Mattress assembly line conveyors

However, rising to the challenge, Astec Conveyors recently provided various non-standard conveyors to automate and improve operator’s ergonomics in handling a broad range of mattresses.

Keeping continuous mattress assembly lines on schedule and running smoothly is a top priority for sleep product manufacturers, where the operators may have to manually carry out a series of mattress movements during the process. These can include transferring sideways, turning through 90 degrees and turning completely over onto the opposite side.

Some years back, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) instigated a three-year initiative with bed manufacturers and the National Bed Federation (NBF) to a focus on manual handling risk factors with the aim of reducing the number of musculoskeletal injuries with in the industry. A final report suggested that a reduction in musculoskeletal injuries over a period could be partially attributed to the introduction of mechanical handling aids. 

Astec designed specifically for the industry, manufactured and installed a series of bespoke conveyors, generally at least 2,000mm wide for various assembly lines for a leading UK mattress manufacturer. By eliminating manual handling of mattresses and integrating equipment into a system makes it more ergonomically safe for the operator and yields increased plant productivity. 

Astec’s bespoke conveyors included turntables, reversible belt conveyors with inbuilt tracking, side transfer units, automated turn over units and combined press/belt conveyor assemblies. 

With Astec Conveyors' many years of experience, this technology can be applied to other large products that are sometimes difficult for the operators to manhandle and reduce health and safety risks and generally increase production rates.