Hydro Aluminium Nenzing has collaborated with H+H in the sector of logistics automation for many years. Now that the need has arisen to modify the automated material flow for the 16-MN extrusion line, the contract for this was awarded to Herrmann + Hieber.
Within the Extrusion Group of Hydro Aluminium, Hydro Aluminium Nenzing/Bellenberg has for years held a technologically leading position. The plants, located in Nenzing in Austria and Bellenberg in Germany, employ around 350 people between them and produce approximately 50,000 tonnes of sections on four presses.
At the Nenzing plant, in recent years H+H has installed two automatic crane units among other things for the transport of racks between the presses, furnaces, stores and packing areas. Besides transporting the racks, these highly dynamic cranes can also manipulate the lids of the respective chest-type furnaces. Since that transport volume cannot be managed with an automatic crane of conventional design, a modified version – a special crane with an independent double-gripper – was developed, with which two separate gripper mechanisms are attached to a trolley carriage. The two crane units are combined with one another in such manner that each can also move with overlap to the respective other press.
The modifications now ordered became necessary because of changes to the buildings and the plant technology. The work includes dismantling certain individual plant components, reconstruction and extension, and specifically designed new equipment. The aim of the project is to re-incorporate the 16-MN extrusion line into the material flow system. H+H then guarantees an overall availability of 98.5 percent.