Technology Development Institute helps Salina company improve production processes, safety
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019
Workers at Bergkamp Inc., a paving equipment manufacturing company in Salina, use a new conveyor system developed by the Technology Development Institute at Kansas State University that improves the company’s production processes and makes it safer for employees to use. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — A paving equipment manufacturing company based in Salina, Bergkamp Inc., is improving its production processes with the assistance of the Technology Development Institute in the Carl Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University.
The institute, known as TDI, recently completed a design and fabrication project for Bergkamp that improves its pavement conveyor assembly process. The semi-automated assembly fixture, designed by TDI, helps assemble long conveyor belts that are used to transfer asphalt onto roads. The previous assembly fixture was manually indexed and required all rivet holes to be hand drilled.
Once completed, the belt, weighing over 500 pounds, had to be rolled up by hand and transferred to a pallet, a process that not only was time-consuming but also presented a safety risk for Bergkamp employees. The new machine designed and built by the Technology Development Institute allows an operator to control the entire system with a custom two-hand operational control interface.
"By focusing on the ergonomics and capabilities of the system, we were able to create a conveyor fixture system that is semi-automated, safer, easier to use, minimized lifting and has the ability to quickly change belt sizes, all while saving time," said Jeff Tucker, TDI executive director.
Plans are to eventually have the entire assembly process hands-off to ensure employee safety and increase productivity.
"The three goals I wanted to accomplish with this new machine were safety, productivity and ergonomic friendly," said Mitch Davis, weld lead at Bergkamp. "TDI delivered on all three goals in every aspect — and even exceeded our expectations."
The Technology Development Institute provides a broad range of engineering and business development services to both private industry and university researchers to advance the commercial readiness of new products or technologies. This project was made possible through the support from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Economic Development Administration University Center program. Additional information can be found at k-state.edu/tdi.
