Cimcorp has developed a solution for enabling the robotic loading of tires into storage and transport cages in vertical position one row at a time.

Automated Tire Cage Loading (ATCL) is an integral part of the Cimcorp TyrePick sorting and buffering system. The TyrePick robot sorts the tires arriving from the inspection area into stacks under the buffer robot, according to type and grade. When the stacks are complete, the TyrePick robot moves them onto the conveyor for transfer to the ATCL station.

The robot grips the whole stack of tires at the picking position, turns it into a horizontal position and lifts it into the cage. Each type of tire has its own loading profile, so that the robot can load the cage with as many tire rows as required by the profile in question. In vertical position, two rows of tires fit in the cage side by side and one or two rows on top of each other.

There are two ways to start up cage loading. It can be done automatically whenever a cage-load of the same type and grade of tire is ready or the operator can order tires required from the buffer storage.

Automatic Tire Cage Loading (ATCL) is significantly faster than manual loading. Capacity rises dramatically in the Cimcorp solution, because an entire row of tires can be moved into the cage at one time. Automation also facilitates product traceability and real-time warehouse management, so the end customers receive flawless deliveries.