Door manufacturer improves safety and productivity

Radiation Services Australia has been providing radiation shielding design and manufacture solutions to Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia for nearly 30 years. The company manufactures lead shielded doors for use in hospitals and wherever radiation protection is required.

Each door weighs in the order of 160 kg, and in the past, handling these doors during the manufacturing process was a three- or four-man task. Now it’s a one-man task thanks to the site’s revised manufacturing layout, which includes a new milling machine and a Kockums gantry using a Tawi vacuum-assisted lifter.

The installation was challenging due to the low head height of the building. The gantry was supported directly from the base of the heavy-duty roof structure, and with modified VM2220 lift tubes it has been possible to provide an operating envelope adequate for the operator.

It is now a one-man task to pick door assemblies from a cart, move them to a sizing machine and then to the final form milling machine.The Tawi vacuum lifting mechanism assists in placing the door in the specific location on the milling machine between the clamps. The vacuum lifter is moved clear, and then the milling machine commences a program for precision sizing, including inserting view holes in the door. Special glass is used to fill the view holes to prevent radiation escape.

The upgrade to the site, which includes the Tawi Vacueasylift system, has resulted in improved safety and increased productivity.