THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTOMATIC BIN UNCOUPLING DEVICE AT MARIAN MILL

THE UNCOUPLING and re-coupling of cane bin couplings at Marian mill is a labour-intensive task which introduces a range of safety issues as humans interact with cane bins. This paper describes a project aimed specifically at automating the uncoupling process to address these issues. Various bin sizes and coupling types demanded that the uncoupler have two operational modes. A robot was ruled out in the selection process due to the cost, development time and limited space. A conventional rotary uncoupler device for six tonne bins with Willison couplings and a pin popper for four tonne pin and link style couplings was introduced. The rotary uncoupler worked almost immediately offering reliable service while the four tonne pin popper had numerous introduction issues. The pin popper, however, did operate at the end of the 2006 season with reasonable results. This system has not yet eliminated the need for an operator, but with a higher level of coupling maintenance, an accurate bin positioning device, and additional detection of uncoupler failures, it will operate successfully with a person on standby.