A
Th e
Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
June 2019 #11239 Page #14
How Your Plant Can Benefit From a Spida Extruder Wall Panel Framing Line
P
owered by people, a manual line in an average component plant is composed of a rough opening station, a subcomponent station, a framing Chris Scott station, a squaring station, and a sheathing station. In the configuration, Square 1 Design & Manufacture Inc typically 8 people are on this line, and 1000 LNFT of output is the average goal per shift depending on the type of construction. So, how does the Spida extruder style wall framing line compare to this? We’re always asked for specific details on exactly how a plant can benefit from an Extruder wall panel framing line, so let’s break it down. Here are the pros and cons, metrics, and ROI as we see it.
Station By Station: Set-Up and Labor Station 1: Rough Openings (ROs)—Windows and Doors Let’s compare the extruder to the manual line station by station. I have seen a lot of different set-ups for RO (rough openings), some people build ahead and stage the opening in a rack, some do JIT (just in time). I prefer the JIT approach as to having to stage ROs in line. Also, it’s not a true JIT as you will remain ahead by a few rough openings depending on how long your RO infeed conveyor is. The less you handle a product, the better. We will assume that both framing lines use 1 person on this station. On a manual table, getting the RO onto the table almost always involves manual labor and at least 2 people for larger openings. On the extruder line, the rough opening travels down a powered conveyor onto powered rollers and the extruder operator can enter them into the extruder by himself. Station 2: Subcomponents—Corners, Ls, Cs, Ladders, etc. The subcomponent station for both lines will only use 1 person. Some CMs prefer to stock similar subcomponents for a project and have them staged in line. This is usually a station close to but not connected to the framing line. The operator builds the subcomponents, manually stages them, and then the framers manually grab and place them as needed. They are being manually moved twice. The extruder line has this station attached—once the subcomponent is built, it is placed onto the subcomponent/stud conveyor and carried in order of installation to the operations overhead. This set-up saves having to manually move them twice AND delivers them in perfect order so there is no looking for parts and pieces. Station 3: Extruder/Framing Tables The Spida extruder is where you see the most impact. On average, a manual line has 2–3 guys on exterior walls and 2 on interior walls; on the extruder line, it is 1 regardless of difficulty. Most clients have multiple operators trained and rotating on the machine. The ROs come in on the side and get delivered by a powered conveyor and pop up rollers. The studs, preinstalled blocks, and subcomponents are delivered on an overhead conveyor to the operator. The plates are stored directly behind the operator, typically still on carts. PHONE: 800-289-5627
Read/Subscribe online at www.componentadvertiser.com
FAX: 800-524-4982