b"Productive Timeshandle wheels. For the automa-tion system, the company turned to Coventry, U.K.-based Gdel Lin-eartec U.K. Ltd., which Simmons Machine Tool has worked with for about 30 years. (Gdel Inc. is in Ann Arbor, Michigan.)AlthoughSimmonsMachine Tool historically has had success with Gdel, Mitchell said Simmons Machine Tool explores the mar-ket every five or six years to see if Gdel is still all that we need.Those searches include Simmons Machine Tools sister company that manufactures components for auto-mation systems.For the WTC-60, Simmons Ma-chine Tool selected Gdels ZP-6 double-axis gantry robot.Simmons chose Gdels ZP-6 gantry system for this application primarily for its reliability and capa-bility and because equipment avail-ability is critical for our customers, Gdelsaid Jason Steven Murphy, market-Wheel sets that require machining are placed onto ing specialist at Simmons. a conveyor and transported into a machine cell. To Mitchell said the ZP-6 gantry isaccomplish this task, each wheel is picked up by a probably the lowest-cost optionvertical lift system from Gdel. The system consists that still provides the throughputof a ZP-6 overhead gantry with a two-axis robot that that customers need. The completehas specialized grippers by Simmons Machine Tool machine cell, however, stands aboutto handle the heavy wheels. The operation transfers 4.5 m (14.8') high. If a customerswheels to a vertical CNC lathe.OIL MIST & SMOKE IN YOUR SHOP?www.mistcollectors.comTel: 1-800-645-4174Low-Cost, Highly Efficient Mist and SmokeCollectors Designed Specifically for theMetalworking Industry44JUNE 2020 ProTimes.indd 44 5/15/20 9:59 AM"