Christy® Boxes – Manufacturing Production Improvements

In the dynamic world of manufacturing, the collaboration between industrial automation companies and manufacturers is a transformative journey. This was the case when a manufacturer sought ICAD’s services to help with a significant challenge: increasing the production of Christy® Boxes.

Christy® Boxes are concrete-enclosed boxes used for electrical and construction applications due to their strength and durability. The demand for Christy® Boxes was increasing and the manufacturer was challenged with boosting production output without compromising quality or efficiency. Their existing production controls were no longer sufficient to meet the growing market demand.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing process for Christy® Boxes is as follows:

1. Forming Stage:
   • Concrete is loaded into molds.
   • Vibrators shape the concrete within the molds placed on pallets.
2. Loading Stage (ICAD Controls):
   • Pallets containing the molds are ejected onto a conveyor belt.
   • The conveyor loads the pallet onto a drying rack.
   • Forks within the drying rack position the pallets into their designated cells.
3. Curing Stage:
   • The molds remain on racks during this stage.
   • Slowly, the racks move toward the unloading area.
4. Unloading Stage: 
   • Forks unload pallets containing Christy® Boxes.
   • A conveyance system rotates and flips the Christy® Boxes as needed for storage and shipping.

Considering this elaborate manufacturing process, the customer requested the addition of another production line as well as updated controls and monitoring. With the updated control strategy, the customer ought to use hand controls for handling product defects and rejections.

Process

To meet the customer’s requirements, our team took the following approach:

1. Redesigned and Updated Customer Controls:
   • ICAD used current hardware schematics, a new motor list, and a new I/O list to design control schematics.
   • Conducted Quality Control (QC) to ensure accuracy and reliability during panel build.
2. PLC/HMI Programming:
   • ICAD leveraged the customer’s functional description to program specified controls.
   • The interdisciplinary teamwork ensured practical and safe programming.
   • The top-view user interface simplified system monitoring and control.
   • Internal factory acceptance bench testing to validate functionality.
3. On-site Start-Up:
   • Precision testing of loading and unloading programs.
   • Confirmation of safety features, incorporating ICAD suggestions.
   • Additional controls for customer convenience were implemented.

Results:

The implementation of this process resulted in the following:

1. Safety Controls: The safety controls were updated to match the original design.
2. Customer Convenience: Controls were enhanced for customer convenience.
3. User Interface: A simple yet detailed user interface allowed for more efficient system monitoring.
4. Production Boost: The production of Christy® Boxes increased.
5. Reduced Overhead: Operational efficiency led to a decrease in overhead costs for our customer.

 

The successful completion of this project shows the pivotal role that industrial automation plays in the manufacturing industry.

Reach out and let’s discuss how we can help you drive growth, increase efficiency, and reduce downtime with solutions tailored to your needs and capabilities.