We’re excited to talk about our recent SME gauge deployments at NPE 2012. Find us in booth 7073 in Orlando between April 1st and April 5th. Please take advantage of our show attendance and pick the brains of our senior staff- with decades upon decades of experience right at your fingertips. Read More →
One of the food packaging industry’s leading suppliers recently chose FACTS to upgrade their obsolete controls for a co-extrusion line that is used to supply rigid pvc to an in-line thermoformer. The upgrade involved replacing an obsolete Welex Ultima control with the FACTS FCS process control solution. FCS is a third generation process control solution that has been targeted and developed specifically for... --more
In developing control systems, FACTS monitors and controls various parameters in the extrusion process. Below is a starter list. Extrusion Control Points Blending ratios of multiple ingredients Extruder throughput in lbs/hour or lbs/ft Extruder barrel temperature zones – These are usually have heating & cooling Tooling temperature zones – These are usually heat only Die temperature zones – These are usually... --more
The control system is an integral part of the extrusion machinery and extrusion process. It has a very large impact on the productivity, quality, uniformity, and cost per production unit for the extruder and overall extrusion process. This post answers what benefits a computer has over operator/discrete controls. –more Read More →
Historically, management information systems in the factory have been driven from the top down, with suppliers of MRP and ERP systems adding terminals and forms to capture manufacturing data from the factory floor. This approach is expensive, inefficient, and the data accuracy is generally poor. The additional work load for the operators is also unpopular. The best approach is to derive the management information as... --more
The following relates to fabric calenders, both textile and steel cord only. Localized cord disturbance in cord distribution does not usually affect fabric weight, whereas overall cord distribution problems can affect fabric weight, sheet gauge, and quality. –more Read More →
A consistent feed to the calender will substantially reduce gauge variations. Consistent, uniform, dwell times on the break down and feed mills, as well as consistent bank size, will result in consistent stock temperatures, work history, and reduced variations in roll separating forces. The stock temperatures, bank sizes, and work history all directly influence roll-separating forces. Minimizing variations in these 3... --more
When the calender is running there are forces generated that try to separate the rolls. These separating forces are proportional to calender speed, although the relationship is not linear. The hardness of the rubber stock and bank temperature determines the magnitude of separating forces. The thickness of the gum wall being calendered also affects the separating force, with thinner gum walls generating larger separating... --more
Increase the temperature by 20 to 40 degrees F when the rolls are stopped to maintain a more uniform roll surface temperature. The TCU (Temperature Control Unit) controls the temperature of the water exiting the calender not the roll surface temperature. This is an important distinction. When the calender is not actively processing rubber, i.e. during warm-up and when the calender is stopped, the roll surface is losing... --more
Severe thermal run-out can be introduced during warm-up of the calender if it is not kept running. Remember that the calender gap will be reduced as the rolls grow (get larger) as their temperature increases. Good practice is to open the calender at least 100 mils (0.10”) before starting to increase the roll temperature above ambient. Keeping the calender rolls turning during warm-up and cool down also eliminates the... --more