Tower Extrusions installed a new automated unloader for the vertical powder coating line at its facility in Olney, TX. The system enables the automated unloading of painted profiles from the coating line to ensure higher productivity, quality, and safety.
Since being founded in March 1977, Tower Extrusions has continued to expand its operations — growing from the two extrusion presses and casthouse of the original plant to more than one million sq ft of under-roof manufacturing facilities today, including a state-of-the-art cast house, 11 extrusion presses (ranging from 6-12 inches in diameter), one of the largest anodizing lines in the U.S., two paint lines (a 24 ft wet line and a 24 ft powder coating line), and over 144,000 sq ft of in-house fabrication. This latest investment in an automated unloader for its vertical powder coating line is in sync with the company’s overall strategy of growth.
Supplied and installed by SAT, the automated unloader is a cutting-edge technology that is able to manage big profiles in an easier and more efficient way. It enables the extruder to offload extrusions from the vertical powder coating system without having to manually adjust the position of the unload system.
The unloader eliminates gaps between the extrusions on the line due to its ability to manage profiles in a range of sizes and lengths, from short parts to big and heavy components. It also helps to prevent stoppages caused by falling parts. This enables the extruder to produce more profiles per shift, enhancing productivity.
In vertical powder coating systems, there is sometimes a risk of tangling, banging, marring, bunching up, or dropping, which can damage the final profiles. The unloader is able to prevent these issues from occurring by minimizing marring and bending of the parts as they move along the vertical curve of the conveyor — thus reducing the number of rejects and the amount of scrap produced as waste on the line.
One of the major concerns for the plant was ensuring worker safety. The new unloader reduces the manual handling of profiles and reduces the risk of profiles unhooking and falling on the operator by accident. Instead, the equipment automatically unloads the line and evenly spaces the profiles for packaging with minimal human intervention.