Zero-Gravity Ergonomic Manipulator System for 320 kg Engine Blocks

What needed to be engineered.

In a commercial diesel engine plant, operators faced acute physical fatigue and collision hazards manually guiding 320 kg cast-iron cylinder blocks between a transfer conveyor, washing booth, and final crankshaft assembly station.

Traditional overhead hoists were too sluggish, causing a 75-second bottleneck that hindered plant production targets.

How Draftdu solved it.

Draftdu designed, fabricated, and installed an articulated pneumatic zero-gravity manipulator arm with a 3.2-meter reach and 400 kg maximum payload capacity.

The end-effector incorporates custom pneumatic self-centering gripper jaws with mechanical safety latching, pneumatic auto-balance sensing, and dual-circuit vacuum interlocks preventing part release in mid-air.

Measurable shop-floor results.

Completely eliminated operator physical strain and ergonomic injury risk, while reducing station transfer cycle time by 28% (from 75s to 54s). The system has operated for over 24 months with zero component drops.

Engineering stack