MORE MONEY
by increasing productivity
Profile extrusion becomes 100% digital
Until now, profile extrusion has been an exclusively analog process. The dependence on the personal know-how of the personnel during the production process is enormous.
The[extru]sion / automation /[net]work brings transparency to the world of profile extrusion.
Sensors measure inline data in all areas of the process, in the machines and in the mold. Additional measuring equipment also allows inline control of the profile quality.
extrunet is a development partner of the new LIT Factory – a “smart research factory” on the premises of the Johannes Kepler University Linz.
target is... highest efficiency top quality simplest operation
…a self-learning extrusion line that produces a stable profile quality, within a specified tolerance range, over the entire production period and largely without operator intervention.
The start-up and shut-down process as well as the tool change should be simplified as much as possible.
WHY?
The “brain” – the control system
extrunet develops a central control unit for the entire extrusion line on the basis of a B+R controller.
Using OPC UA interfaces, our systems can also communicate with external devices and transfer production data to a
central production data acquisition system (ERP-System).
- Employee authentication – Recording: who did what and when
- Electronic reading of the production order – TARGET values from the last production run – faster start up
- Alarm in case of malfunction – possibility to avoid production scrap
The “heart” – the extrusion line
Sensor technology
A dense network of measuring points over the entire extrusion line.
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Gravimetry
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Temperature/Pressure/ Speed of the Extruder
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Central control
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Positioning
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Cooling water/quantity/temperature
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Pull-off force
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Scratch on profile surface
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Surface gloss
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Colorimetry
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Profile dimension
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Haul-off speed
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Profile scan
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Profile measurement
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Profile weighing
Regulation
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Gravimetry
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Temperature control of the extruder
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Tool Temperature control
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Cooling water control
e:MCC
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Synchronisation
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Vacuum control
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Speed and trigger force control
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Control Separation unit
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Profile weight Control
the “organs” – digital features
+CentralvacuumECOvakuumFU-geregeltCROSSBOXZentralvakuume:MACMultiple Air Controle:MCCMultipleCoolingControle:ASIAir Support internale:PBDProfile Breakage Detectione:PSCProfile Slipage Controle:PWDProfile Weight Detectione:PMCProfile Measurement Controle:TPSTable Positioning Systeme:DIGIdata acquisition/analysis
ECO+ central vacuum
State-of-the-art vacuum management with control valves. Required vacuum volume can be provided by one (preferably, highest energy efficiency) or several FU-controlled vacuum pumps. The vacuum levels are set via control valves that draw the vacuum from a large vacuum reservoir – this means that there are no mutual influences.
Your advantage
- Reduction in the number of vacuum pumps
- Reduction of energy input into the cooling water
- Reduction of power consumption through frequency control
- Reduction of the reject rate by stabilising the professional quality and the production process
Annual savings potential*
* Calculation basis: 1 line with 2 conventional vacuum pumps and 1 separation tank system
ECO vacuum FU-regulated
Vacuum supply in the dry area with frequency-controlled vacuum pumps, in the wet area with separating tank incl. Side channel compressor and water pump.
Cross Box
Central vacuum with one vacuum & water pump incl. Valve technology for extracting the calibrators and the vacuum/water tank
e:MAC – extrunet Multiple Air Control
Modern air management for controlling individual profile sections. Matched to the profile geometry, reproducible
e:MAC-C: Air control (cooling) on the dry caliber by means of contour plates.
e:MAC-D: Air control (heating or cooling) in the die to optimize the melt flow
Can be retrofitted to existing tools and as a stand-alone unit.
Perfectly integrated in new extrunet downstreams.
From manual control to automatic control in combination with inline measurement.
Your advantage
- Extrusion with nominal weight or optimized in the lower tolerance range
- Extension of production times by readjusting temperatures in sensitive sections
- Possibility to correct for slight material batch fluctuations
- Controlled process reliability through a combination of inline measurement and e:MAC-D
Annual savings potential*
*Calculation basis: 1 line with output 250kg/h and 1.5% weight reduction
e:MCC – extrunet Multiple Cooling Control
State-of-the-art cooling water management – digital control of the cooling water flows in the cooling calibres – influencing the profile geometry through local additional or reduced cooling.
Cooling problems can be recognised by the flow rate before any impairment occurs on the profile!
Different cooling water temperature levels for special cooling, cooling in dry calibres and cooling in the tool tanks can be realised. As a result, enormous savings can be achieved in cooling water circulation.
Cooling regime can be saved for each tool and is therefore reproducible. Early warnings in the event of malfunctions (cooling problems).
Your advantage
- Reduction of machine downtimes
- Reduction of capacity shortfalls
- Reduction of the reject rate through stabilisation of the professional quality and production process
- Reduction of cooling water consumption
Annual savings potential*
*Calculation basis: 1 line with output 250kg/h and 0.5% scrap reduction
e:ASI – extrunet Air support internal profile chamber
Digitally adjustable air volume as supporting air for the interior of complex profiles (narrow hollow chambers, sealing profiles with hollow chambers).
e:PBD – extrunet Profile Breakage Detection
Early warning of profile breaks and partial profile breaks – optical, acoustic and digital – already within the dry calibration.
The automatic raising of the calibration table (increases the distance between the die and the calibration table) leads to relaxation and prevents material build-up between the die and the calibre.
Your benefit:
- Reduction of machine downtimes
- Reduction of capacity shortfalls
Annual savings potential*
Calculation basis: 1 line with output 250kg/h and 0.5 machine downtimes per week
e:PSC – extrunet Profile Slipage Control
Digital equipment to detect slippage on the profile with the initiation of countermeasures.
Only in conjunction with an external length measurement (measuring wheel).
Differential measurement between the encoder of the fume cupboard and the measuring wheel indicate slippage of the profile. The regulation influences the back pressure.
Your advantage
- Reduction of machine downtimes
- Reduction of capacity shortfalls
Annual savings potential*
*Calculation basis: 1 line with an output of 250 kg/h and 0.5 machine downtimes per week.
e:PWD – extrunet Profile Weight Detection
Digital recording of the actual profile weight on the tilting table.
Left/right discharge of the profiles (separation production/reject)
e:PMC – extrunet Profile Measurement Control
In conjunction with in-line profile measurement, the functions of e:MAC and e:MCC can be used to keep dimensions permanently within specified limits.
e:TPS – extrunet Table Positioning System
All axles motor driven
Measuring system on all axes
Profile-related data storage
Exact reproducibility
e:DIGI – extrunet data acquisition and data evaluation
extrunet systems are equipped with the digital data acquisition function.
The OPC-UA server integrated in the PLC makes the process data of the entire plant available.
The data transfer software “DATAFEED” retrieves this process data and transfers it to an SQL database.
All data are thus historically available and can be evaluated.
Scope of services:
- Data acquisition of all relevant process data of the plant
- Transfer of the data into an SQL database
- 1x standard dashboard for the display of current production data via Grafana
- 2x Standard reports
- 2x e-mail notification
- DATAFEED licence included
Licence SQL database not included
The “training” – production data acquisition
2. process data analysis
Smart Data Mining methods are used to prepare and relativize the data.
4. ERP data
The data can also be entered directly into existing ERP systems (e.g. SAP®).
1. process data acquisition
Recording of all operating data in the line.
600 variables send data to the server every 150 ms.
3. process data evaluation
with modern evaluation software such as Qlik-View® or Qlik-Sense®, the data can be prepared according to requirements.
