LPG CYLINDERS "empties", being sent in by the Distributors / Dealers are to be
Unloaded from the trucks at the receiving end and "Filled" ones are to be loaded on to
the trucks at the other end of the LPG Bottling Plants.

The present operation being manually carried out, though speedy, is fraught with a
Number of limitations, typically one of which is the threat of "work stoppages" / sabotage, besides being a hazardous occupation for humans.

With an increasing demand for LPG, naturally, a large number of filling/bottling plants are needed after optimally utilizing the capacity of the existing plants and on-going projects.

The answer, of course, is AUTOMATION without any changes to the present plant
Layout and changes to the trucking (cylinder loading patterns). This is likely to be met by
installing the Moving Cantilever Robot (Patent applied for).The MCR can be retrofitted very eminently to existing plants.

The MCR typically picks up 6 cylinders at a time (as per the need of the loading
Pattern within the truck space) and places them in an offset sequence exactly as per
Present manual practice. The Industrial PC-based controller ensures various loading
Patterns including mixing of 19 KG cylinders with 14.2 kg cylinders arranged in various tiers, as required. There is no resort to pallets or any such things, which increase fuel consumption for the trucks and also pose a problem for recycling / refurbishing of the pallets etc.

This is besides saving forest wealth of the country, by not needing the wood for pallets.

The MCR has a set of 6 grippers capable of handling both 14.2 kg and 19 kg
Cylinders and has provision for freeing (de-jamming) empty cylinders which may have locked into each other (jammed) between top ring and foot ring during transit.

The MCR assures a loading/unloading rate presently at 4 trucks/Hour. This
translates to 1200 cylinders/Hour (300 cylinders/Truck) in any mixing of 14.2 kg and
19 kg types. The MCR system has been successfully demonstrated to IOCL/BPCL during 1999.

MCR SYSTEM DESCRIPTION:

The MCR consists of a pair of cantilever booms (6.5 Meters long having a set of 6
Grippers at the front end. The booms with gripper sets run on longitudinal bearing
Housings, which in turn are hoisted up and down. As such, the volume space of the truck is fully filled in rows of 6 cylinders (offset pattern) in 3 Tiers.

A preliminary idea can be had from the illustrations above. A detailed technical discussion may be called for, and our engineers will only be too glad to meet you.