Profile system provides speedy guarding solution

UPM Machinery Sales was faced with a dilemma when it came to guarding its new range of infra-red dryers for plastics processors.

When faced with the need for a machine safety guard that is modular, simple to install, able to be adapted for various sizes of machine without compromising the aesthetics of the machine and readily available, where do you look?.

Well the production engineers at UPM Machinery Sales has recently been through this cycle of decision making.

UPM, manufacturer and supplier of machinery for the plastics industry and specialising in infra-red drying systems, has recently launched a range of dryers using existing infra-red technology, but have applied this technology in a pioneering fashion.

Founded in 1975, UPM has many years experience and significant knowledge to draw on, enabling it to pursue industrial ideals both in its solutions and also solutions it employs on its machines allowing it to meet the needs of today's industry.

These new infra-red dryers (IRDs) have reduced drying times of virgin PET granules from the traditional 6 hours to a staggering 1 hour (for 450kg load based on an IRD1000).

The UPM infra-red drier will also dry and crystallise PET granules in one pass.

In order to meet the needs of industry these IRDs are built in various frame sizes which determines the volume/speed of drying, providing the customer with a choice based on their application needs.

Because of the pioneering technology used in these IRDs, a problem that faced the design and production team when it started out on the development programme was the guarding of the machine.

The options were either to use traditional, fabricated and welded construction guards or to use a flexible guarding solution based around an aluminium profile system.

With the machine base being constructed using a fabricated solution this would have been an obvious choice; however the engineers at UPM felt this route may not be ideal due to potential alignment problems of the guard and aesthetics ensuring each size of machine had the same appearance.

Therefore wanting the right solution the company involved Applied Automation, the UK distributor for the MayTec aluminium profile system, to provide an alternative solution to a fabricated guard.

With Applied Automation recognising that there is more to delivering customer service than just the supply of product, and knowing that it includes listening to the customer, understanding their needs and providing a programmed solution on time every time, the company set about providing the most viable solution to the UPM problem.

The Applied Automation team was given various criteria that had to be fulfilled in order to come up with the right solution, these included: the system had to be modular so it could easily be adapted to various sizes of IRD - keeping the aesthetics of all the machines the same; it had to be simple and quick to assemble - thus reducing machine assembly time; and it had to be easily removed to aid machine maintenance.

Taking these points into account the applications team at Applied Automation set about finding the solution, helped by its understanding of machine technology thanks to many years experience.

One benefit that helps Applied Automation stand out its piers is not only the design service, which is free-of-charge, it is the build service.

This design and build service was used in full to meet all the needs of this application where the chosen result was to supply part assembled panels to UPM.

Applied Automation supplies an adaptable "kit of parts" to UPM, each comprising four assemblies.

These kits are all part built and include two side panels, a rear panel, which includes an integral access door, and a front panel construction.

When the kit arrives on site at UPM the real magic of this modular approach is seen.

The production engineers are able to easily fit the four panels together using the simply MayTec jointing system and then a final cross member to provide suitable rigidity, allowing the complete guard to be assembled within 3 hours.

This brings in the question of cost saving.

Steve Wicks, the Production Manager in charge of this project, said: "It is more cost effective to ship the large assemblies to their factory and then fit to the machine, than it would be to build the complete assembly from scratch on site".

This is, of course, due to the speed of the final assembly when the kit arrives.

The bringing together of expertise is key to successes like these, with UPM knowledgeable in the plastics industry and driving new technologies coupled the perfect execution of the team at Applied Automation in delivering the most viable safety guard solution, the IRD system is now aggressively being promoted.

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