Skillet Conveyor Lift Table
Skillet conveyor lift table systems are one of three favored methods to assemble vehicles today – the other two being overhead gantry systems or AMRs fitted with vehicle lifts. Skillet conveyor systems started gaining popularity in the 1990’s and are used worldwide for car and truck assembly operations. The skillet platform is a tubular welded frame typically sized at about 33 x 16 feet (10 m x 5 m) and 4 – 6″ tall (100 to 150 mm) with a scissor lift table placed at the center.
Each skillet consists a number of high-perfomance composite panels. These panels, such as fiber-reinforced plastic or honeycomb structures with polyurethane coatings, are lightweight and do not warp, rot, or absorb moisture. The skillet conveyor is typically powered by strategically placed friction drive rollers. Each skillet pushes against the next to create an assembly line which moves at a max speed of about 25 feet per minute. You can think of it like a train that is being pushed by the caboose.
Details of Skillet Lift Tables
As the skillet lift table moves along the assembly line, an operator assembles component parts to the vehicle while standing on the the panel decking. The skillet lift tables are typically programmable to automatically raise and lower to the desired working height at each workstaton for the operator to perform the task. This provides an operator with the correct ergonomic window and most efficient work height. This system is the preferred method used today for automotive assembly line manufacturing. Increased efficiency and safety directly translate to higher throughput and profitability.
The skillet lift tables are typically electrically driven belt lifts and include a number of safety features such as a fully redundant anti-fall device, safety bellows skirting, and a motor braking system. Since uptime and safety in automotive assembly are critical, these scissor lift tables are built with a much higher safety factor than those used in general industry. The lifts have a vertical travel of about 48″ (1,200 mm) and a capacity rating of 3,000 lbs (1360 kg) for cars and up to 10,000 lbs (4,536 kg) for trucks.
