PFFC - January 2008 - (Page 45) ROLL ALIGNMENT Figure 7. Vacuum metallizing chamber in the closed and running position. the technology. Vacumet Corp. Plastics Div. in Austell, GA, used this service to check the roll alignment of its vacuum metallizer. Vacumet provides vacuum-metallized holographic paper and metallized film for many consumer brands. At Vacumet, a vacuum metallizer was checked primarily for preventative maintenance. Since metallizers run at speeds to 3,300 fpm, alignment is crucial to ensure they can produce output that meets all quality specifications. Figure 6 shows the rolls inside the vacuum metallizing chamber, in the open and nonrunning position, while Figure 7 shows the metallizer in the closed and running position. It is evident the rolls can be measured in the open position by either traditional optical means or by the new roll alignment technology. However, the rolls can be measured in the closed position only with the new technology since there is no line of sight that can be obtained. Two engineers from Pruftechnik Service measured the rolls in both the open (Figure 6) and closed (Figure 7) positions. It was determined WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM In order to provide our customers with the optimum quality end product, we wanted to ensure that our metallizers were aligned using the best technology available. —Steven Ward, Vacumet Corp. there were noticeable differences in the roll alignment between the two positions. Ideally, rolls should be measured in the closed position as this is the running position. The approach by Vacumet was to correct all of the rolls within a 0.015-in. tolerance. This was accomplished by using dial gauges and indicators to adjust the rolls at the bearing on either the drive side or the opCustomer Results erator side, whichever was more Figure 8 shows the final accessible. The running position Pruftechnik protocol for the of the vacuum metallizer, which vacuum metallizing chamber had never been studied before, in the closed and running posi- was completely validated in a tion. The illustration depicts all short period of time. of the unwind and rewind rollSteven Ward, process engineer ers inside a vacuum metallizing of Vacumet Corp., says, “In order chamber. The drum roll, where to provide our customers with the the film is processed, was cho- optimum quality end product, we sen as the master reference roll. wanted to ensure that our metal- lizers were aligned using the best technology available. We are also very conscious of regular preventative maintenance procedures that provide us with proactive rather than reactive actions for our equipment. This equates to smooth running machines, quality product, and happy customers. “Pruftechnik Service provided us with state-of-the-art new technology that was able to properly align our machine’s rollers, even with the metallizer fully closed. We have noticed an improved operation of our machine with prolonged life on our rollers and quicker startups.” Inertial roll alignment technology is an effective way to measure roller parallelism and make necessary corrections in a short period of time. This is done regardless of line of sight and subjective human interpretation. Best of all, Pruftechnik can validate the running position most of the time. Results are easy to understand, and the software allows the customer to analyze different arrangements of the machine. Jay Tannan is a sales and service engineer with Pruftechnik Service Inc., Blackwood, NJ. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Tannan was a presenter at the 2007 AIMCAL Fall Technical Conference, where he received the John Matteucci Technical Excellence Award for his presentation, “Measuring Roll Parallelism in a Vacuum Metallizing Chamber Using Inertial Alignment Equipment,” upon which this technical report is based. Contact him at 856-401-3095 X204 or at jtannan@pruftechnikservice.com. JANUARY 2008 | 45 http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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