Design of an Automatic System for the Heat Shrink Blow Molding Process as a Measure to Reduce Ergonomic Risks

Abstract

In many countries, manual lifting of loads, forced postures and repetitive movements are a source of musculoskeletal injuries in the operators of various machines. On a regular basis, repetitive manual operations, when performed continuously, for a long time and without due precaution, cause physical problems in the operators, affecting the production process. In this work, we present the ergonomic intervention in the manual workstation called heat shrink blowing. For this purpose, we included the analysis of the risk level of the workstation, dimensioning of the vertical linear system, the requirements and a comparison of the times and units produced with the manual method. The workstation was analyzed with the JSI method, and the sizing of the linear system based on the weight of the 3 kg heat gun. The result of this design allows to decrease the risk level of the workstation from JSI=13.5 to 1, due to the replacement of the operator by the system, thus protecting his safety, as well as the operation time varies from 2.8 to 3.1 seconds and the quantity of units produced varies between 9412 to 9600 units. These results are possible because this proposal has been received as an investment to optimize production, as well as a strategy to improve the working conditions and health of its employees.