WCA November 2017

The existence of several protective areas means that activities can be performed by the operator in one of the areas while automatic movements are still taking place in the other. When such a sub-area is opened, the speed there is automatically reduced to a safe level. “In addition, due to the spatial arrangement of the consoles, a sufficient distance to the moving machine parts and the strip is ensured by design,” said Mr Lüdecke. The normal length of time until standstill is 12 seconds, but this can be reduced to six seconds or, in the case of emergency, even to three seconds if required. From the operator’s point of view, the material runs from left to right through the installation at a speed of up to 300m/min. The individual process steps are visualised by means of overview and detailed images. The operator can perform input directly via buttons and data fields in the images or via pop-up windows. The axle positions typical for the materials can be stored as individual data sets with alphanumeric names in a database. Customer-specific order management can also be integrated into the system. Connection to the company’s network ensures that the operator can access the current production plan at all times. During a cassette change, the system recognises by means of an identification system which cassette is currently installed. Manual, time-consuming readjustment is no longer necessary. By means of further automatic systems, for example in the form of an automatic coil and spool transport, parallel activities can be performed. As a result, what previously took two operators to do can now be undertaken by a single employee. A feed-in system developed by B+S also contributes to economic efficiency and convenience. In this case, the strip to be processed is mounted as usual in the form of a coil onto the decoiler. Manual feed, however, is not necessary. Instead, the beginning of the strip is clamped in a clamping bar at the beginning of the line and pulled through to the outfeed at a speed of 10 to 15m/min. This means that no pilot strip is required, and welding or the need for guide plates is eliminated. Initial winding on the recoiler also takes place automatically with a belt wrapper. “The productivity of the line is increased, since the actual processing can be started quickly and efficiently,” summed up the technical manager. To ensure that the strip is wound up neatly at the end, the decoiler and recoiler are also each equipped with a strip edge controller. The reels, each weighing six tons, stand on linear guideways that are pre-loaded, free of play and mounted on anti-friction bearings. Together with the edge detection and position control, the reels ensure precise unwinding and winding via a servo-hydraulically controlled hydraulic cylinder.

Burghardt + Schmidt GmbH Raiffeisenstraße 24, 75196 Remchingen, Germany Tel : +49 7232 36610 Fax : +49 7232 3661 65 Email : info@b-s-germany.de Website : www.b-s-germany.de

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Wire & Cable ASIA – November/December 2017