Speedy Rail units selected for production of timber frames

Engineering components that are resistant to the ingress of wood dust are crucial to the reliability of a new automated production line being built by 3think Limited. The company has designed, manufactured and is currently installing a bespoke automated line to produce frames for timber-framed houses; these frames can be up to 6m long and 3m wide. The process requires up to eight nails per second to be fired into the frame to achieve the necessary productivity.

Sections of highly robust and compact TMT Speedy Rail have been supplied for the bridge across the conveyor that carries the nail gun. This is a good application for this linear motion system that has recently been added to the R. A. Rodriguez product line. Despite its low weight, Speedy Rail is said to be exceptionally strong and easy to install.

The Speedy Rail beam is a heat-treated aluminium alloy profile with hollow cross-section that gives it high strength and stiffness under torsion and bending. The profiles are manufactured by a special extrusion process, then surface hardened and given a patented finishing treatment. Quiet operation is assured, as the Speedy Rail rollers are encapsulated in a sintered plastic compound shell that is resistant to contaminants. Resistance to weld spatter has made it the preferred choice of many car manufacturers for lift-and-carry transfer lines for car body panel welding.

Given these credentials, TMT Speedy Rail has all the necessary qualities to ensure the reliable running of the nail gun carriage in a dusty environment. The ease with which the rail could be installed was another benefit for 3think. Rail sections could be joined end-to-end using standard bolted dovetail clamps to form the required 9m runs on either side of the conveyor. As standard, the rails are provided with a dovetail groove on both sides of the profile to accommodate any fixture attachments without the need for drilling or welding.