Die and mould AS/RS
Heavy-duty cranes store and retrieve press dies and injection moulds and bring them to the transfer point at changeover, replacing searching and craning; capacity is set by the heaviest die.
Heavy-duty cranes store and retrieve press dies and injection moulds and bring them to the transfer point at changeover, replacing searching and craning; capacity is set by the heaviest die.
A die and mould AS/RS uses heavy-duty stacker cranes to place press dies and injection moulds on load plates in high-bay positions and, at changeover, bring them to the transfer point, where the shop crane or a transfer car takes them to the machine. Compared with floor storage it saves space, finds dies faster, stops dies being stacked on each other, and keeps the register in line with the real positions. Capacity is set by the heaviest die, with published cranes commonly around 5 t and the heavy-duty class of the Chinese association standard reaching 30 t, confirmed per project; the floor, the transfer arrangement and the building are designed together.
Typical uses
- Die stores in automotive and component press shops
- Mould stores in injection-moulding plants
- Dies and tooling in appliance and hardware stamping
- Heavy fixtures and tooling
How to choose
- The heaviest and largest die: sets capacity, position size and crane type
- Changeovers per shift and cycle time: set the number of aisles and the speed
- How dies are handed over: a crane opening for the shop crane, or load plates and a transfer car
- Floor capacity and the seismic requirements of the site
When it is not the right choice
- Few dies and infrequent changeovers: heavy racking with the shop crane may cost less
- Floor not reinforced for heavy loads and limited height: assess first; heavy-load AGVs with low die racks may fit better
Key figures
| Capacity | Set by the heaviest die; published cranes commonly about 5 t, heavy-duty class up to 30 t; press-die cases about 9–13.6 t per die |
|---|---|
| Crane | Mainly heavy-duty twin mast |
| Load carriers | Dies sit on load plates sized to the dies |
| Transfer | Crane opening or transfer car at the store end, linked to the shop crane |
| Management | Die number and location kept by the control system delivered with the equipment (WCS), connectable to your WMS / MES / ERP |
| Retrieval time | Vendors state about 2.5 min per die; cases average under 5 min or about 4–6 min; depends on layout |
| Size | Cases range from a few dozen to several hundred positions |
Figures are typical configuration ranges; exact specifications are set per project.
Options
- Die transfer cars
- Guarding and interlocks at the crane opening
- Die weighing and size check
- MES interface to retrieve dies ahead of the production plan
Scope of supply
- Machine, drives and control cabinet, assembled and dry-run tested before shipping
- The equipment's own control and fleet software; interfaces to your existing WMS / ERP as the project requires
- Drawings: general arrangement, foundation and anchor plan, electrical schematics
- Conformity documents for the equipment and the whole line, the split of responsibilities and the acceptance criteria are set out in the contract according to the project scope
- Spare-parts list and wear-part recommendation; a first batch can ship with the equipment
- Factory acceptance (FAT): attend in person or follow by live video
- Installation, commissioning and operator training can be included in the offer
What we need for an offer
- Die list: dimensions and weight of the largest and typical dies, total number
- Changeovers per shift or day
- Shop crane capacity, hook height and preferred handover
- Available building size, clear height and floor capacity data
- Site location (seismic design confirmed by a qualified local body under the local code; state the mains supply)