Changeover Is a Flow Problem, Not a Speed Problem

Die and mold changeover in older press shops is rarely limited by how fast a tool can be lifted. It is limited by how many times the tool has to be set down and picked up again before it reaches the press bed. Every handover between crane, forklift and floor adds a step, and each step costs time inside a window where the press is not producing.

This 12 inch Mecanum wheel chassis is built to remove steps rather than to add speed. With a rated total load of 3,000 kg and full lateral travel, a tool cart can be carried from the storage rack into the press bay sideways, then docked square to the bed rails in one pass.

Changeover Sequence With an Omnidirectional Chassis

1. Vehicle enters the storage rack aisle and positions square to the tool cart
2. Cart is engaged by the deck fixture or lift plate, no towing required
3. Vehicle travels the cross aisle without a turning loop
4. At the press bay, the vehicle translates laterally instead of manoeuvring
5. Docking to the bed rails is repeatable, allowing the tool to be transferred without re-striking position

Mechanical Configuration

Where the Configuration Fits

• Press shops with cross aisles between 1.8 and 2.4 metres
• Mold maintenance areas where tools move between rack, press and bench
• Plants where the overhead crane covers only the main bay
• Tool rooms handling customer-owned tooling with tight handling rules

Safety Geometry

Because the chassis has no counterweight and no rear steering axle, the swept path is bounded by the body itself. That makes it practical to define scanning zones around the vehicle, keep pedestrian routes open during a changeover, and avoid closing a whole aisle for the duration of the move.

Project Support and Supply Routes

Tooling projects usually begin with a deck drawing rather than a catalogue number, so orders can be placed as chassis only, chassis with a fixture designed to the customer's drawing, or a complete vehicle with controls and scanners. Capacity is available from 100 kg to 5,000 kg, with 3,000 kg covered by this 12 inch platform. Serial production orders, single evaluation units and framework agreements for multi-plant rollouts are all handled, and OEM or ODM terms apply where the vehicle is resold as part of an integrator's own line.

Figures describe platform design limits. The approved working load and safety concept must be agreed with the plant operator before commissioning.