The new automated assembly line transfers pre-assembled cages along an accumulation conveyor to a specially designed 2 axis pick and place transfer unit.

Stacks of pallets are accumulated on a heavy duty twin chain conveyor system and a pallet de-stacker feeds single pallets into a guarded area to a position where the cages are automatically lifted onto the pallet via the 2 axis transfer unit.

Cage and pallet proceed to the operator fixing station where they are assembled together; when complete, they transfer to the bottle insertion machine via a series of accumulation conveyors.

The system comprises heavy duty driven roller and twin chain pallet conveyors, turntables, 90°chain transfer unit and pallet de-stacker.

On the back of this success, Astec have been awarded another contract by the same company for another conveyor system to further automate production.