Getting a better view

1 March 2007



Quality control scanner improves production at US industrial coater


Operators at US company Fortifiber can now improve their production process on the fly, thanks to a quality control system that lets them view the quality parameters they have set and how close they are to hitting them, “shift after shift, day after day”. When the Fernley, Nevada, moisture control material manufacturing plant needed to replace the gauging system on its 98in slot die paper laminating line, it chose the Qualiscan QMS-10A quality control system from Mahlo.

"At line speeds in excess of 650ft/min, it's easy to make a lot of off-spec material in a short amount of time," says resident manager Bill Rieger. "The QMS-10A's real-time feedback allows us to hit our coating weight targets faster, and maintain them consistently throughout each production run."

The Fernley slot die laminating line produces a wide range of moisture vapour retardant products, including the asphalt laminated Aquabar B, used in the building and construction industries. With a change of slot dies, the same line also produces Seekure, a premium grade, hotmelt laminated, reinforced non staining paper for protecting flooring.

"The most important thing to our customers is flat sheets," says production supervisor Doug Lynch. "Whatever coating we're using, it needs to be applied consistently at the basis weight we set, with no streaking or clumping. We needed a quality control system that gave us more information on the profile of our coated sheets. The old one didn't give the operators enough data to adjust the dies properly."

Fortifiber's Superior MDM slot die coater is mounted overhead, taking the kraft paper from the unwind and coating it. The coated kraft moves straight down to floor level, then angles around another roller to be laminated to the second kraft sheet. Adjustment of the coating dies involves an operator climbing the stairs to the overhead coater area, so the less trial-and-error involved in hitting the target coating weight, the better. A remote CRT with die bolt display solves this problem.

Manufactured in Germany, the new Mahlo Qualiscan QMS 10A system features state-of-the-art touchscreen controls, user friendly, menu driven operator interfaces, and precision cross-machine direction and machine direction read-outs. For the operator, bringing the coating target into spec is simply a matter of selecting the proper product 'recipe' and engaging the auto control symbol on the interactive touchscreen.

Another feature that appealed to Fortifiber is the compact O-frame scanning unit. "Our previous system had a C-frame scanner that required a 60 per cent bigger footprint than the Mahlo gauge," says Bill Rieger. "The QMS 10A scanning frame was easy to install, required minimal site preparation, and features high quality precision engineered components. We feel like we've gone from go-karts to stock cars."

Installation of the new system was completed over a holiday weekend. The old hardware was removed following the end of production on a Thursday afternoon. The operator's console and scanning frame were in place by close of business on Friday; electrical connections and wiring were completed by in-house technicians during Saturday and Sunday. Mahlo's start-up technician arrived the next work day and by the end of that day, the production line was up and running.

"Consistent coating profiles translate into faster converting with less scrap by the finishing team," according to Doug Lynch. Line 1 typically produces work in process rolls at 73 or 97in wide by 50in diameter. These master rolls are then rewound and slit to customer requirements, in widths from 6-96in and lengths from 100-5,000ft. The finished product is in a 'handy sized' wrapped roll that can be used by building workers on the job site.

Improved roll formation - due to fewer coatweight variations - was an immediate benefit for Fortifiber. In the first full month of operation, measured scrap from Line 1 work in process fell 20 per cent. "With higher paper and adhesive costs, this efficiency improvement has jump started the ROI of this project," concludes Doug Lynch.

Story courtesy of Converting Magazine USA.



Contact

Mahlo
Tel: +49 9441 601 111





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Mahlo system keeps watch on the coating process Mahlo system keeps watch on the coating process


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