Universal loading and unloading for intelligent palletizing

Zahoransky's Z.Lodos is a compact add-on unit for universal tray loading and unloading

German robotics and materials handling firm Zahoransky has developed a new modular palletising system for plastics processors, that recognises the “growing trend away from bulk goods”. The Z.Lodos is a compact add-on unit which can be integrated into any automation plant and has been developed for a wide range of universal tray loading and unloading applications.

With this tray loader, parts can be removed, stored and transported according to further production step requirements. In the basic version of Z.Lodos the standard tray loader has a tray size of either 400 x 600 mm or 400 x 300 mm. Stack height is up to 600 mm. Customer-specific trays can be supplied on request.

Zahoransky claims tray changeover times of up to 3.5 sec. Suggested application areas include the plastics and pharmaceutical industries, medical technology as well as the cosmetics and consumer goods industries.

For handling larger numbers of units, Zahoransky recommends the Z.Lodos TUL add-on unit. The tray loader on this unit has a claimed speed of up to seven cycles a minute. The standard version of the Z.Lodos TUL has a tray size of 900 x 600 mm and a stack height of up to 1,170 mm. The Z.Lodos TUL is available as either a loading or unloading module. The stacked trays can be transported or emptied with a suitable transporter, to enable the injection moulding process to be efficiently decoupled from downstream automation.

The company says that these new products, used in combination with its existing Z.Siroc (a standardised module for the automatic supply, assembly and removal of plastic parts directly at the injection moulding machine) can help deliver complete integrated systems for all areas of injection moulding.