RUD Tool Separator optimises work processes and workplace safety during operation
23.11.2020
RUD's innovative Tool Separator
© RUD
No more need to use sledgehammers and tyre irons to open massively heavy tools by hand! RUD's new Tool Separator makes tool handling safer and, importantly, much faster. This latest innovation opens injection tools, punching tools and forming tools in a matter of seconds, once again revolutionising production, service and maintenance processes. By optimising these processes, the Tool Separator can pay for itself in less than a year. And that's great news, not just for managers, workshop managers and controllers, but also for health and safety officers and employees themselves. Working with RUD's new Tool Separator is especially safe and ergonomic. This makes the Tool Separator the ideal companion to the Tool Mover Pro, RUD's tool-handling machine.
The Tool Separator separates tools quickly and accurately
© RUD
Instead of taking three hours, and involving three members of staff, the Tool Separator needs a maximum of five minutes and one person to complete the entire process. RUD's Tool Separator operates with an opening and closing force of 50 kN (corresponds to 5 tonnes). A PLC control system ensures effective operation. Carefully controlled force and speed ensure tool halves can be opened gently and closed accurately: operators can set the degree of force from a theoretical 0 – 55 kN, and set speeds from 0 – 2000 mm/min.
The Tool Separator can be operated safely and conveniently using its radio-controlled operator devices
© RUD
Using the Tool Separator not only protects expensive tools, but also safeguards the joints and vertebrae of its operators. At only 380 mm high, the contact surface ensures work can be performed safely and ergonomically. And yet another benefit: after opening, the operator can work directly on both halves of the tool, to perform minor repairs or maintenance tasks, while it is held securely in the Tool Separator. This reduces the downtimes required for maintenance. Safety is guaranteed at all times. It is simply not possible to operate the Tool Separator, either by pressing buttons on the machine itself or by remote control, if anyone is standing between the two halves of the tool.
The Tool Separator is driven electrically by RUD's innovative TECDOS Pi-Gamma 2-in-1 chain drive system, which was specially developed for horizontal and vertical applications. This system is based on a high performance round steel chain, also developed by RUD. The drive system is especially robust, low-maintenance and with a long service life. "The Tool Separator's electrical drive is its distinctive feature, because it operates entirely without hydraulics. A hydraulic drive not only needs more maintenance, but also takes up more space because of the additional hydraulic unit. In contrast, the Tool Separator is a compact all-in-one system," explained Walter Lais, Designer at RUD Ketten Rieger & Dietz GmbH u. Co. KG.
RUD's bespoke Tool Separator machines are proudly "made in Germany", at the company's headquarters in Aalen. The prototype is sized for tools weighing up to 10 tonnes, but can also handle lighter or heavier tools with ease. The Tool Separator has a 1300 mm x 1300 mm clamping plate and a sliding and contact surface at a height of 380 mm. "Theoretically, anything is possible here: we can adjust the machine to handle lighter or heavier tools, greater or lesser forces and smaller or greater distances between the clamping plates. We can also modify the plates themselves, depending on what is required," stated Lais. The Tool Separator can also be moved by crane, so it can be used just where it's needed.
To ensure the greatest possible safety in the workplace, optional add-on parts, such as a guard bracket, can be installed to complement the automatic stop function which triggers as soon as anyone is detected on the Tool Separator. A light curtain or protective fence can also be supplied to optimise safety in the working environment. Thanks to its radio-controlled operator devices, the Tool Separator can also be operated safely and conveniently outside the danger zone.
RUD's latest generation of tool separators, the Tool Mover Pro, has already revolutionised the way in which tools are serviced and maintained. The Tool Separator is the logical addition to the range.
Author: Sabrina Deininger
