technology | Machinery PROCESS MODELLING
Buffering speed is doubled following modelling procedure
Maillefer has doubled the speed at which it can carry out buffering – the process of placing optical fibres inside plastic tubes to make fibre optic cables. It was achieved using
process modelling, which helped to determine the true interactions between process parameters and product properties. It also helped in developing new features and characteristics for new machinery, said the company. “High cable quality and line
speeds are achieved when the process parameters are optimally tuned,” said Mikko
ANCILLARIES App turns 2D images into 3D models
Maguire has developed a new app for smartphones and other hand-held devices that transforms 2D images of the company’s equipment into 3D models that can be manipu- lated on the device’s touchscreen. Called Maguire 5D, the
app is available from Apple and Android stores, and from Maguire’s website. Once installed, the app is activated by special images in print advertisements in industry media or by images posted on Maguire’s website, says the company.. After clicking on the app,
the user can generate a 3D model by aiming the camera at the 2D image of the equipment. Touchscreen
48 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | April 2017
manipulation makes it possible to examine the interior of components, view material flow through the system, obtain a 360-degree ‘turntable’ view, and examine specific
areas of the equipment in close-up.
One of the first images
available will be of Maguire’s weigh scale blender, the VBD vacuum dryer, and the Riverdale Gravimetric System (RGS) for metering liquid colours, from sister company Riverdale Global. “Maguire 5D will provide the immediacy and interac- tive convenience of hand- held media,” said Paul Maguire, president of Riverdale Global. “Users will be able to view
the features of our products and their mode of operation with a depth and clarity unmatched by traditional 2D media.” ❙
www.maguire.com
Lahti, director of R&D at Maillefer. Excess fibre length is a key
factor that limits line speed. It is caused by varying cooling rates of the plastic compound and other process variables. Line speed and water tem- perature determine the cooling rate – which results in varying degrees of crystallisation and shrinkage. Other key factors for
buffering process quality, other than process parameters, include crosshead tooling, cooling water temperature, mid capstan location, fibre tension and compression
caterpillar speed and tension. In order to create a
process model, a set of trials on Maillefer’s test line – or a customer’s production line – is required. Usually, up to 40 trials at different process conditions are needed to define a reliable model, because process parameter relations are too complex to be described by simple equations. Maillefer has developed a
software solution that uses neural networks to compute a model using the process data. ❙
www.maillefer.net
PROCESS CONTROL
Gas meter boosts foam products
Linde says that its gas metering equipment can help manufactur- ers of extruded foam products replace hydro- carbon foaming agents with carbon dioxide (CO2
) or nitrogen. Linde’s DSD
400 metering system and process is part of its Plastinum suite of products for the plastics industry. The equipment can be used for extruded polystyrene (XPS), polystyrene foam insulation board and other polyolefin foaming processes. Using inert gases provides
more consistent, eco-con- scious foaming, while also reducing the risk of fire hazards, according to the company.
The DSD 400 can provide
precise amounts of liquid CO2 or gaseous N2
during
extrusion, to help optimise foaming and reduce density. In addition, its ability to react quickly to pressure fluctua- tions at the extruder allows for a stable extrusion process and delivers consistent foam structures.
The DSD 400 inert gas
metering device handles pressures up to 5,081psi (400
bar) and can pump liquid CO2 through the control valve at a constant rate at speeds up to 66lb/hr (30kg/hr). ❙
www.lindeplastics.com
www.pipeandprofile.com
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