Saturday, April 30, 2022

Spring Cleaning and Maintenance for Commercial Trash Compactors


Spring is in the air and we all know what that means, time to declutter and do some deep spring cleaning. Homeowners and businesses consider this time of year the perfect opportunity to practice the old adage, out with the old and in with the new. Retail shops are putting last season’s items in clearance and stocking shelves with swimsuits and summer clothes.  Warehouses and manufacturers are taking advantage of warmer weather to clean facilities, stock rooms and properties.

What does all this mean? It means your commercial trash compactor better be up to the task.  A self-contained compactor is a great investment for businesses, providing efficient management of waste on a regular schedule.  Reliable and efficient waste management is important for businesses to maintain a clean and professional appearance.  


Here are some spring cleaning tips for maintaining your commercial trash compactor:


1) Keep the surrounding area clear. It is easy to pile up trash and junk out by the compactor when in spring cleaning overdrive mode. You might think you will come back to it for proper disposal in your compactor, although all too often this trash attracts vermin which will make an even bigger mess.  You can end up with broken glass or loose trash in your lot or on your dock which is not only messy but also poses a safety hazard. This unsightly mess defeats the purpose of all your spring cleaning efforts. Stack your loose trash in a secure area while it is awaiting proper disposal. This is a good practice all year round.


2)  Clean your compactor.  Your trash compactor takes care of all of your waste from deep cleaning. You should know that it is a good idea to clean your compactor as well since dust, dirt and grime can all accumulate on important components. Motors can attract heat and dust, a quick visual inspection and some preventive maintenance on your compactor is always a good idea.


3)  Inspect your compactor’s hydraulic system.  The most important component of your self-contained compactor is the hydraulic system, which should be inspected regularly. Whether you do this yourself or your waste service company services your compactor, it is important to check for hydraulic fluid leaks and replace fluids. Your compactor deals with high pressure and temperature fluctuations daily. If you notice any hydraulic fluid leaks, you should notify your trash compactor service company immediately.


4)  Inspect all parts and components.   Your commercial trash compactor has several parts and components in addition to the hydraulic system. Preventive maintenance will ensure that these components provide longer-lasting performance. Additional components that should be inspected include:


  • Electric components

  • Switches 

  • Motors

  • Filters

  • Pipes and pumps

  • Cylinders and housings

  • Side and floor plates


5)  Ask about the C-BASS Breakaway System.  The Compactor Break Away Safety System, C-BASS, by Stucchi is an innovative product designed specifically for self-contained commercial trash compactors. C-BASS protects your compactor against serious damage and hydraulic fluid spills that occur from driver error. All too often, your waste hauler will show up to take your compactor off to dump it, and inadvertently forget to disconnect the hydraulic hoses.  


This causes a lot of problems for businesses when hydraulic oil spills all over their dock, or even worse, causes serious safety issues.  When a waste hauler driver pulls off with the hydraulic hoses still connected, they can drag the entire hydraulic power unit behind their truck which instantly becomes a dangerous projectile. Electrical damage can occur causing power outages and leaving live wires on the ground within reach of employees and customers. Stucchi’s C-BASS mitigates these risks and protects your business.


Stucchi is a worldwide industry leading provider of hydraulic solutions offering high-quality hydraulic couplings, adapters, and custom designed solutions.  Our patented C-BASS solution is proven to protect companies from potential damage and liability by protecting your commercial self-contained compactor. Contact us to learn more and remember to clean and maintain your trash compactor when spring cleaning. 


 

Friday, April 15, 2022

Multi-Coupling Plates: Single Movement Improves Tool Changeover Times


A wide range of quick release connectors are assembled on various tools and machinery to provide connection to hydraulics, pneumatics, water, or other types of fluid power. Hydraulic quick couplings and adapters provide power to diverse markets and applications such as automotive manufacturing, industrial equipment, mobile equipment, railway, oil and gas and many others. Maintaining reliable and leak-free connections with quality quick release couplings is key to many of these industries meeting productivity goals and safety standards.

Multi-coupling plates provide the single most significant improvement to reduce tooling changeover times, while providing many other benefits.

Custom Multi-Coupling Plate Parameters and Development

Multi-coupling plates provide benefits to many diverse applications such as providing quick connect and release on hydraulic injection molding presses or die casting operations. Stucchi offers various multi-plate solutions for hydraulics, pneumatics and other media custom designed to meet your specific application requirements and always aimed to improve your performance, equipment uptime, and safety. Our hydraulic specialists take the time to partner with our customers to consider all critical parameters including:

 

       Equipment and application

       Environmental considerations

       Non-spill or leak-free requirements

       Type of fluid or media

       Type of hose and valving system

       Frequency of connection and disconnection

       Method of connection

       Electrical connection requirements

 Stucchi designs and manufactures specific multi-coupling plate solutions based on your application and performance needs. Our multi-coupling plates are proven in many applications to significantly improve tool and die exchange time, helping automotive manufacturers to meet Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) goals with a reduction in changeover time as significant as six full minutes. This case study explains more benefits provided to this 2nd tier automotive supplier which included additional capacity and business.

Benefits of Multi-Coupling Plates in Manufacturing

The benefits of connecting and disconnecting multiple lines at once are significant and drastically improve efficiency during machinery and equipment maintenance and tooling changeover times. Many automotive suppliers operate with just-in-time practices and must meet production demands quickly for immediate shipping with little time in inventory. The automotive industry demands suppliers with lean practices and a focus on continual improvement in all processes.

Reducing tooling changeover time significantly improves equipment uptime, overall capacity, and productivity, all leading to a more efficient and profitable operation. Stucchi’s multi-plates are proven to drastically improve injection molding processes as well as die casting operations with efficient tooling changeover times.

In addition to significant time saved, multi-plates improve safety by eliminating cross connection of lines. Stucchi’s multi-plates combined with our leak-free, easy to connect under pressure quick couplings improve operator safety while preventing leaks on the shop floor or to the environment.

Multi-coupling plates with Stucchi’s leak-free connectors provide many benefits such as:

 

       Significant time saved in tooling changeover

       Improved equipment uptime with reduced maintenance

       Increased safety with elimination of cross connection

       Environmental protection with no spill connections

Stucchi Multi-Coupling Plates: Quick and Safe Changeover

Stucchi assists manufacturers of all sizes including automotive OEMs and suppliers to improve tooling changeover time with quality and efficient quick connect products. We provide specific solutions that increase efficiencies, safety, and equipment performance.  The GRE Series helps manufacturers with quick connect and disconnect of 4 to 18 lines in the same diameter with different media including water, air, oil and/or electrical lines.

Our multi-coupling plates and couplers are helping manufacturers to meet automotive manufacturers injection molding and die casting requirements, with improved productivity and safety.

Stucchi has been providing hydraulic solutions for more than 60 years, with a wide range of quick couplings, adapters, and custom engineered quick connect solutions.  We custom design your quick connect products to meet your unique specifications and solve current fluid transfer or quick release problems. Contact us to learn more about improving your productivity with quicker tooling changeover utilizing Stucchi’s multi-coupling plates.

This article was previously published at: https://www.stucchiusa.com/blog/multi-coupling-plates-single-movement-improves-tool-changeover-times/