Bruckner technology speeds film winding
Bruckner Maschinenbau GmbH of Siegsdorf, Germany, worked with Manuli Film SpA, an Italian maker of biaxially oriented polypropylene film, to develop a high-speed winding technology.
Bruckner upgraded Manuli Film's 33-foot BOPP film line, which the company claims is the world's largest and fastest, by replacing the original mechanical/ pneumatic/hydraulic contact roll-positioning system with a linear motor-winding system, called Liwind.
The linear motor controls the motion and contact pressure of the contact roll, moving the roll to the desired position.
Benefits include a wide operating window and less wear and tear because of a big reduction in mechanical parts.
Tel. +49 (8662) 63 278, fax +49 (8662) 63 220, e-mail [email protected].
Firms collaborating on motion controller
THK America Inc. of Schaumburg, Ill., has formed an alliance with Yaskawa Electric America Inc. - which makes variable-speed drives, servo controls and robotics - to create a new motion-control package.
The motion controller blends THK's new high-performance, low-cost VLA linear actuators with Yaskawa's Legend Servo Amp & Controller and the Sigma electric servomotors.
``This alliance represents the best in mechanical products, coupled with the best in electrical motion products,'' with a ``plug 'n' work'' architecture, said William Terry, THK's senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Yaskawa Electric is based in Waukegan, Ill.
Tel. (847) 310-1111, fax (847) 310-1182, e-mail [email protected].
Dynisco introduces digital transmitters
Dynisco Instruments has introduced three new pressure transmitters with the Foundation Fieldbus capability:
* FFX2242, a thread-mounted pressure and temperature transmitter for processing applications.
* FFX2281, an industrial model.
* FFX2291, a button-seal pressure transmitter.
All three can be used in hazardous or nonhazardous locations.
``We are introducing these products in anticipation of industry's shift towards digital control,'' said Douglas Joy, vice president of marketing for Dynisco, which is based in Franklin, Mass.
Tel. (508) 541-9458, e-mail [email protected].
Detector helps avert damage from metal
Moditec srl's new low-speed granulator, the Goliath Plus, comes with a built-in electronic metal-detection system that protects the machine from damage if metal enters the cutting area.
Moditec of Marennes, France, calls the technology Integrated Metal Detection. It is an option on Moditec's beside-the-press granulators.
IMD is not a magnetic protection system, said Janet Kevlin, national sales manager for Miami-based Plastec North America Inc., Moditec's only U.S. distributor.
Kevlin stressed another thing IMD is not: The system is not intended to be the primary piece of metal-detection equipment. IMD's job is to minimize damage to the cutting chamber by stopping the grinder within 40 milliseconds after metal is detected.
Kevlin said metal contamination is an especially serious issue with low-speed granulators: The knives tend to be expensive to replace because they are machined from solid blocks of steel instead of single strips of metal.
With IMD, the downstroke stationary knives have a zone that is electrically insulated from the rest of the granulator. A programmable logic controller continuously monitors the voltage between the insulated bed knife and the rest of the granulator. If the voltage is less than the set point, the granulator shuts down and an alarm sounds.
Another feature is an anti-blocking system that counts rotor revolutions. If it senses the rotor has stopped, it reverses the rotor, to stop the material and reorient the robot. Plastec said that action permits granulation of heavy cross sections with low speed and low horsepower.
The bed knives on Goliath Plus grinders are reversible and standardized across the line. Goliath Plus granulators are available in five chamber sizes, with single- and dual-rotor models.
Tel. (305) 887-6920, e-mail plas [email protected].
Pad printer's design allows for flexibility
ITW Trans Tech said its two-color pad printer has a V design that allows two-color printing using a single part-holding fixture, giving the machine a high level of flexibility and a lower cost.
A solid steel box-frame construction makes the pad printer rigid. Ink pickup, printing and pad cleaning are performed simultaneously, using two reciprocating, gear-driven printing heads.
The machine can print as many as 1,200 parts per hour.
ITW Trans Tech is based in Carol Stream, Ill.
Tel. (630) 909-5762, fax (630) 752-4433, e-mail [email protected].
SAS Automation now makes tubular frame
SAS Automation Ltd., which makes end-of-arm tooling in Xenia, Ohio, introduced a new tube-shaped frame that gives more complete flexibility for mounting the tooling than the company's square, rectangular and D-shaped aluminum frames.
Tooling can be mounted at any angle.
SAS machines its clamps from one piece, for easy assembly. The tubular frame can use a customer's existing clamps and components.
Tel. (937) 372-5255, fax (937) 372-5555, e-mail [email protected].