There are many steps a company can take to ensure the safety of workers, customers, and the environment – and one of these steps is to incorporate automation wherever possible into processes and workflows. Automation naturally improves safety by removing personnel from dangerous or repetitive tasks while eliminating accidents and reducing waste.
At Designetics, we realize that our customers often deal with fluids that are potentially harmful to personnel, the environment, or even to the workpiece if not handled and applied properly. That’s why we design all of our fluid application systems with safety in mind. Take, for example, our Horizontal dp3 and our d3fill. Like our 6000 handheld remote and e3 series of fully automated fluid application systems, these systems were designed to help manufacturers ensure safety in their fluid application process by introducing automation to tasks that would otherwise expose personnel – and the environment – to potentially harmful chemicals and processes.
Horizontal dp3: Safe, Efficient Application for Coating Parts
The Horizontal dp3 is a semi-automated device most often used for coating, or priming, the insides or outsides of parts such as cylinders or tubes. Using an automatic flow dispenser and a horizontally-oriented fixture, the Horizontal dp3 allows operators to coat parts in quick succession, or even two parts at a time. And it allows fast and easy application in a safe, “hands-off” way.
With the Horizontal dp3, fluids are dispensed only where they should be, when they should be.
First, the operator mounts a Designetics applicator to the unit and connects a pressure pot containing the fluid. To dispense the fluid, the operator simply pushes the part onto the applicator, which slides the fixture backwards and activates a fluid dispenser. The amount of fluid flow can be set through a manual adjustment on the dispenser.
The Horizontal dp3 eliminates the need for personnel to work directly with the fluid in some of the most challenging application scenarios. And because the Horizontal dp3 is pneumatically operated, there is no flash source, making it safe for the application of flammable chemicals. A drip tray positioned under the part and the applicator catches any drips or waste fluid, preventing accidental exposure and containing excess fluids for proper disposal.
d3fill: Safety in Every Aspect of Fluid Application
Of course, fluid application doesn’t just entail the dispensing of fluid onto a substrate. Even ancillary processes can pose hazards to personnel and leave open the possibility for accidents or spills. Case in point: bottle filling is one of the most mundane – and dangerous – tasks of fluid application. That’s why we created the d3fill.
The d3fill is an automated filling system for Designetics bottles that improves safety by eliminating the need for funnels – which can lead to splashes drips – or cleaning rags that pose additional safety and environmental hazards. Automated filling also minimizes fumes and eliminates the potential for exposure to harmful fluids due to overflows or spills. And like our automated fluid application systems, the d3fill operates in a completely closed system, meaning the fluid doesn’t come into contact with mechanical components, so there’s no need for maintenance and no cleaning of the unit required.
The d3fill eliminates overflows and spills and minimizes noxious fumes during bottle filling.
With an HMI that visually displays the bottle filling status, the d3fill also reduces labor and waste-related costs. And a “low-level” alarm, which can be set by the user, means that operators don’t have to constantly monitor the amount of fluid available for filling bottles – so they can focus on value-added functions such as application and quality control.
Safety and Automation Go Hand-in-Hand
Any time you incorporate automation into a process or workflow, you improve safety by removing personnel from dangerous or repetitive tasks, while also eliminating accidents and reducing waste. To learn more about the Horizontal dp3, the d3fill, or any of our automated and semi-automated fluid application systems, reach out to us. We’d love to help you implement processes and systems that will improve the safety of your fluid application process.
