Handling tires, especially unloading them from transport carriers, is tough work. It’s physically demanding, repetitive, and can be a bottleneck in production environments like wheel assembly plants.  

Recognizing this challenge, one specialist in complete wheel assemblies turned to AROTEC Automation and Robotik GmbH seeking a robust automation solution.  

The result? TireDepal – an innovative robotic system poised to change how the industry handles tire depalletizing.   

The Challenge: Heavy Lifting and Inefficiency 

Manually unloading stacks of tires from various load carriers is strenuous for workers, leading to ergonomic concerns and potential injuries. Beyond the physical toll, manual processes can lack the speed and consistency required for high-volume operations.  

The task sets the challenge straight: The client needed a way to automate this process, improving worker well-being while boosting efficiency and reducing costs. 

TireDepal Reaches 720 Tires/Hour with Photoneo 3D Scanning

AROTEC engineered a unique, comprehensive solution named TireDepal. This automated cell integrates several key technologies:   

• Industrial Robot: The core mover, performing the physical task of lifting and moving tires. 
• Specialized End-of-Arm Tool (Gripper): Designed to securely grip two tires simultaneously, significantly increasing throughput.   
• Photoneo PhoXi 3D Scanner XL: The crucial ‘eyes’ of the system, providing detailed 3D data of the tires within the carrier. 
• AROTEC DEPALGO@Tire Software: The ‘brain’ that processes the 3D vision data to precisely locate tires and plan the robot’s movements.   
• Conveyor System: Manages the flow of carriers into and out of the robotic cell.   
• Unique Folding Station: An innovative module that automatically folds the side walls of empty carriers for compact storage and transport. 

How it Works: Double Grip, Max Throughput

The process is seamless. A forklift delivers a loaded tire carrier (identified via barcode) onto the infeed conveyor. Once inside the cell, the PhoXi 3D Scanner XL captures a high-resolution point cloud of the top layer of tires. AROTEC’s DEPALGO@Tire software analyzes this data, identifying the exact position and orientation (pose) of every tire, even if they are arranged haphazardly (from vertical to horizontal). 

Using PhoXi 3D Scanner’s precise 3D data, the software intelligently searches for two adjacent tires within acceptable tolerances and calculates an optimal, collision-free path for the robot.  

The robot then uses its specialized gripper to pick up both tires in a single cycle and places them onto an outfeed conveyor. This double-grip action enables an impressive throughput of up to 720 tires per hour. 

While the robot moves the tires, the scanner is already capturing the next image, ensuring continuous operation. Once the depalletization system removes the final tire, the now-empty carrier is automatically transported to the special folding station.  

Here, its side walls (both one- and two-piece designs) are folded inwards – a feature unique to the TireDepal system. The compact, folded carrier is then conveyed out for easy pickup by a forklift. 

The Technology Edge: Powering Fully Automated Tire Depalletization  

The success of TireDepal hinges significantly on the Photoneo PhoXi 3D Scanner XL. Its large scanning volume is essential for covering the entire carrier area.  

Furthermore, it effectively handles the challenge of scanning black, low-contrast tires. AROTEC notes the scanner’s excellent price-performance ratio as another key advantage. 

Combined with the intelligent DEPALGO@Tire software, the system can precisely locate tires regardless of their stacking pattern (chain or horizontal) or orientation within the carrier. This flexibility is a major breakthrough.  

According to AROTEC, TireDepal is potentially the world’s first system capable of fully automatically depalletizing tires (ranging from 14″ to 24″) from all common carrier types without requiring any manual setup or adjustments.   

Results: Enhanced Ergonomics, Reduced Costs, Increased Efficiency 

The implementation of the TireDepal system delivers significant benefits: 

• Improved Ergonomics: Eliminates strenuous and potentially harmful manual labor. 
• Cost Reduction: Increases efficiency and consistency, leading to lower operational costs.   
• High Throughput: The double-grip capability significantly speeds up the depalletizing process. 
• Unmatched Flexibility: Adapts automatically to various tire sizes, carrier types, and stacking patterns.   
• Complete Automation: From receiving loaded carriers to dispatching folded empty ones, the process requires minimal human intervention. 

AROTEC’s TireDepal, powered by Photoneo’s advanced 3D vision, demonstrates how smart automation can solve tough industrial challenges, creating safer, more efficient, and cost-effective operations in the tire and wheel assembly industry. 

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