Even the most advanced materials handling equipment can be compromised due to a damaged floor. Thanks to a permanent, professional joint repair by Permaneo, the robots at this furniture factory are now running smoothly.
Over 15,000 furniture products a week are manufactured at this factory in South Wales, and shipped internationally. To aid production efficiency, the client had invested in sophisticated MHE – mobile robotic systems which move units across the factory floor during production.
However, the factory floor itself was causing a problem.
These sensitive robotic systems were suffering failure, due to the poor condition of sawn joints in the factory floor. Jolting across the damaged surface caused the robots to cut out and require rebooting, wasting precious time and disrupting operations.
Joint damage disruption
The problem of joint damage is not uncommon. Construction joints in a concrete floor can suffer from the repeated impact of MHE wheels. This is particularly so where vehicles with small, hard wheels cross straight joints repeatedly at 90 degrees; and the problem can occur with armoured joints and saw-cut joints alike.
Recognising the problem, the client had attempted joint repairs, but without lasting success. A permanent repair was required; so, in March 2019 they commissioned Permaneo to undertake specialist professional joint repairs.
Weekend work
Permaneo began by undertaking an initial site inspection to determine the most appropriate repairs. This identified two areas of work – the damaged floor joints (pictured top right); and damaged concrete surrounding the floor rails used to transport goods on trucks between adjacent conveyors (pictured right).
A pre-contract meeting allowed works to be scheduled to minimise disruption to the client, and hence the work was planned for two weekends, one in March and one in May 2019.
Permaban Signature AR joint repairs
The damaged joints were repaired using 9m of Permaban Signature AR joint arris repair system. Its half-hexagonal profile allows vehicles to cross the joint in any direction without causing impact, ensuring completely smooth transit.
The damaged concrete around the joint was firstly cut away to create a trench in the 200mm mesh-reinforced slab. The Signature AR joint was firmly fixed into the trench, flush with the surface; then embedded with Rinol EP-P205 resin and a concrete repair mortar. Finally, the whole repair area was buffed to a smooth finish, seamless with the surrounding power-floated floor.
Permasteel rail edge repair
To repair the area around the damaged floor rails, Permaneo used 21m of Permasteel Type 2 screed rail, manufactured by RCR Flooring Products. This permanent formwork is specifically designed to protect the edges of concrete slabs where joint armouring is not required. The damaged concrete was cut away, and Permasteel was then installed flush with the floor close to the rails, to ensure the rails and the fresh mortar were properly supported to protect against future failure.
Smooth operations restored
Permaneo returned to the factory 14 days after the completion of the work to find vehicles and robots running smoothly across the joints – and productivity restored.
