Design software can maximize efficiency, efficacy in a plant

The health of manufacturing operations relies on the plant floor running efficiently and flexibly — always adapting to keep up with ever-changing customer demands. What is on the plant floor can either be a hindrance or can empower employees to meet those demands and send quality products out the door.

Design software can maximize the design and use of various aspects within a manufacturing plant. There are many ways a plant manager can employ design software in an industrial facility.

A robust aluminum framing system and experienced design engineer can employ design software and similar tools to fulfill the plant’s needs. With its sleek look and seemingly simple function, aluminum structural framing is an unsung hero of the plant floor. It’s versatile, easy-to-use and practical in many applications; aluminum framing offers numerous advantages across multiple facets of operations. As a bonus, its durability makes it reconfigurable — enabling outdated structures to be reassembled and given new life for a different function within the plant.

Effectively using aluminum framing starts in the design phase — before a physical extrusion is even in your hand. With the right design tools and aluminum framing system, you can turn any vision into a reality with the portfolio that provides everything to build anything.

What is a robust aluminum framing portfolio?

Before diving into the applications, it’s important to understand the breadth of products a robust portfolio of aluminum framing products can include. With a well-rounded supplier, aluminum framing can mean more than sticks, bundles and components. While the classic t-slotted aluminum sticks are often the most recognized when the words “aluminum framing” are brought up, it isn’t the only option.

Within the square and rectangular and “L” shaped profiles category, a supplier can have both metric and inch series. While using one versus the other can be a matter of preference, both are beneficial to have in a single portfolio.

Next, tubular framing systems are a lightweight option, often used to achieve lean production goals. Like its square counterpart, tubular framing is versatile, cost effective and creates high-quality plant floor solutions at a lower weight. Compared with steel, it can be as much as 30% less weight.

Finally, the protector of the plant floor, safety guarding, rounds out the portfolio nicely. Used to create barriers around noncollaborative machines and enclose areas of production, safety guarding is a necessary component for any safety-conscious plant.

Simplify the design process with digital design software

Without the ability to easily conceptualize and customize your solution, aluminum framing is just a pile of profiles and connectors. Compatible, easy to use design tools are a critical part of an aluminum framing product offering — allowing design engineers to create fully customized solutions for their unique applications.

With aluminum framing, thinking outside the typical manufacturing box is encouraged. The versatility of aluminum framing allows it to be used in a wide range of applications and industries. Even applications from industries as strict as medical manufacturing are no challenge for the right aluminum framing system.

Continuing outside the standard manufacturing environment, aluminum framing can also be integrated into other aspects of business. Extrusions and connectors can easily be assembled to create sturdy ladders, platforms and more for maintenance applications.

Designing with software to provide extraordinary support

Ergonomic workstations are a staple of any plant floor operation — providing a comfortable and customized work environment for employees to complete their tasks. The benefits of ergonomically designed workplaces for workers have been proven in many studies, and the results speak for themselves: increased motivation and satisfaction, better performance, efficiency and work quality and fewer absences due to injury.

Ergonomic workstations: To effectively integrate ergonomic workstations into production systems, careful and comprehensive planning are key. Designing workstations to meet ergonomic requirements is often a costly complicated undertaking. But this is where design software can provide valuable support.

Another software feature to look out for that supports ergonomic workstation design is the ability to optimize designs for human use. The bottom line: Ergonomic workstations provide a significant improvement in productivity, increased efficiency and a decisive edge over the competition — thus ensuring lasting success for your company.

Flow racks: Flow racks play a critical role in reconciling lean production concepts and in optimizing efficiency, cost effectiveness and ergonomics on the plant floor. Whether they’re integrated into picking stations, shuttling materials to workstations or used as a first in, first out (FIFO) station, flow racks are a versatile champion for employee efficiency.

Flow racks also complement the ergonomic workstations mentioned previously. By implementing a dockable material shuttle, the workstation can be quickly adapted to changing products and assembly processes to optimize workflows and efficiency. Another example is placing a flow rack at a workstation to supply containers of components to workers, helping ensure FIFO principles without slowing the workflow.

Effectively designing flow rack systems requires knowing which materials will be supplied in what quantity and in which containers. The load capacity of the flow racks will ultimately be decided by these selected parameters, as well as the setup, frame dimensions and the shelves and conveyor tracks used. Factors such as the container weight, type of activity involved and the overall strain placed on a worker during a shift are the additional considerations for ergonomic flow racks designs.

First published in Plant Engineering