XD Solutions / Managing Process Monitoring Phase Easily and Effortlessly

As we enter an increasingly competitive world, manufacturers need to ensure that the final products are made safer and still maintain its high quality.

This is especially true in the manufacturing of rubber gloves. To ensure the gloves are manufactured properly, manufacturers need to make sure that the machines are being controlled and operated efficiently from the compounding stage to the final packaging stage. Thus, it is important to have a system that can help monitor the process closely.

Customer Challenges:

The glove manufacturing process is a very complex procedure as it requires precision in the form of fixed temperature and flow rate at the different stages of the manufacturing process. Failures at any of these stages could result in weak spots or holes in the gloves produced. If these issues are found at the inspection stage, the entire batch of gloves could be compromised. While rubber gloves are used for a variety of tasks which can range from protection of oil or harsh chemicals, medical applications are where rubber gloves will be most commonly use. As expected, medical gloves would require higher quality inspection when compared to regular glove usages and this results in lesser room for error.

Glove dipping is a time-consuming process, and production facilities cannot be expanded overnight. Inconsistent performance during the dipping process may result in a significant impact to the company when the quality of gloves produced are affected. This will not only cause business waste but it will also incur a huge production loss for the company.

The glove production begins when a glove former is dipped into a series of tanks, with different chemicals reactions taking place throughout the dipping lines. The importance of the dipping process lies in how well the gloves are being processed. With a system that can help in monitoring the dipping lines, you can plan preventive maintenance beforehand to reduce the downtimes of the production lines. As a result, it will lead to higher efficiency and more efficient use of your existing resources.

XD Solutions: Monitor Dipping Process Effortlessly

To ensure that substances and mixtures are in the best conditions, it is important to continuously monitor the temperature and flow rate of the medium. With a combination of the angle seat valve VZXA and the flow and temperature sensor SFAW, Festo can help you manage your process monitoring phase easily and effortlessly.

The angle seat valve VZXA offers great control of medium flows, while the flow and temperature sensor SFAW can be used to monitor for leaks, line breaks and filling volume. Depending on the application, connection to higher-level systems is provided by either an analogue output and/or an IO-Link interface for easy retrieval of process data.

Benefits

The VZXA adapts easily to the task in hand thanks to its range of variants, which helps in maximising flexibility and minimising effort involved in designing the application. The carefully thought-out product architecture with its easy-to-clean design means valve bodies and actuators can be freely combined. The modular product concept makes it easier to modify and service systems without having to remove the entire valve.

Its long service life, sturdy design and high flow rate make the VZXA ideal for highly viscous media, liquids, gases or vapours. Aside from easy cleaning, the compact and sturdy stainless-steel unit can also withstand harsh ambient conditions, aggressive cleaning foams or steam.

The flow sensor SFAW is ideal for monitoring cooling circuits. It measures the flow rate, consumption and temperature of liquid media within the ranges of 1.8 … 32 l/min and 5 … 100 l/min. The modular electrical output concept makes the SFAW extremely flexible and open, allowing simple integration into various control systems.

It also has a large, easy-to-read, blue/white/red LCD display where you can see immediately whether the flow rate is OK. It can be quickly commissioned by means of teach-in or using the clear 3-button menu function. In addition, the IP65 design enables it to be used in harsh environments.