Case Study - Digger Facility

A manufacturer of large tracked diggers in the UK had a cab and top frame assembly facility comprising an initial workstage, then a turntable for slewing the cabs through 90 deg and on to a conveyor. The digger cabs and top frames are manufactured on trolleys which are moved between stations by a floor-level chain which picks up a trolley drive dog.

The requirement was to replace the turntable by a first workstage trolley position and then move the trolley mechanically onto the conveyor drive. Minimal cost was a major factor.

Dodd Engineering designed, manufactured and installed an automated trolley pusher to move the build trolley into the appropriate indexed position on the main conveyor drive chain. The rate of movement can either be rapid or at chain speed to provide flexible working.

In a separate project, a new four work-station conveyor was designed and installed for the assembly of the lower frame and track unit. This comprises a twin-strand heavy duty slat conveyor.