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[March 2003]
New NC-Driven Cup-Making Carousel
Lippert GmbH (Pressath, Germany) says that in developing its NC rollers, it has set new standards in roller technology. After single rollers and production lines for plates, cups and bowls, Lippert has now designed and built - and is successfully operating - a new NC-driven cup-making carousel.This development is Lippert's response to the trend towards increasingly short series of diverse products. The need for maximum flexibility of production pointed toward a turntable type solution. The various body feed items (de-airing proportioning extruder, slug placer ), body apportionment equipment (slug cutter and placer), NC rollers and finishing belt are all arranged around, or automatically linked to, a carousel turntable with an integrated dryer.
This system enables rapid changes of product: the user simply replaces the quarter-turn roller head, calls up (at the touch of a key) the production parameters for the desired article and effects a running change of moulds, i.e. without even emptying the system. Even the dryer can be changed over for a different product at a moment's notice with just a few short operations.
Thanks to NC technology, says Lippert, the quality of the products is outstanding. Extremely versatile adjustment options coupled with the high precision of the roller head action assure an optimum shaping sequence for each individual article. Hence, this carousel can even handle articles as problematic as ones made of very thin, very fine porcelain or bone china.
The installation's other highlights include a small number of moulds (48), a minimal space requirement and a highly efficient dryer with adjustable temperatures and air velocity.
Lippert reports that this cost efficient and highly flexible cup manufacturing cell is already operating to the complete satisfaction of its first user - the market leader for hotel porcelain.
ENDS