Assembly lines demand repetition. Hour after hour, operators install the same screws, bolts, and fasteners securing products together by hand or handheld driver. Such monotonous motion and sustained awkward postures burden muscle and joint health. This accelerates fatigue, boosting injury risks and absenteeism while diminishing quality and productivity. Fortunately, advanced ergonomic equipment like torque arms and automated screw feeding technology reduces the physical strain of fastening tasks, allowing workers to thrive.
Understanding the Ergonomic Burden
The human body tolerates motion but within limits. Exerting small muscles repetitively while maintaining fixed unnatural arm, wrist, or finger positions strains tissues beyond endogenous relief capacity. Microtears accumulate until injury or chronic disorders like carpal tunnel or tendonitis arise. Fastening products necessitates exactly such problematic patterns. Consider the manifold factors contributing:
Twisting motions – Rotating a driver or wrench manually taxes shoulder and elbow joints increasing impingement/arthritis likelihood.
Gripping – Continually grasping tools cramps hand muscles often requiring forceful pinches exacerbating issues.
Extension – Reaching to insert screws overhead or below waist height strains joints/ligaments like supraspinatus or iliotibial band.
Finger use – Utilizing fingertips to grip tiny fasteners enhances numbness, Raynaud’s syndrome, and neuropathy.
Vibration/impact – Power drivers transferring oscillatory forces and sudden torque impulses further damage.
Without ergonomic controls, assembly tasks readily overwhelm tissue regeneration processes provoking a downward health spiral.
Ergonomics Mitigate Strain
Workplace ergonomics focuses on designing equipment, layouts, and procedures supporting rather than hindering the body’s operation. This maximizes comfort, control, and efficiency while minimizing external stresses. Within fastening contexts, two primary intervention categories alleviate strain:
Torque Arms
These adjustable armatures feature counterbalanced brackets allowing effortless orientation of powered drivers in any position. Workers securely install the armnear assembly workstations. By bearing the weight and maneuverability demands of heavy torque tools, muscle fatigue precipitously declines. Sudden tool twists and traction forces no longer wrench joints. Arms reduce grip pressure and confinement of motion range. This curtails tissue stress and injury vectors like tendonitis or carpal tunnel. Models offer expandable reaches facilitating access across large products. Workers can even program bespoke shutoff depths and angles repetitions reducing posture variance.
Automated Screw Feeding
Manually gathering and positioning loose fasteners prior to installing creates needless repetitive actions. Automated screw feeder systems bypass this burden by:
1) Bulk storing thousands of screws/bolts in vibratory bowls
2) Orientating and transporting parts correctly
3) Delivering screws directly into power drivers or process points
This condenses four taxing manual steps into a simple automated sequence. Feeders install up to 3600 fasteners per hour with adjustable rate controls accommodating any pace. Their operation frees operators to focus on precise positioning and quality checks rather than wasting health gathering supplies. Systems refill automatically from bulk keeping the line running.
Combined with complete torque tool ergonomic packages, these technologies insulate staff from the primary fastening burdens expansively documented to attrite long term wellness and performance.
Selecting the Best Solutions
With myriad torque arms and diverse automatic feeder models now available, identifying optimal solutions for specific lines proves critical yet challenging. Consider these key factors when equipping workstations:
- Fastener/Joint Properties – What type fastener, size, torque, and joint style predominates assembly since this dictates equipment needs and arm/feeder adjustment ranges?
- Production Volumes – Low volumes under 100 parts daily need basic pneumatic feeders while high volumes over 500 parts daily necessitate advanced programmable shutoff electric driver packages for ultra precision.
- Floor Space – Compact inline torque arms occupy minimal stations footprints versus larger articulated models. Assess layout dimensions when positioning.
- Training – Seek equipment with intuitive controls, preset configurations matching established process needs, and manufacturers offering thorough operator education services.
- Costs – With tabletop screw delivery systems under $2000 and basic torque arms from $1500, affordability typically outpaces risks of not equipping.
pricing variable based on features/capabilities
Assessing aspects like these streamlines selections of high reliability ergonomic screw driving/fastening gear proven over decades worldwide to alleviate strain, fatigue, errors,and injuries expensive in many ways.
Why Choose Flexible Assembly System?
Addressing ergonomics appears simple. But only through holistic equipment choices, layout changes, and worker training does the assembly environment truly evolve from hazardous to healthy. This demands expertise. Flexible Assembly System delivers complete end-to-end fastening ergonomic solutions unmatched in the industry today. We ease selection struggles via:
1. Objective Assessment
Leveraging 30+ years advising manufacturers of all sizes and sectors, Flexible Assembly System analyzers tour facilities armed with body mechanics and safety science insights. We quantitatively evaluate workstation posture risks, tool weights, grip formats, repeat counts, installed vs optimum feed heights/reaches, and other ergonomic factors. This yields an accurate profile of equipment capabilities objectively measured against strain thresholds revealing where fatigue and injury vectors hide.
2. Bespoke Integration
With problem areas identified, we combine the optimal torque arms, driver/wrench styles, automated feeding systems, benches, and component relocations customized to address the vulnerabilities detected. Workers trial configurations and suggest tweaks until components operate in harmony matching anatomy and process flow alike.
3) Comprehensive Training
Merely installing ergonomic gear without educating staff in proper sustainable use limits benefits. Flexible Assembly System orients employees on ideal setup, alignment, and usage of new equipment for maximizing fluidity and safety. We coach adjusting configurations for optimal effectiveness as workers’ skills expand.
4) Continual Improvement Ethos
Anthropometry differs individually as do assembly tasks over time. What solves pain points today may need revisiting periodically. Unlike vendors that disappear after delivery, Flexible Assembly System re-evaluates ergonomics every 2 years honing configurations in support of changing equipment, parts, or personnel. We become lasting partners in bolstering long term worker health and performance together.
Trust Flexible Assembly System to provide not just individual ergonomic products but turnkey fastening focused workplace health solutions keeping assembly staff happy and thriving year after year through the most customized and responsive support in the industry. Contact us today for a hassle-free site assessment and capabilities overview.
