaging lines at its resin manufacturing facility in Wadeville, Johannesburg. Used to palletise boxes of the company’s RocLoc resin capsules at the end of three production lines, the lifters replace more manual, labour-intensive item handling, allowing the facility to increase overall packing efficiency and safety.
RSC Ekusasa Mining manufactures a range of different capsules in various lengths and diameters as well as various formulae that offer different setting times, from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. These are used in roof bolting applications in underground mining. The company currently produces up to 45 000 boxes of resin capsules per month, with between 45 and 60 boxes per pallet.
“We began building this facility in 2013, and with a central focus on a lean, efficient production process, the Schmalz vacuum lifters were part of the design from the start,” explains Alfredo Piroddi, general manager – resin. “It brings the handling operation in line with international standards and enhances the productivity and safety of workers loading the boxes onto pallets.”
“The three handlers are an ergonomic handling solution with intuitive load lifting, lowering and releasing. They are designed for handling lighter items up to 50 kg, and so were the ideal solution for these boxes, which weigh around 20 kg on average,” explains Malan Bosman, pneumatics product manager. “The lifters don’t just speed up the operation, they take the fatigue and physical strain away from the pallet loading process.”
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