FIPA in Practice: Manually tilt heavy paper rolls without effort

FIPA GmbH (www.fipa.com) has developed and supplied a tilting tool for heavy paper rolls for a packaging services provider. The customized solution improves workplace ergonomics by relieving employees from tasks that could cause back injuries.

In the manufacturing sector and in logistics, lifting and carrying heavy loads is often still part of a typical working day. The FIPALIFT Expert tube lifter which effortlessly moves heavy loads of up to 230 kg offers an effective solution. But a tube lifter only is not the solution – the nature and shape of the goods to be moved is too complex.

That is why there is no single lifting solution for all the different applications. Perfect solutions can be achieved only with customized modifications and adapted solutions.

An example from the packaging industry shows how FIPA uses customized solutions to enable new applications for the FIPALIFT tube lifter.

There is a growing trend for paper packaging. The packaging machines required for this purpose are equipped with paper rolls of considerable weight. In this particular case, the paper rolls, weighing up to 105 kg, are delivered horizontally on pallets. In the past, members of staff had to pivot every paper roll by 90° before loading the packaging machine – a physically demanding task which puts a lot of strain on the back.

Better ergonomics in the workplace

The FIPA design team thought that there had to be an easier way. True to the motto “Challenge accepted”, they designed a special solution that meets all the requirements for functionality, efficiency and ergonomics.

The basis of the solution: The FIPALIFT Expert and a robust FIPA suction shell, which are used to lift the paper roll safely. The “customized” component of the solution is a newly-designed tilting tool. The operator uses it to tilt the paper roll effortlessly by hand from a horizontal to a vertical position and vice versa.

Careful balancing

The almost weightless tilting of the 105 kg paper roll is based on the precise alignment of the center of gravity and the weight of the roll. The tube lifter requires no additional compressed air or power supply, since the roll is tilted manually. The FIPA design team has therefore created a solution that is unique in the market.

The scope of the customized solution from FIPA is clear: On the one hand, the team’s expertise in developing specialized components. And on the other hand, FIPA’s comprehensive range of standard components for vacuum, gripper, crane and lifting technology.