Double belt plant: rib embossments are what determine the cutting dimension
Individual sections are manufactured using continuously running production systems (double conveyor systems) with various colours, thicknesses and ribbing, these then being used to manufacture complete garage doors. For many years, the plant operator has hereby been successfully facing the challenge of supplying its customers with its needs by deploying standardised production processes and this without long retrofitting times.This is the only possibility of achieving short delivery times and a high level of machine productivity.
Falk Steuerungssysteme GmbH has conceived and implemented the controlling and visualization technology for the so-called Kontilinie. One of the challenges was the achieving of an accuracy of less than one millimetre when sawing, when taking the production length of much longer than 100 metres into account. This requirement results in the popular rib embossments which cover the entire surface of the installed sectional door not cracking.
Whilst those sections which receive their uniform surface ribbing via rollers at the beginning of the production line can be comparatively easily cut to the required dimensions, the horizontal ribbing places especially high demands on the accuracy of the cut. There are also differences as far as the production is concerned. The rollers provide the steel strip with the required pattern in continuous operation. Contrary to this, the rib embossing station works intermittently – this therefore being clocked. For this reason, a loop pit is located as a materials storage space between the press and the hardening line, the so-called double-plate conveyor.
In view of the production line length of more than 100 metres which has already been referred to, Falk installed a printer unit downstream from the hydraulically working press for the ribbing, which prints a barcode and a raster mark on the foil which protects the coated strip. Whilst the barcode renders each of the sections traceable by data means, the black marks on the flying saw transmit the decisive signal for the exact cut. Two laser stations monitor the application of the raster mark and the barcode at the beginning of the production and at the end before the fully automatic saw. This control design results in an incorrect cut being excluded. The consequence: material and waste costs are minimized. “The production length of individual sections is not longer path-control defined by the cross cutter, but from the ribbing“, explained Martin Falk, owner of the company with the same name.