Customer
A leading global supplier of medical, industrial and specialty compressed gas.
Application
A high-volume fill plant filling cylinders with twist-on connectors on CGA 590 (compressed gas) manifolds.
Challenge
Decrease cycle time to fill more air cylinders on existing CGA 590 racks. The use of manual twist-on connectors added significantly to cycle time and was identified as a major bottleneck in the production process. Also, the palletized (closely bundled) cylinders presented a significant space constraint for any connector solution.
Project Goals
• Minimize cycle time and eliminate the ergonomic safety hazard of the twist-on connections to fill more cylinders with an increased level of safety.
Solution
FasTest’s standard G590 connector with the small number 1 rigid handle was chosen to fit within the palletized (closely bundled) cylinders.
Results
The G590 connectors significantly reduced fill cycle time and eliminated the ergonomic safety hazard. Production efficiency increased, and the time saved connecting now allows time for filling one additional rack per day. The process time for filling CGA 590 cylinders was reduced to that of CGA 580 and 540 filling lines elsewhere in the plant where FasTest connectors were used. Additionally, the operators are quite happy with the new FasTest G590 connectors’ speed and ease of use, and of course the reduced wear and tear on their wrists!
