HUBMASTER® Storage & Handling Solutions, manufacturer, and supplier of intralogistic systems, has installed an automatic HUBMASTER® storage system for plastic thermoforming molds at the plant of a leading car manufacturer in France.
 

The car manufacturer in its production plant near Lyon develops new designs, manufactures parts, assembles interiors, and produces plastic components of the vehicles which are manufactured in its own plant and in other group factories.

 
Thermoforming is a process of heating a semi-finished thermoplastic plate or sheet, so that when it softened, it can be adapted to the shape of a mold by vacuum pressure action or by a counter-mold.
 

Plastic thermoforming molds are heavy and bulky elements which are traditionally difficult to manage. They are found in production environments without a lot of space available, full of equipment and ongoing production.
 

The system installed is an automatic storage and retrieval HUBMASTER® system (ASRS), for special pallets, which focuses on low cycle applications, where space optimization and production improvements are sought. Much as a traditional automatic tool storage for small tools, the HUBMASTER® System is an automatic tool storage system for oversized items and it is operated with a touchscreen display and managed by the system’s native HMWare™ software.

 

The installed automatic system stores up to 1.5 tons per load, with varying dimensions which can be as large as 2.5 meters wide and 1.7 m deep. With this specialized system, the customer will optimize its internal production chain and improve on the operational safety with consequent economic savings.

 
Thanks to the HMWare™ software and the easy interaction with the touchscreen system, mold storage and retrieval operations can be easily programmed so that the system collects or delivers a pallet from a conveyor belt. The input/output conveyor moves the load automatically until the HUBMASTER®, once the pallet is already inside the automatic warehouse, collects it and places it on the most suitable shelf according to size and weight criteria.

 
With the warehouse management system integrated into the HUBMASTER®`s HMWare™ software, the best space to store the load is selected. The system with this configuration offers warehouse automation in a simple and economical way. 

 
HUBMASTER® Storage & Handling Solution offers an advanced version with full integration with the customer's production software, for 100% autonomous operation, 24 hours a day. The system gives total control and complete security in the operation of the loads, in and out of other automatic production processes, without the intervention of a person. 
 

The automatic HUBMASTER® System is presented as an alternative system to traditional automatic stacker crane systems (or ASRS), which are not justified in many applications in the industry because of their high costs. It also represents a clear alternative to the most modern automatic forklifts (or AGV), since it offers higher storage densities and therefore lower costs per stored unit.

 
The automatic HUBMASTER® solutions are also available as a leased purchase, and the company offers tailored financing solutions, where customers can benefit from a return on investment from day one, without a direct impact on their cash flows.
 

The HUBMASTER® System is a specialized lifting and load movement technology for the most demanding industrial environments, available in 100% automatic version or semi-automatic version with on-board operator. The company, with an international presence, and projects carried out on several continents, is a leader in the manufacture of high-performance technological solutions.