Pyradia modular pilot coating lines streamline testing of pressure-sensitive adhesives – and helps speed time-to-market. Our customers credit the system flexibility and performance with speeding the development, testing and regulatory approval of their products.
Key advantages
- Quick change over enabling testing of multiple coating types and techniques in a single day
- Minimizes floor space in R&D/laboratory environment
- Optimizes system productivity, with PLC integrated zoned safety
Without access to a pilot line, converters have no choice but to interrupt regular production schedules – or wait for an opening – to test new applications on production machines.
Pyradia is growing its reputation as a leading supplier of pilot coating lines, enabling companies to test products efficiently on smaller scale equipment, without interrupting their production schedule.
Keeping It Versatile – and Compact
Oftentimes, both new substrates and adhesives must be tested during product development phase, requiring a system that quickly and easily adapts to changing process parameters. To maximize flexibility, we designed a modular pilot line, with quick change over between multiple coating modes within the same coater, such as direct gravure, reverse gravure, Mayer rod, comma, and saturation, among others. As a result, our customers can test three or four different modes each day.
A typical pilot line includes a primary unwind, multimode cartridge coater, three-zone flotation dryer, secondary unwind, laminator and winder.
Low Tension Challenges
Pyradia was also challenged with supplying equipment that could handle low-strength web material. Speed and tension control are critical in any web converting application, but for delicate substrates such as light weight fully saturated nonwoven material, pilot lines must operate under extreme low tension, where tension on the 12-inch web is maintained below a fraction of a pound.
Precise Servo Control
To optimize such pilot coating lines, Pyradia leverage its partnership with Rockwell Automation. We utilize Integrated Automation Builder (IAB) software capabilities and build solutions based on Allen Bradley® GuardLogix® safety controllers, Kinetix® 5700 servo drives and VP-Series servo motors. The system is integrated on an EtherNet/IP™ network and monitored on an Allen Bradley PanelView™ graphic terminal.
Servo technology proves to be an efficient way to achieve precise and flexible control of web tension. From a mechanical standpoint, servo motors, given their compact envelope, can be easily attached to different rollers when changing the system from one coating mode to another. The control parameters can be quickly adjusted from the machine interface.
Improved Performance with Integrated Safety
Our pilot coating lines also feature an integrated safety solution, using advanced capabilities of Kinetix servo drives and GuardLogix controller. With the controller and servos running on the network, we are able to create and modify safety zoning without any rewiring.
The Safe Torque Off capability removes rotational power from servo motors without powering down the drive. These capabilities help enable workers to safely enter portions of the machine to make equipment adjustments, while the rest of the process continues normally.
The integrated safety solution also delivers better information to operators. If a gate is open or an E-stop has been activated, the operator can access the diagnostics from the HMI and address the issue quickly.
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