MasterMover Global News
Handling Solutions Drastically Reduce Process Time For Moving Heavy Mould Tools At Aerospace Manufacturer
The aerospace industry is a graphic example of where the flexibility, capability and benefits of MasterMover’s pedestrian-operated tugs really come to the fore. This industry introduces a number of handling challenges, such as size and weight coupled with fragility and accuracy… but MasterMover’s range of manual handling equipment is more than up to the task. Variants from the company’s Master Tug range are seen in most modern aerospace manufacturing and assembly plants the world over and the following examples illustrate why they are so effective.
In one instance, a company was moving three-tonne carbon fibre mould tools from a holding area into a machining cell. To undertake the move they used a forklift and two additional shop floor personnel to literally lift and nudge the tool into position over a period of two hours. By reverting to a single Master Tug, this operation now only takes one man just five minutes. As well as significant time savings, the tug is smaller, more controllable and offers better visibility for the operator.
In another composites facility, a manufacturer was using a forklift and two other people to manoeuvre 15m long wing spar mould tools from a clean room lay up area to an autoclave. With the forklift doing the lifting, the other people were there to literally man handle it around a dogleg. As well as the significant physical effort required to force the spar tool along its path, the forklift driver was also 15m away and was unable to see the whole picture. By employing a Master Tug at either end, the three-man, physically strenuous job has reverted to a two-man job that requires far less effort and offers far greater accuracy.
These two examples demonstrate that manual handling equipment from MasterMover saves aerospace companies time and money, whilst promoting operator safety and improving handling efficiency and productivity.
