Views: 50 Author: Phoebe Publish Time: 2022-05-11 Origin: Jody
The humble glass trolley is one of the most used items in a glass factory, is essential for meeting health and safety requirements, has the ability to dramatically improve factory efficiencies if used correctly, and is often one of the most poorly constructed and maintained items in the factory.
So what is the best finish – raw, painted, or electrostatic coating?
I guess this is more of a user opinion. Some customers like electrostatic coating as it is very permanent and gives an attractive appearance to equipment which can lead to the equipment being better looked after. The paint finish is cheaper but does rub and chip which can lead to unsightly rust marks. As a cheap option, raw steel finish can work for some factories. At the end of the day, the level of rust experienced on glass trollies is unlikely to lead to product failure so the finish is more about appearance and the impact of rust marking on products.
The most common structures for factory trolleys are A-frames and L-frames. The main benefit of an A-frame is that glass is shared across two storage areas providing easier and quicker access to items. The main benefit of an L-frame is that it's narrower and easier to move around a factory.
Rather than focus on the pros and cons, in my opinion, the more important aspect of the trolley is the angle of the lean. Ideally, the product will be placed on trolleys at around 7 degrees allowing safe storage and movement of the product. Most transport systems prefer around 5 degrees lean as this creates a more space-efficient trolley for transportation. The crossover is when 5-degree transport trolleys are used in a factory. Unless there is a form of retention (such as poles or safety arms) 5 degrees is too steep and can lead to glass falling off the trolley with rework and health and safety implications.
As more companies move to transport trolleys for glass transportation this is becoming more of an issue.
The other trend we see is a move to harp or toaster-style trolleys. In this format, items are not stacked against each other but are stored individually allowing staff to add and remove items without touching or relocating other items. This saves time, reduces damage and hence rework costs, and simplifies storage.
Historically the downside of harp and toaster style trolleys was that they were built for loads of a specific thickness. If wider units were needed to be stored they wouldn't fit. We've developed a tooth storage system that overcomes this. Our tooth is designed specifically for glass and windows, works very well, protects the product, saves time, and is a cost-effective upgrade to many existing trolley systems.
