Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 34

EXTRUSION

The big squeeze

Extrusion lines in Hall 1 at Epwin Group

Following the interview with Martin Althorpe (see previous page), PRW was
given access to the Epwin Group extrusion facility to find out how the company
produces and quality checks its range of window and door profiles

I

Entrance hall at the Epwin Group
production facility in Telford

34

WWW.PRW.COM | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019

n 1976, Jim Rawson started importing
PVC window profiles from Germany,
the first time the products were made
available in the UK. After an examination
of the cost structure, Rawson elected to
base the start production of the profiles
in the UK. And so the forerunner of the
Epwin Group came into being.
While the current group operates a series of sites across the country, the headquarters of the Window Systems Division
is located in Telford, Shropshire.
Opened in the 1990s, the plant now
features two extrusion halls. Manufacturing is split across the two shop floors;
PVCu profiles for main windows and door
sections are produced in Hall 1, while
glazing beads and other accessory components are made in Hall 2.
Output in the main profile hall can
reach up to 100 tonnes per day. End to
end, that could be 50 miles of PVCu framing. Up to eight of the 10 production lines
are in use at any given time, with tool
changes and scheduled maintenance carried out to deliver the most efficient production runs.
PVCu profile extrusion requires monitoring and control of the many variables
which could affect the process, from raw

material blend characteristics through to
cleanliness of the water used to cool the
extrusions. The operation runs 24/7, with
just a 10-day shutdown over the Christmas holiday for maintenance. Systems
feedback and preventative maintenance
are crucial to overall reliability.
This production setup delivers a total
current annual output of about 40,000
tonnes; maximum output could run considerably higher. According to Gerald
Allen, marketing manager for Epwin Window Systems Division, that headroom
could support business growth in a variety
of directions.
"We are very good at working with
new customers. That's supported by the
experience gained setting up the awarding-winning Optima by Profile 22 products." Allen adds that while Epwin manufactures three key product brands, Profile
22, Spectus and Swish, there are a number of cross-brand niche products which
allows Epwin to fulfil any customer fenestration requirement.
Epwin has been carrying out major upgrades across its profile extrusion lines.
Over the past two years the company has
installed a series of new machines, developed in cooperation with leading machine


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Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019

Contents
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - Cover1
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - Cover2
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - Contents
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 4
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 5
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 6
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 7
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 8
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 9
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 10
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 11
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 12
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 13
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 14
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 15
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 16
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 17
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 18
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 19
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 20
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 21
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 22
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 23
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 24
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 25
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 26
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 27
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 28
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 29
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 30
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 31
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 32
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 33
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 34
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 35
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 36
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 37
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 38
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 39
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 40
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 41
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - 42
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - Cover3
Plastics & Rubber World - September/October 2019 - Cover4
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