Background
CNH manufacturing engineer Don Valalik remembers well selecting GCI stacker manipulators and torque arms for several different applications at the company’s agricultural equipment manufacturing plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. He remembers equally well his decision to specify Gorbel bridges to go with them.
The Problem
1) One application required a dual monorail system to support two torque arms used to tighten the upper and lower mainframes on CNH combines.
2) Another upgraded area was a six-station cell for fabricating grain tanks.
3) Probably the greatest productivity improvement, however, came in an area where row unit modules are installed on a cornhead combine attachment.
CNH had been using an I-beam bridge crane with a hoist and spreader bar. The operation requires that a module of three row units, with a total weight of 1,000 pounds, be picked up and tilted to a precise angle to facilitate the installation.
The Solution
1) “The Gorbel system provides a high amount of movement,” Valalik said, “so we can move heavy loads around quickly. And, because they are easy to install, we were able to get them up and running in a short period of time with a minimum amount of manpower.”
2) This smooth-running solution features four GCI manipulators, two Gorbel bridges with hoists, and a Gorbel runway.
3) “With the old I-Beam system, we had problems holding the required angle for installation,” Valalik said. The new system features a Gorbel dual girder bridge supporting a GCI stacker manipulator.
Today, the Gorbel solution is used in spot welding applications throughout the CNH plant. The decision to move more heavily into Gorbel products is one Valalik never has second-guessed. “We are very pleased with the performance of the Gorbel products,” he said.