Pankl Racing Systems chooses Knapp shuttles

Pankl Racing Systems, the engine and drivetrain components specialist, has chosen shuttle technology from Knapp for its new drivetrain component factory in Austria.

The company develops, manufactures and markets engine and drivetrain systems as well as chassis parts for racing cars, luxury vehicles and the aerospace industry. It will open a new manufacturing site for high-performance motorcycle gearboxes in 2017.

As part of the installation of its new production facility at its headquarters in Kapfenberg, Pankl has selected Knapp’s YLOG-Shuttle system for automation of the small parts warehouse and supply of the workstations.

“We opted for the concept from Knapp because it’s clear that the core components of the system have been carefully thought through and are technically sophisticated,” said Stefan Zinner, series production manager.

“Another crucial factor was the extremely productive co-operation during the concept phase. The project engineers and product managers were quick to grasp our unique requirements and went on to develop excellent solutions.”

The automated YLOG-Shuttle system will be connected to three workstations enabling the company’s range of toothed wheels and shafts to be stored across 4,300 storage locations, from where they will be supplied to the assembly workstations according to the goods-to-person principle.

Knapp is supplying ergonomic workstations from its Pick-it-Easy series that are adapted to suit Pankl’s requirements. A safety check comprising three separate steps will be carried out to ensure that each part can be traced, if necessary, at a later stage. The individual parts will be supplied to the workstations in the correct sequence, with staff being instructed via pick-to-light technology as to the correct article to pick. The serial number will then be read using image recognition technology, identifying the part removed from the storage tote. In addition, the assembly process will be verified using image pattern recognition technology from Knapp subsidiary, ivii GmbH.

Zinner said: “For us, the Knapp system is a pioneering solution, leading the way towards Industry 4.0 and going far beyond the classic requirements of warehouse logistics. It involves value-adding interaction between man and machine. Our staff will carry out assembly tasks that require technical skill and will be supported in these tasks by the image processing system.”