DFE Splicer Circuitry Improves Hi

A P P L I C AT I O N N O T E
www.dfe.com controlling process tension
DFE SPLICER CIRCUITRY IMPROVES HiCONE PRODUCTIVITY
The following was excerpted from Melissa
Larson’s Retrofit article in the July 2004 issue
of Converting Magazine.
While most converting machines are designed
and built to last for decades, there's little that
can't be improved upon with judicious upgrading and retrofitting. That's particularly true for
web-handling situations, from printing to
slitting and rewinding, where tension control
has failed to keep up with customer quality
demands, or where web-handling problems are
causing line downtime.
Tension-control upgrades are among the easiest
and fastest ways to breathe new life into older
converting equipment, and they can yield
immediate benefits in efficiency, print quality,
and reduction in operator "tweaking".
No tweaking necessary
Manufacturing beverage carriers from 13 mil
LDPE presents it own set of converting
challenges, but also some of the same concerns
as any other web-handling operation - among
them tension control.
ITW Hi-Cone, headquartered in Itasca, IL,
dominates the market for can and bottle six- and
eight-pack carriers. The company was able to
increase productivity on one of its winder lines
by retrofitting tension transducers and a
customized automated tension-control system
with flying-splice sequencing control circuitry
for a four-shaft three-roll splicing rewind. The
supplier of the tension control equipment was
Dover Flexo Electronics, Inc., Rochester, N.H.
"We needed a tension-control solution that
could run by itself, without constant knobtweaking by the operator," says Steve Jones, HiCone's corporate electrical engineer. The retrofit
was installed in 2002 at the company's
Charleston, IL, plant, one of three whose
operations Jones oversees. Dover Flexo
engineers worked with Hi-Cone's Charleston
plant maintenance staff to install the tension
transducers and tension controllers.
As the rolls exit the slitter station, dead-shaft
idler rolls equipped with Dover Flexo Model C
tension transducers installed on the shaft ends
communicate with SteadyWeb tension controllers mounted on the turret control cabinet.
By allowing the machine operator to unload full
rolls and load empty cores onto the free shaft of
the rewind turret without ever stopping the
machine to do the roll hangouts, routine
downtime at the rewind is also eliminated.
"From our perspective, our engineers at DFE
found this special automated splicer/ controller
project to be an extremely interesting challenge," says Mark Breen of Dover Flexo. "Up
until this time we had only developed a splicer
tension controller for a dual turret rewind. The
four-shaft rewind represented an extreme
modification in terms of sequencing logic
complexity, so we were all relieved when our
engineers pulled it off."
"For an investment of about $60,000, we have
an efficient tension-control system that does not
require operator intervention," says Jones. "We
also have received fewer customer complaints
about inconsistent tension on wound rolls. We
are considering similar systems for our other
two plants."
This DFE case history can be found online at
www.dfe.com/771appITW.html or ask for the
hard copy.
Left: ITW Hi-Cone's 4 shaft winding turret following the tension station. Three tension controller face plates can be seen on
the control panel. Right: This schematic shows the tension-control retrofit performed at ITW Hi-Cone in Charleston, IL.
T H E
T E N S I O N
C O N T R O L
S P E C I A L I S T S
DOVER FLEXO ELECTRONICS, INC.
217 PICKERING ROAD, ROCHESTER, NH 03867 USA 603-332-6150 FAX 603-332-3758
E-Mail: info@dfe.com • Internet: www.dfe.com • ISO 9001 Certified
www.dfe.com controlling process tension
INFO
REQUEST
Stable tension control compensates for process deviations that
cause web and roll defects. It's a fact. Dover Flexo tension measurement
components or a closed loop control system can be integrated smoothly into your
press' web path in only the tension zones that need them.
For fast information complete and fax this form to DFE at
(603) 332-3758. Or call us at (603) 332-6150.
Name _______________________________
Company_____________________________
Address______________________________
City_________________State____Zip______
Tel. ______________E-mail ______________
_____________________________________
The project we're considering involves:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Send me your recent wite paper on:
"Improving Web-Processes with
Direct Tension-Sensing"
T E N S I O N
q Product Guide (14 page overview)
q DFE catalog (80 page 3-ring binder
with complete product specs)
q CD ROM with product CAD library
q Tension Transducer data sheets
q Indicator/Transducer interface data
sheets
We manufacture/process (material):
T H E
Please send:
C O N T R O L
q Tension Controller data sheets
q Pneumatic Brakes Catalog
q Application Note/Case History on:
___________________________
q Data sheet on: _______________
q Other:______________________
q Have a Sales Rep call me
S P E C I A L I S T S
DOVER FLEXO ELECTRONICS, INC.
217 PICKERING ROAD, ROCHESTER, NH 03867 USA 603-332-6150 FAX 603-332-3758
E-Mail: info@dfe.com • Internet: www.dfe.com • ISO 9001 Certified
©2004 DOVER FLEXO ELECTRONICS, INC
771appITW
PRINTED IN THE USA