WJI Dec 2017 Feature Sample

WIREE JOU JOURNAL DECEMBER 2017

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50 RS YEA 8-2017 196

INTERNATIONAL www.wirenet.org

Y R A L L I ANC EQUIPM

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WRAPUPS IWCS • wire South America OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

FEATURE

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT It’s not just big capital equipment, such as multiwire drawing lines, that matters: it’s all the other elements that are part of a plant’s process. This feature presents a range of such necessities, from ancillary equipment to “supporting” parts, much of which was either shown or talked about at Interwire 2017.

Amacoil USA The Uhing traverse winding drive is a product that has long reached market maturity. At trade shows like Interwire and Wire Expo, Amacoil’s goal is to make contact with existing customers to assure continued satisfaction with the Uhing line as well as to exhibit to new prospects products like the Amacoil-Uhing PLC-controlled flange sensing system.

Using a laser to detect the spool flange, this time-saving system automatically controls the traverse stroke length. When one reel is full and is replaced with an empty one, instead of manually adjusting the end stops to accommodate a wider or narrower spool, the An Amacoil-Uhing PLCoperator simply secures controlled flange sensing the new reel and turns system. on the system. The traverse will reverse when the flange is detected. Longer or narrower reels do not require re-adjusting of the end stops.

The speed of the traverse is adjustable without changing gears. Also, special enhancements to improve accuracy and efficiency in linear motion are available, as are accessories such as wire guides, linear slides and shaft clamping collars.

When we exhibit this product, we stress that it is designed to be a time-saver, not necessarily a device to improve spooling accuracy. This usually leads to discussion about what Amacoil can do to help improve precision in winding operations. Although it’s been in use since the 1940s, the Uhing traverse winding drive offers options with which many end users are not familiar. For example, precision adjustment of the traverse travel distance is possible using an option whereby the end stops are placed on threaded rods. A control knob on the end of the rods enables users to fine tune the travel distance while the

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traverse is running. This permits on-the-fly tweaking of stroke length to improve the winding accuracy.

Amacoil offers several other options for improved spooling precision. The more perfectly spooled the reel is, the more likely the payoff will be smooth and snag free. That means no downtime to fix tangles and longer periods of uninterrupted production. www.amacoil.com.

Boockmann Engineering GmbH Germany At Interwire, Boockmann Engineering GmbH displayed the company’s well-known HELICORD® technology providing clean surfaces for better industrial products.

HELICORD technology, used for wire and cable surface processing and welding wire finishing, is able to remove misprints from cable, remove metal particles from strands for high frequency and submarine cables, remove drawing lubricants and metal particles before extrusion. It also is suitable for various cleaning and lubricating applications in special wire, such as for food or medical A HELICORD® system from use. HELICORD Boockmann GmbH. machines can be equipped with an internal pump and heating, and are available as either onestep (NB57, HELIFIL) or two-step (NB58) models that allow for up to two subsequent processes (e.g., abrasive cleaning and subsequent finish application).

The NB57W and NB58W models were designed specifically for the above processes. They are located directly before the winder, which is often required for welding wire. A traversing process zone that can be connected to the traverse of the winder allows for minimum space

tle space is available, e.g. for cleaning before the extruder on wire strands of up to 2 mm. www.boockmann.com.

Cemanco USA Cemanco supplies “classic” trusty KMK rolling ring traverses used in countless spoolers and bunchers worldwide as well as an upgraded line of KMK fine wire re-spoolers that can be fitted with mechanical traverses or with laser-guided autowinders that precisely wind conical or bi-conical spools.

We offer a line of straighteners that cover just about any need via multiple sizes (0.5 mm up to 30 mm). Besides ancillary equipment, for more than 25 years we have provided maintenance solutions, components and cutters. Our

Ancillary equipment: a downstream ‘used’ perspective Purchases of capital equipment undergo a high degree of scrutiny, but that same focus level often is not so intense when it comes to the other components that will be part of a line. Below, Mike Mathiasen, Mathiasen Machinery, www.mathiasen-machinery.com, a supplier of used equipment, shares his thoughts on such purchases.

The good news about acquiring ancillary equipment is that it’s nowhere near as stressful as buying capital equipment. Big-ticket investments go through a lot of estimations and justifications before a deal is struck.

But there’s another part of the process equation, and that is the ancillary equipment. You know, all that stuff you add to your production line to make sure it runs as efficiently as possible, and makes your products look and act the way they should. For wire and cable, that can range from take-ups, payoffs, capstans, in-line test equipment, and length-measuring units to tensioners, dancers, accumulators, cleaning, drying, printing, lubricating and more.

What’s notable about ancillary equipment? On a perunit cost, you could say, “Not much,” as it is nowhere near as expensive as an extruder or wiredrawing system, but that’s where you can run into a problem. It’s easy to forget to perform preventative maintenance because if you have to, you can just swap it out for a newer model. That mind-set could lead to running components until they no longer work, and more downtime for that big capital investment.

Consider the role and purpose of ancillary equipment. Yes, it is a less expensive initial investment, but if not matched properly to what it needs to do, and if not maintained properly, product quality and productivity can be undermined. That can make that “glory hogging” main machine look like a bad investment. It is a smart purchasing manager/plant manager/operator who spends the extra time to research and select the best ancillary equipment for the specific purpose, and then maintain it.

Can used components work? As we supply used equipment, it won’t be a surprise that we believe

Mark and Mike Mathiasen at a trade show. they certainly can, as long as its capabilities meet the requirements for a given process. You might also consider that if you upgrade ancillary equipment, the piece you are replacing may still have enough value to keep in inventory for back-up. Or, you could contact a company like ours to see if we might be willing to buy it. If the equipment was made by a reputable supplier, age can almost be a non-factor. If you do plan to remove a line component, take pictures/video first so potential buyers can see it was in good running condition before decommissioning. Working equipment always has more value.

How do we sell our used ancillary equipment? We buy components that are viable, we keep them clean, replace broken parts and try to provide manuals and drawings. Ancillary elements are supposed to be simple to add, and really, that’s the way it should be, as long as you know exactly what you need and how to take care of it.

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FEATURE CHAPTER CORNER

requirements and avoids stress on the wire after the finishing process. The most promising application is welding wire finishing, which is accomplished with simultaneous coating and removal of particles. Heat-extractable finishing cords are used to directly transfer active components (such as lubricants, corrosion inhibitors and arc stabilizers) to the wire, a method that customers have shown much interest in. The use of this continuously progressing technology has shown some extraordinary and unexpected results, and allowed Boockmann’s customers to develop new products that could not be made before. Evaluations of said new products by welders were enthusiastic.

HELIFIL models use the same basic principle, but are smaller in size. They are suitable for applications on small diameters, where low forces are required and typically lit-