When global container manufacturer Buckhorn needed a CNC retrofit on one of their structural foam machines, they wanted more performance than was possible from just a process control upgrade. And they knew just where to get it.
Cincinnati Process Technologies (CPT) breathed new life into Buckhorn's 10-year old Uniloy Milacron by mating a new computer control system with sequential valve gating. The rekindled Milacron now offers flow control on par with many newer machines - at a fraction of the cost. "A single machine may run multiple molds simultaneously, each with multiple cavities having significant differences in part size and geometry," says Rex Reynolds, Maintenance Manager at Buckhorn's Bluffton, Indiana plant. "This makes controlling material flow to each of the cavities very important."
Buckhorn's Bluffton facility produces a wide range of structural containers weighing anywhere from a few pounds to over 150 pounds and comprised of a variety of materials and additives to meet specific customer needs. While the 10-year old dual-extrusion Uniloy had many control modifications done over the years, much of the hardware is no longer supported.
In conjunction with the right process control system, sequential valve gating (SVG) provided the precise flow control Buckhorn was seeking. "SVG helps eliminate wasteful overpacking of molds, provides a more balanced fill and can reduce clamp tonnage by more than 20 percent, resulting in substantial energy savings and longer machine life," explained CPT Sales Engineer Dane Bales.
The plant runs 24/7 "so we can't afford unplanned downtime," said Reynolds, noting that technicians from CPT and Buckhorn spent significant time examining existing controls, reviewing options and developing solutions. Everyone involved "invested the necessary time up front to clearly define the scope of work so expectations were clear on both sides."
CPT combined the new sequential gating with a process control that's as user-friendly as it is flexible. Reynolds noted that the new graphic display screens "are easy to navigate and intuitive to our process technicians. Troubleshooting is easier since not only is the fault identified but also the diagnostics pinpoints the source of the problem." The retrofit ensure higher productivity, more precise operations and monitoring and reduced downtime.
