Kathrein, manufacturer of antenna systems for professional telecommunications, was the first user of the LT40 transfer system from Montech. In the meantime, Kathrein has 30 transport sections in use.

In 2012 the German company received information about the new Montech transfer system LT40. At that time, Kathrein engineers were looking for a suitable transfer system to link their modular assembly cells in the Rosenheim production. Thomas Paul, Head of Automation and Test Engineering at Kathrein, and his team had a very clear idea of the features of the new system: wear resistance and durability, easy provisioning of spare parts, efficient support in case of technical issues as well as implementation of specific customer requests.

Integrated motor convinced

An element that immediately caught Thomas Paul’s eye was the motor integrated in the drive roller. “The belt conveyors we used before in the assembly cells were annoyed by the external motor.”
Since the beginning of 2014, the LT40 transfer system has been used at Kathrein in the modular assembly cells in lengths of 1,500 to 3,000 millimeters. The workpiece carriers transport components from the satellite reception area. The components are loaded manually onto the workpiece carriers, while assembled aggregates are fixed in different positions.

Simple, flexible and compatible

It took only three months from planning to productive use of the LT40 at Kathrein. What Paul particularly liked about the Montech transfer system was the simple construction, the different sizes of workpiece carriers, control via bus, as well as the easy commissioning and changing of parameters. “And, of course, the compatibility with the profile system we are currently using,” says Paul. Kathrein is pleased that after all these years they still haven’t had any failure or stoppage.

Double belt conveyors with workpiece carriers

The LT40 consists of a double belt system on which the individual workpiece carriers travel at 20 meters per minute. The workpiece carriers are available in square and oblong shapes in six different sizes.
The load capacity ranges up to 16.8 kilograms; RFID can also be used. The workpiece carriers are discharged by means of cross transport or with a 90-degree deflection. The damped pneumatic separating stop, which functions both as a stopper and as a pre-stopper, is used to stop, separate and slow down one or more accumulating workpiece carriers. The alignment of the workpiece pallets can be changed with the lifting and turning unit in the line.

Stepless movable components

All components can be easily moved into any position because of the dovetail guide. To execute operations on the workpiece carrier, a positioning unit, which is integrated in the conveyor, with 1000N pressure and a placing unit with up to 60 kN vertical load are available.