OREANDA-NEWS. January 31, 2014. Four new Italian-made Dalmec manipulators have been installed at Nickel Plant Electrowinning Workshop. Suction cup-outfitted manipulators can transport cathodes – sheets with accreted nickel – across the finished product batching process stage, which simplifies handling and sorting.

The manipulators were originally installed last year, but up to now the Nickel Plant staff were familiarizing themselves with the new unit. The manipulators are currently going through fine-tuning.

"The manipulators have substantially lowered the workload on staff. An average cathode weighs 40 kg and each metal sheet has to be manually transported by 2 laborers so that it can be checked for defects. The cathode weight will be increased in the future which means that manual transportation becomes unfeasible. Those prospects are the motive for installing the manipulators," says Maxim Pedanov, Foreman of Nickel Electrowinning Workshop Electrowinning Section.

Dalmec manipulators, including the prospective fifth unit, will process 100% of the workshop products. The enterprise is aiming to fully suspend manual labor at the above process stage. Each manipulator costs approximately RUB 1.5 million.