3arm America now offers an ergonomic and optimized arm for the most heavy-duty power tools in the market: the Series 7 Heavy-Duty Tool Balancer Arm. This ergonomic lift assist solution is ideal for applications in assembly or maintenance of large vehicles, such as mining, agricultural and construction industries. This arm renders the tool weightless and minimizes the transfer of force and vibration to operator, making it an ideal solution to keep operators safe and healthy while improving production.
This new Series 7 arm is ideal for high impact industrial tools and can support up 132 pounds (60kg) with a horizontal reach of 65” and a vertical reach of 27”, which can be extended with elevators or rails and mounted on mobile carts to easily access hard to reach parts. It is capable of handling up to 1200 Nm of torque and features a brake locking system.
It’s a no brainer that big tools used on big equipment magnify the risks of injury – and 3arm ergonomic solutions has the ideal technology to resolve these issues. Not only does an investment in the Series 7 ergonomic arm provide ergonomic benefits to operators by reducing the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders, it also improves workplace safety because the tool is attached to the arm and cannot be dropped.
What Causes Ergonomic Injury? Or Ergonomic Injuries Impact
The most common causes of injury, especially in manufacturing, are over-exertion during a task, repetitive motion, and being struck, cut or caught by equipment. The most common resultant injuries are strains and sprains, cuts and lacerations, and fractures.
Performing tasks with heavy tools can create pain and injury, especially over time. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports over 50 percent of non-fatal occupational injuries resulting in missed work are caused by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), also known as “ergonomic injuries,” and accidents that result in cuts, lacerations and fractures. Such injuries could impact the shoulders, back, hands, knees and ankles.
Overexertion and repetitive motion are the primary causes of MSDs. When operators use muscles, tendons and ligaments to perform tasks with heavy tools or in awkward positions, these motions and positions could cause MSDs. Repeatedly lifting a heavy tool can also cause accidents, resulting in contusions or fractures.
Injuries on the job result in a significant outlay of money, even if the injury doesn’t seem serious. According to the BLS, private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2019. Manufacturing accounted for 15 percent of all private industry nonfatal injuries and illnesses.
Industrial Lift Assist Equipment – Features of the Series 7 Ergonomic Arm
The Series 7 Ergonomic Arm is ideal for impact tools or torque of large dimensions and heavy weight. With a radial arm that rotates 360⁰ attached to a pendulum arm that rotates 180⁰ on both sides, the Series 7 provides operators with maximum flexibility of movement.
Built for your need: 3arm can design the solution with different combinations of components, resulting in different total arm lengths, depending on the needs of your application. The wide range of head members available provide a solution for almost any type of tool and use.
Versatile in application: Industries as diverse as automotive underbody assembly work and food and beverage manufacturing can benefit by using an ergonomic lift assist solution to increase safety and reduce injuries.
Tools that are ideal for use with the 3arm Series 7 ergonomic arm:
- Impact wrench
- Nut runners
- Grinders
- Heavy duty drills and magnetic drills
- Welding tools
- Sanders
- Scanners, cameras, measurement devices
Flexible fixturing and mobility: The Series 7 arm can be mounted to a cart for applications where mobility is needed or optimal, such as doing the same task along an assembly line. It can also be affixed to the plant ceiling or walls for drop-down or reach-around use.
Up for heavy-duty work: The Series 7 can be used to hold heavy and unwieldy tools such as pistol-style nut runners to mitigate the weight of the tool and the high impact of torque on the operator. Heavy duty applications such as maintenance of locomotives, aircraft carrier catapult, and earth-moving vehicles for mining can all benefit from the use of a Series 7 arm by 3arm.
Benefits of the Heavy-Duty Series 7 Arm
Having an ergonomic solution such as the heavy-duty Series 7 Arm by 3arm helps in many distinctive ways:
- Designed for applications with the most demanding tools
- Supports tooling up to 132 lbs. reducing fatigue and potential injury
- Finger touch balance and controls
- Safety brakes for tool removal
- Removes operator’s hands from dangerous pinch zones
- Ease of operation attracts a diverse workforce
- Ergonomically and vibration analysis tested
- Long term health benefits achieved through safety features and minimizing the transfer of vibration to operators
Ergonomic lift assist arms also help with other challenges manufacturers face. In today’s workplace, finding skilled labor is tough, so having an ergonomic solution by 3arm can help you retain the employees you do have by ensuring their health and safety and providing the tools to diversify and expand your workforce. In addition, manufacturers strive each day to meet standards for productivity, quality and reliability of precision – all of which 3arm solutions help with.
Series 7 Ergonomic Lift Assist Arm Use Case
There are many ways to use 3arm ergonomic lift assist arms. Take this example of a successful application for a mining operation which sought to increase workplace safety and productivity in truck tire maintenance.
The Challenge: To facilitate the task of maintaining tires on mining equipment for operators and provide ergonomic benefits such as working without postural strain, eliminating fatigue due to weighted tool loading, reducing repetitive movement and vibration, and improving handling and positioning.
Results: Upon implementing a 3arm ergonomic solution, operators reported fewer muscle and back strains and other job-related injuries using the pneumatic impact gun. The cost of wheel replacement lowered significantly due the reduction of operators for this task from 2 to 1 and there was an 85% reduction in task completion time.
Have a business that uses heavy industrial tools? The Series 7 by 3arm America is the ideal ergonomic solution to keep your operators healthy and safe while increasing quality and production. Read more about the Series 7 or contact us to see how we can design a solution for your heavy-duty or high-torque application.
