EuroWire November 2021

Technology News

Profile wire measurement in process using tactile technology

are available. Fuhr uses these systems in new machines, but also supplies them for existing and third-party plants. To meet requirements for data analysis and quality documentation, Fuhr’s F-MAS data acquisition and evaluation system is available as an option for the tactile measuring systems; it can also be retrofitted to existing digital or analogue measuring systems. With F-MAS, two wire dimensions (eg width and thickness of a rectangular profile) are measured with a measuring frequency of 1,000 Hz. The data is shown in diagrams, statistical values are calculated, and frequency distributions are displayed. Reports are generated and raw data is exported. Data export to standard data analysis software is possible via an OPC UA interface.

As a manufacturer of rolling mills, Fuhr faces challenges from increasing demands on the finished wire’s geometric precision. Accuracies of Class 6 according to ISO 386 are almost standard. This implies a permissible deviation of ±0.003mm for small profilewireswith a nominal diameter of up to 3mm. If a process capability (Cp or Cpk) is also required, a spread of only ±0.0015mm remains in production. In order to ensure that these requirements are met in daily production, the wire must be continuously measured while exiting the rolling mill, and the roll positions must be adjusted fully automatically. In multi-stage rolling processes it is necessary to measure and calibrate straight after the pre-rolling stages. Therefore, modern high-speed rolling mills made by Fuhr are equipped with several measuring systems. Conventional laser shadow measurement systems, as typically used in the drawing of round wires, have not proven to be successful in profiling lines: a slight tilting of the wire changes the size of the shadow, and laser systems cannot be used permanently in the wet area of the pre- rolling stages. Fuhr therefore relies on tactile measuring systems, in which the wire is scanned with diamond-studded, high-resolution displacement measuring systems. Alternatively, instead of diamond styli, stylus rollers adapted to thewire geometry

Until recently, measuring systems used to determine the surface quality of products in-line during the process were almost exclusively deployed for process control. Process variables were measured and compared with target values, and the set- tings of the production plant were opti- mised with the deviations determined. For Industry 4.0 applications, this is often no longer sufficient. The quality of production processes should not only be regulated, but also analysed and documented.

Fuhr GmbH & Co KG www.fuhr-wire.com

Wooden cable reels

Madem-Moorecraft Reels, located in North Carolina, USA, is a wooden cable reels supplier. The Madem Group has forests, sawmills and manufacturing plants in Brazil, Spain, Bahrain, the USA, Mexico and Colombia, and produces 450 containers/trucks of knock-down reels per month, supplying 150 cable plants in 45 countries. With more than 70 years of industry experience, Madem aims to build trust and confidence with its product offering. Madem-Moorecraft Reels www.mademreels.com

▲ Tactile measuring device

Faster wire drawing and improved quality

to promote sustainability, by having customers return their used carbide dies to be re-manufactured in its fully automated mass production process. In addition to standard dies, Paramount supplies and develops large cased dies, shaped dies and shaving dies, and works to develop new technologies that will deliver value to customers, allowing wire drawers to further improve their processes and products.

Paramount Die is a supplier of carbide wire dies to the global wire drawing industry. As an industry innovator, Paramount has introduced several products that it says have become wire industry best practices, and the company continues to innovate. The wire die systems developed by Paramount contribute to faster wire drawing speeds and improved wire quality and productivity. Its Paraloc pressure system is widely used around the world. Paramount also works

Paramount Die Co www.paradie.com

▲ Knock-down reels fromMadem

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November 2021