WCA May 2011

Technology news

Keeping faults in check

By incorporating Plasticolor dosing units and/or mixing station systems into the production, not only the quality of the finished product is improved but also substantial cost reduction in less material consumption and lower labour cost will be realised. It has been noted that the usage of dosing units and/or mixing station systems results in a better product quality. The mixture of materials is more homogeneous and also the appearance (colouration) of the products is more regular. The effect of a homogeneous mixture will allow the operator to cut the percentages of the additives to the lowest level where additives are still active and still get very good product quality. It is also not necessary any more to have pre-mixed materials ready for the production and also the leftovers after production are eliminated. This drastically reduces the cost of inventory. Plasticolor mixing stations are used especially in high quality productions of cross-linked insulations or in productions with foamed layers. The exact dosing of each component and the perfect mixture of the materials helps the screw of the extruder to homogenise the melt and this will result in a better product quality and substantial cost reduction in less material consumption for the expensive materials like catalyst or foaming agent. Beta LaserMike offers its Lump and Neckdown (LN) detector to wire and cable manufacturers wanting to reliably and accurately identify product faults and surface defects during production. The LN detector uses infrared light technology and advanced circuitry to instantly detect changes, such as lumps or neckdowns, in the wire or cable diameter. The signal processing and intelligence is built into the gauge head for a complete, stand-alone detection solution. Outputs can be taken straight from the LN Detector to trigger alarms or to mark devices when faults are detected. The detector is easy to install, set up and operate. It can be used in extrusion, drawing, jacketing and other wire and cable production applications for consistent detection of short-term faults in products. The detector is available in a range of models to meet a wide scope of product detection requirements. Depending on the model, the system can detect faults in products with outer diameters ranging from 0.04 to 40mm (0.0015" to 1.60") up to the fastest line speeds. Long-term advantages to manufacturers include increased productivity, reduced production costs and higher quality products. Beta LaserMike – USA Fax : +1 937 233 7284 Email : sales@betalasermike.com Website : www.betalasermike.com Better quality and reduced costs

m m The LN detector from Beta LaserMike

m m The Plasticolor mixing station

Woywod Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH & Co Vertriebs-KG – Germany Fax : +49 898 541 336 Email : info@plasticolor.de Website : www.plasticolor.de

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2011