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[October 2002]
German JV Installation Contract for Walküre Porcelain Plant
Julius Lippert GmbH & Co KG, in joint venture with Riedhammer GmbH, has been awarded a major contract for an automation project in conjunction with a decorating roller kiln by Erste Bayreuther Porzellanfabrik Walküre Siegm. Paul Meyer GmbH.The roller kiln is combined with a shelving storage system for firing batts, including a shelf-storage car for feeding the firing batts into the kiln and returning them to storage after firing.
Product batches requiring different firing temperatures can be assembled for firing while in storage. A laser-controlled automated guided vehicle (AGV) transporting the firing batts in groups inside transport boxes is used for feeding the products previously placed directly on to firing batts at the decorating stations into the storage system, and for subsequently returning the empty batts.
Each work station is equipped with a box unloading device to facilitate manual handling of the firing batts and to prevent the decorators from getting into direct contact with the firing batts.
The partners say that the chief advantage of this system is its superior flexibility, i.e. the plant allows simultaneous production and successive firing of various different product assemblies of decorated ware and biscuit fired ware. All tasks are carried out automatically, with manual handling reduced to a bare minimum.
ENDS