Your Maintenance Team Will Love This Gadget
RUD’s Tool Mover safely turns over tools and machine components weighing up to 64 tons in less than a minute. The most recent version provides a much larger working surface at the lowest possible working height for maximum technician comfort.
Posted: August 28, 2020
Using a crane to haul or pull loads through the factory creates a fire hazard and risks damaging the production area floor. The Tool Mover from RUD (Aalen, Germany) takes the strain out of tasks, such as unmounting heavy tools or dismantling components weighing several tons, that previously required a crane and at least two operators.
Designed to axially rotate tools and machine components weighing up to 64 tons, the handler is faster, smoother, and more mobile than a crane.
Plugs or cooling hoses that usually have to be disconnected during maintenance using a crane can stay in place.
The machine can turn over objects at least twice as quickly as a crane in less than a minute. Its Omega Drive smoothly rotates and turns over loads in their center of gravity. The work table’s frequency-regulated drive ensures it stops and starts smoothly, without juddering. The Tool Mover is also fitted with a high-end drive system from the TECDOS range.
Easily moved with a fork lift truck or pallet truck for installation exactly where it’s needed, the Tool Mover expands options for factory floor planning. Maintenance procedures and logistics can be completely rethought to benefit from the potential for new hall layouts and innovative handling processes.
The newest generation is more ergonomic, offering a much larger working surface at the lowest possible working height. The height of the rotating table on the smallest model, for example, has been reduced to 595 mm. “The lower working height means that opened tools can be maintained directly on the working table,” says Head of Design Klaus Pfaffeneder. “Operators can work more comfortably in a natural posture, and there are fewer setup costs.”
The Tool Mover can be fitted with different table surfaces, such as anti-slip polyethylene. Safety options include guard brackets or a protective sheet to prevent operators reaching into the machine and an operator platform at attachment points and lashings.
“If you’re looking for a win-win situation for everyone involved in maintenance,” says Product Manager Anne Kühling. “Financial controllers are pleased that the machine pays for itself in less than a year. Operational managers and workshop managers benefit from much shorter maintenance processes, and service teams can work more efficiently without risk of injury.”
Six standard sizes. Featuring a table area of 31 inches by 51 inches (800 mm by 1,300 mm), the smallest version handles 10 tons. The largest version (the THS 64) handles 64 tons on a table area of 138 inches by 98 inches (3,500 mm by 2,500 mm).
