CASE STUDY: CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS
A North Carolina-based company transforms large rolls of paper into usable paper products, including paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper. They are strongly committed to an environmentally friendly business policy, designing everything from pallet configuration to product packaging to minimize waste and working with specialized paper suppliers to reduce toxins.
THE CHALLENGE
The process of reducing 55-inch diameter parent rolls to a size small enough for use as paper towels and toilet paper requires winding and cutting the paper. Due to the size difference between the parent rolls and the final product, the cutting process is labor-intensive and can generate heat, impacting the plant's efficiency.
The customer explains: „When cutting our paper logs, we use a 40-inch diameter circular blade to saw through logs ranging from 4 to 12 inches in diameter at up to 50 cuts per minute. The sawing process generates a lot of friction and heat. Once the blade reaches 37.77 degrees Celsius, it starts to overheat, and at that point, it's no longer safe to continue cutting. Production slowed down because we could only make a certain number of cuts on the log before we had to pause to allow the blade to cool down.“
THE SOLUTION / RESULT
Based on his previous experience in the textile industry, the customer recognized an opportunity to improve this cutting process by using compressed air products. He notes: „I knew if we could keep the blade cool, we could cut for longer, and that would reduce production times. I searched online for a compressed air product company. I compared several suppliers, and Vortec stood out as an innovator in their field—they were pioneers of the vortex technology concept, so it made sense to work with them.“
After contacting Vortec, the manufacturer was pleased that the company's engineers immediately recognized the need and were able to develop a customized solution together with him. Vortec 630 cold air gun was retrofitted into the design of the wood saw used to cut the large paper logs. The one from the Vortec 630 cold air gun The supplied cold, clean air ensures that the cutting blade temperature remains cool enough to continue cutting for extended periods. Furthermore, the Double nozzle Cooling both sides of the blade further improved the effectiveness of the cold air gun in cooling the hot blade. By integrating Vortec cold air guns into production for blade cooling, the company was able to improve production by making an average of 42 more cuts. "Another advantage was that cooling the blade prevented scorching the ends of the finished product. Ultimately, we increased both production and quality."„
DIPLOMA
„Vortec’s technology is excellent and working with their employees is very easy,“ says the customer. „We are very satisfied with our collaboration with them.“
After using the Vortec cold air gun for three months, the manufacturer noted that he had already praised the advantages of Vortec products to other companies: „One of our other equipment manufacturers was in the factory and I showed him the retrofit along with the data on how much our production had improved. He was very impressed.“
HOW COLD AIR GUN WORKS
Cold air guns use vortex tube technology and filtered compressed air to produce sub-zero temperatures as low as -30°F for numerous industrial spot cooling applications. Because there are no moving parts that can wear out, cold air guns require no electricity at the target, only a compressed air source.
Cold air guns are most commonly used for cooling metal parts, in the processing and repair of metals, plastics, wood, ceramics and other materials.
Cold air machining outperforms mist coolants and significantly increases tool life and feed rate in dry machining operations. Effective air cooling with a cold air gun saves energy and can prevent heat-induced part growth, while simultaneously improving part tolerances and surface finish.
Vortec air gun nozzles feature adjustable temperature and flow settings; and some models have a frost-free nozzle to prevent frost and condensation contamination.
Learn more here Learn more about the 630BSP Vortec cold air gun or get advice from one of our German-speaking experts (+49 5130 37 99 99 or vertrieb@rhdgmbh.de). .
Source: INCREASING PRODUCTION AND QUALITY with cold air gun (vortec.com)