Turnkey Coating Skid

Skid Systems

“

I recognized that Re:Build Optimation had a lot of expertise there and a lot of transplanted ex-Kodak people that really knew a lot about all sorts of manufacturing, manufacturing processes and could do equipment installs and refurbishing. They fill a void because it’s as close to having that expertise under your roof as it can be without actually hiring people full time.

– Robert Gelser, president and general manager of Once Again Nut Butter

Applications

Coating Technologies
Conceptual Design/Engineering
Machine Build

Services

Automation & Controls
Control Panel Design & Build
E&I Engineering & Design
Mechanical Engineering & Design
Web Handling Consulting
Web Handling Development
Web Handling Training

Introduction

A manufacturer of nanomaterials for composites had a product that needed to be produced without being touched or disturbed. The company’s product is manufactured continuously on a roll-to-roll web. The end result is a coated wound roll of a delicate powder, which if touched would abrade off and release into the air, becoming a health concern. The manufacturer came to Re:Build Optimation to help solve the issue of how to produce the rolls without damaging the coating.

Solution

Re:Build Optimation came up with a solution that uses three winders in one – the winder for the product, and two interleavers that provide a gap that keeps the product from touching. This machine winds the product concurrently with the two interleaved strips on either edge. The machine maintains the tension of the product and the two strips simultaneously. Steering also needed to be considered – the machine steers the product on the winder and steers the two interleaved strips onto the product. Measurement equipment on the winder detects the lack of the presence of the coating and maps for defects.

This was a concept to completion solution from machine engineering and design to fabrication and controls.

Because this winder was a module that coupled into the existing production line, Re:Build Optimation did a fair amount of collaboration on environmental and process conditions. This was a clean room environment.

Re:Build Optimation’s controls and our hardware and logic had to be compatible with existing technology in the plant. Working within their platform, Re:Build Optimation provided the control logic and software to be integrated into their system.

Results

Re:Build Optimation skilled tradesmen built the skid in Re:Build Optimation’s shop using a combination of purchased components and assembly. The machine was set up and temporarily wired for a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) in Re:Build Optimation’s facility, which involved powering the machine up and confirming motions and actuations before the skid was delivered and installed at the client’s facility.