“Mise en place” loading system

The MPS department at Dulst Techniek BV specializes in processing long materials for both the steel and aluminum processing industries. Van Dulst BV now has 30 years of experience in developing, producing, and commissioning both stop and push-on systems. With all this experience and close contact with end users, the same question regularly arises: what are the possibilities for unmanned, automatic loading of a production line?

After all, with a shrinking labor market, there is an increasing need for unmanned production. Until now, we have only been able to offer complex solutions, such as supply warehouses or robot loading. Due to the high safety requirements (within the CE machine directive), such solutions are costly to implement. For example, a loading warehouse must be equipped with a light curtain, including a safety fence around it, to prevent the risk of entrapment. The new solution from MPS takes care of many of the problems mentioned above, for which complex and often expensive solutions were previously required. This new system has been nicknamed “Mise en Place,” a name familiar from the hospitality industry. The name literally means “all preparatory work necessary for the preparation of dishes.” The same handling operations apply here, only in the kitchen instead of in production.

What is the practical application for which we have developed this system? Experience has shown that multiple production lines are often operated in parallel by a single operator. For example, a sawing line in combination with a drilling line. A push system then pushes a single supply length through a sawing machine, from which multiple products are then cut. Once the feed length has been sawn, the push system returns to the parking position and waits for the operator to load a new feed length. If the machine has not received new material at that moment, it stands idle and valuable time is wasted. To quote Johan Cruijff: “There is only one moment when you can be on time. If you're not there, you're either too early or too late.”

You can probably imagine what a hectic situation this creates in practice. Operators rushing from one machine to another to prevent downtime. This is exactly why MPS developed the Mise en Place system. This system makes it possible to prepare the next feed length while finishing the current one. This greatly changes the operator's working conditions. What used to be “At exactly moment X, the machine operator must perform these tasks” now becomes “During period ∆X, he must perform these tasks once.” Operating multiple machines by a single operator thus becomes a low-stress activity, and the machines themselves are used more effectively. 

A major advantage of this system is the way it is constructed. This unique and ingenious solution has a smooth exterior finish with minimal openings, making it impossible for fingers or other limbs to get caught or pinched. During every step of the development process of our Mise en Place, the user has always been central. This system is safe to approach and easy for an operator to work with, without the need for costly measures such as the aforementioned light curtain or safety fencing around it.

The demand from our customers for this solution is enormous. We will be presenting the first prototype at the Technishow. Even before this prototype was completed, the first requests were already pouring in and the next systems have already been scheduled for production and delivery. The follow-up developments cannot be delayed a day longer, as the market (driven by staff shortages) wants to implement our Mise en Place solution today rather than tomorrow.