Bauer has been building control cabinets for over two decades. As his company grew, he wanted to set up an ergonomically optimised workplace for his employees and set out to find a solution. The search was unsuccessful and rather discouraging. "We quickly realised that the people who designed these tables had never assembled a control cabinet before", Hartmuth explains. So, he began designing his own assembly table. He developed a special solution for fixing the mounting plate with quick-release clamps, and it was important to him that the table could tilt and be adjusted in height.
An electric solution
Electric adjustment is the best solution for Hartmuth Bauer, but it is only useful if nobody stumbles over cables. For this reason, Bauer Systeme offers assembly tables with rechargeable batteries for the linear actuators that provide height-adjustment and tilting functions. "We also export our assembly tables to the American market. This is why we offer products with a load capacity of up to 500 kilos", explains René Alldinger, Managing Director and shareholder of the company, which now has more than 30 employees. For such high loads, there are only a few linear actuators that also meet the requirements for smooth and precise adjustment. Bauer Systeme uses LINAK® products.
Two LINAK LA34 linear actuators adjust the height and tilt of the steel assembly table. The LA34 is used in both the healthcare industry and the industrial sector. The noise level is below 50 dB(A) (cf. DS/EN ISO 3743-1), and with a capacity of up to 10,000 N (push), it can easily support the assembling of very heavy control cabinets. The adjustment options of the table allow the employee to get all around the control cabinet in an ergonomically correct way. And thanks to the battery, the assembly table can be moved freely around any workshop or industrial environment. The two actuators are powered by a 73.25 Wh lithium battery. Combined with the control box COL50 and the hand control HB80, the linear actuators form an unmatched solution.
Practical relevance as the basis for success
“The continuous product development and improvement is very important to us and is based above all on our hands-on experience”, Hartmuth Bauer says. Practical relevance was also the basis for the success of the assembly table. It was a visit from a customer to Bauer Systeme that set the ball rolling. Soon other companies took notice of the assembly table, and it quickly found a market. More than 3,000 assembly tables are in use in numerous companies.
The latest Bauer Systeme development is the MT1100-HSV assembly table. It is equipped with an additional swivelling device that allows precise insertion of the mounting plate in the control cabinet frame by means of a spindle and crank. "With this assembly table, a technician can insert the mounting plate without help. This would normally require two or three people", René Alldinger explains.
Electric lifting column in the assembly table
Bauer Systeme is also using a LINAK electric lifting column in their EWorkSTATION 4.0. This table is a mobile, height-adjustable ergonomic workstation for wire assembly or switchgear construction. Adding optional equipment, such as monitor stands, cable reel holders or other parts, makes it a multifunctional table. The entire table is elevated by two LINAK DL6 lifting columns, and with a load capacity of up to 800 N each the three-stage columns are powerful enough to elevate the table.
The electric adjustment on both the assembly table and the workstation enables ergonomically correct working positions during different work steps. Thanks to the experience and rapid implementation, Bauer Systeme has ergonomically optimised the construction of control cabinets worldwide.