At ASI, we place a priority on keeping our manufacturing techniques modern and efficient. We have done that on our single-wheel smart drive assembly line. The product is the most sophisticated drive we produce for warehouse automation application.

Since August 2014, this assembly line has featured a Schmidt Technology pneumatic press and inspection station. The press is electrically controlled and uses proximity sensors to check that the correct assembly is being used and that everything is pressed into place properly.

The press has already produced more than 86,000 subassemblies since it was installed. In keeping with ASI's lean manufacturing philosophy, it only requires one worker to operate it. Before the press was installed, it took six manual presses and two employees to produce the same amount of subassemblies in the same amount of time. The manual presses did not offer the benefit of inspection, while the pneumatic press does.

The single-wheel smart drive assembly line also boasts a computer-aided and integrated end-of-line testing station. It tests the function of the products, simulating four different scenarios that range from the minimum to the maximum conditions it is subjected to in the warehouse application.  

The EOL test takes about four minutes to complete and is fully automated. The test can be adjusted based on customer specifications and load requirements. It's been fully operational since the line was instituted in April 2013.