Just in time production requirements
Keeping production running optimally is critical to meeting just in time delivery requirements in the automotive industry. As a result, the efficiency and reliability of production and materials handling equipment is important to the ongoing success of manufacturing operations. 

MAHLE Engine Components Australia, at the Laverton North plant in Victoria, supplies leading car producers including Ford and General Motors. They turned to a system builder to install a materials handling solution that could improve efficiency and meet the increasing business of original equipment manufacturers. The system builder specified FlexLink’s XH pallet handling system, based on its modularity and ability to adapt to changes in the production process. The equipment also met the company’s needs for low maintenance and reliability in harsh conditions. 

Prior to its installation, partly machined pistons were loaded and unloaded from individual cells by hand and then transferred in trays to the next machine in the line. The cells have been linked with FlexLink conveyors, providing MAHLE with a fully integrated system. 

Pallet system in an automated sequence
“The system takes cast pistons from an unmachined state right through to the finished product in an automated sequence,” explains Steve Karavendzas, Sales Engineer for FlexLink. “This involves each piston being transported on specially molded pallets to and from the machining cells at speeds of up to 8m/min, where loading and unloading is performed by an overhead gantry unit,” he says. A low level conveyor then returns the empty pallets to the beginning of the line.

When the company relocated production to the Laverton North site last year, the flexibility of the design enabled MAHLE engineers to quickly and cost effectively rebuild lines simply by modifying existing conveyors. 

“To take into account the new plant layout, the U-shaped lines were shortened and reconfigured into a straight line connecting each of the machining cells,” says Brendon Cross, Maintenance Group Leader at MAHLE Engine Components Australia. “The spare components were then used to construct another line.” 

Another important factor concerning MAHLE was the installation time. In order to minimise production downtime during the project, the system had to be disassembled, reconfigured and installed in less than two weeks. The modularity and versatility of FlexLink’s component range reduced the engineering and assembly time, ensuring installation deadlines were met. 

Operating for 12 years in a harsh environment
“In addition to automating production, linking the cells in each line has increased capacity to 6,000 pistons a day and reduced lead times by virtually eliminating manual handling operations,” says Brendon Cross. 

Furthermore, the installation has been operating efficiently for twelve years in a tough environment. The application has provided MAHLE Engine Components Australia with a profitable, flexible and durable automation solution.