The Boeing Company Case Study | Manufacturing & Finished Goods

Custom Freezer-Rated Automated Storage System for Composite Aircraft Components

The Boeing Company approached Bastian Solutions with requirements for a custom, automated vertical storage unit to store pre-plied, uncured, composite laminates on aluminum storage trays in a freezer operating at -20°F.

Bastian’s solution to this project was a two tower vertical lifting system with a custom, pivoting carriage between the two towers. Our design was required to hold these parts within a .1” flatness tolerance and the entire system had to function inside a freezer, requiring us to use special freezer-rated components. This custom storage system is also built to withstand earthquakes since the facility is located on the west coast.

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Key Technologies

The custom-engineered storage system interfaces with a manual transfer cart that holds aluminum trays measuring 30” wide by 40’ long. The system uses eight electronically synchronized fingers on a carriage that reach out, pick up a single aluminum tray, and move the tray to a specified level within the unit. While moving the aluminum tray, the lift’s two synchronized motors ensure the tray stays within a .1” flatness tolerance to avoid causing any wrinkles or bubbles in the aluminum.

Overall dimensions: 46’ long x 22’ high x 8’ wide
20 unique storage locations
1,000 lbs. lifting capacity / 20,000lbs. storage capacity
20’ of vertical travel
Synchronized telescoping actuators with integral conveying surfaces

Features

Automatic storage and retrieval of the product in less than 3 minutes
Smooth and level lifting by means of synchronized electric motors
Lift carriage and storage rack minimize part deflection to less than 0.1” over 40’
(8) electronically synchronized motors power telescoping actuators