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News Release from: Hydramotion | Subject: Viscolite VL700, XL7 Intrinsically Safe
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 22 November 2006
Viscometer Helps Ricoh Save Time And
Money
Hydramotion viscosity control is saving time and money and boosting productivity for Ricoh UK Products Limited (RPL) in Telford, Shropshire.
Hydramotion viscosity control is saving time and money and boosting productivity for Ricoh UK Products Limited (RPL) in Telford, Shropshire Established in 1984, RPL is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Limited in Japan, the manufacturer of office automation equipment
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 16 Jul 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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In 1972, Ricoh began development of the organic photoconductor (OPC) drums that are now a key component of the company's latest digital copiers.
RPL was Ricoh's first production plant in Europe and is still Ricoh's only OPC production facility outside Japan, producing up to 22,000 60mm and 100mm diameter drums per month.
In the first stage of production, aluminium cores are automatically loaded on to a lathe where they are machined to the correct thickness and surface finish.
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The drums are then given an initial inspection before being transported via conveyor to a degreasing line, which removes any remaining swarf, grease or coolant from the machining process and leaves the drums clean, dry and ready for coating with photoconductive material.
Three different layers of coating are applied to each drum.
It is vital that each layer is applied uniformly and to the correct thickness and since that depends on the flow characteristics of the coating solutions, maintaining the correct viscosity directly affects the quality of the finished product.
A hand-held Hyadramotion Viscolite VL700 is used to make a preliminary check of the viscosity of the coating mix, which is made off-line and used to supply the process dipping tanks.
Ricoh production engineer Matt Surmacz said: "We simply take a 500ml sample in a glass jar and insert the probe in to the liquid." That ensures that the coating solution has the required properties right from the start.
The coating stage, known as 'dipping', is carried out within a clean room, which is classed as a hazardous area because of the flammable materials used, said Hydramotion.
The drums are lifted from a central conveyor by robot and dipped slowly in to tanks containing organic polymer-based coating solutions.
A Hydramotion XL7 Intrinsically Safe in-line viscometer is permanently installed on the dipping tank, enabling production staff to monitor the process liquid viscosity constantly.
The instrument also gives its measured output value to a PLC program that automatically dilutes the dipping liquid back to the required viscosity to compensate for solvent evaporation during the process.
"The maximum viscosity we have to measure is 500 centipoise.
It's controlled at two different settings plus or minus 3 centipoise, depending on the product we're making," explained Matt Surmacz.
Temperature also has to be carefully controlled, since the liquid must be kept to within a degree of 20 degrees Celsius.
Matt Surmacz commented: "It is critical that the liquid is at the required viscosity at both the mixing and process dipping stages, because there is a direct relationship between the viscosity and temperature of the liquid and the robot dipping speed.
So if any of these set-points are incorrect the coating thickness of the drum will be too thin or too thick and the drum will be scrap." During the final stage of production a flange is inserted at each end, the drums are wrapped in black light-protective sleeves and finally boxed ready for sale.
Surmacz added: "We learned about Hydramotion through recommendation of our existing viscometer supplier at the time.
We decided to purchase the instruments from Hydramotion as they were suited to our process requirements and were easy to use, giving an instant reading.
They gave us the facility to put a live digital display in the hazardous area for the operators to monitor the viscosity and they also gave us the facility to integrate it with our PLC software for the automatic dilution system." The XL7 in-line viscometer has given Ricoh the high level of process control it needed, said Hydramotion, as the system gives RIcoh a stable dipping process with no fluctuation in the viscosity.
With a set lifter speed and liquid temperature Ricoh can also now run the process with efficiency.
Before discovering Hydramotion, Ricoh had to depend for viscosity measurement on an off-line rotational instrument.
That had a number of disadvantages: it could not be integrated in to the automated system and it had to be located in a laboratory away from the dipping process, which meant operators would lose time analysing the liquid.
Also, repeatability was adversely affected by the small sample size and solvent evaporation during the test.
Surmacz observed: "The Hydramotion viscometers are easy to use and they give us instant results for our process liquids.
They were easy to install using the hygienic fittings and clamps and have required no maintenance.
The only check we carry out is a measurement of a known viscosity standard every month to confirm their accuracy." And he continued: "Since the viscometers were installed they have proved to be 100 per cent reliable, with no fluctuation on the measurement of our liquids. Request a free brochure from Hydramotion ...
We would definitely recommend them to other companies considering buying them.".
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