I. Application Background

In the injection molding industry, the handling and installation of large injection molding machines has always been a challenge in factory relocation and production line upgrades. As core production equipment, injection molding machines are typically characterized by large tonnage, long body, and complex center of gravity. The handling process must ensure that the equipment itself is not damaged, while also protecting the workshop floor environment. Traditional handling methods often fail to achieve both goals simultaneously.

A plastic products factory needed to upgrade its production capacity and moved a batch of large injection molding machines from the old workshop to the new one. Each injection molding machine was heavy and over ten meters long, classifying them as overweight and overlength equipment. More importantly, the new workshop had epoxy resin flooring, placing extremely high demands on the protection of the floor during the handling process.

II. Challenges and Solutions

To address the three major challenges in this handling project, the Longsheng LHQD-B air cushion handling device was selected as the core tool. It utilizes compressed air to create an extremely thin air film between the air cushion and the ground, allowing the equipment to “levitate” above the ground, thus achieving stable, labor-saving, and damage-free handling. The following are the challenges and their corresponding solutions:

Challenge 1: The equipment is heavy and its center of gravity is difficult to control.

Injection molding machines are quite heavy, and the centers of gravity of each component are at different positions, which can easily lead to tilting or shaking during relocation.

The air cushion transport device can distribute air cushion modules at the bottom load-bearing position of the equipment, and adjust the air pressure uniformly through a centralized controller to ensure that the equipment is stably suspended and the force is balanced, effectively eliminating the risk of tilting.

Challenge 2: Epoxy flooring is easily damaged

Epoxy resin flooring is aesthetically pleasing and dustproof, but its load-bearing capacity is limited. Traditional forklifts, rollers, pallet trucks, and other means can easily leave scratches or indentations on the floor. Once damaged, repair costs are high and it affects the production environment.

The air cushion transport device is separated from the ground by an air membrane, achieving zero contact and zero friction, keeping the epoxy floor intact and completely eliminating concerns about ground damage.

Challenge 3: High positioning accuracy required

After the injection molding machine is in place, it needs to be accurately connected to the water, electricity, and gas lines, and leveled. The positioning error needs to be controlled within the millimeter level.

The solution of the air cushion transport device is that the device has minimal resistance to movement in a suspended state, supports rotation in place and fine adjustment in any direction, can easily achieve millimeter-level positioning, and accurately meet docking requirements.

Air cushion transport device in stock, real photos	Case study of using an air cushion transport device to transport an injection molding machine

Longsheng air cushion handling systems offer reliable solutions for moving heavy and precision equipment such as injection molding machines, thanks to their advantages including suspended transport, no damage to the ground, labor-saving efficiency, and precise positioning. For selection advice or customized solutions, please contact us

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