WIRE
1/2011 May

Mounted at the throat of one of the extruders at the Prysmian plant in Eastleigh, UK is the Maguire® loss-in-weight (LIW) hopper, an integral component of the LineMaster(TM) extrusion yield control system. Above it is a surge hopper for rapid refilling of the LIW hopper, and atop the surge hopper is a vacuum receiver.
Photo: Maguire
Cost effective extrusion yield control
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A simple, cost effective extrusion yield control system from Maguire Europe has enabled a leading international cable company to conserve raw material and ensure product consistency in a high-performance range of cables whose reliability is critical for fire safety. Prysmian UK recently deployed the Maguire® LineMaster(TM) system on three production lines for its long established range of fire resistant cables. These products are used in fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting circuits, and other service lines whose resistance to fire is essential for the safety of buildings. With support from Summit Systems, Maguire’s distributor in the UK, Prysmian project manager Nicolas Chevaux supervised the installation of the LineMaster system at the company’s facility in Eastleigh. The LineMaster technology enabled Prysmian to increase control over the ratio between the raw materials used in a cable construction—control that is critical for balancing fire resistance with mechanical strength, according to Mr. Chevaux. The system maintains the target ratio, in grams per meter, between the various raw materials at each stage of production and ensures that, in the finished cable, the weight of each compound per unit of length is constant. A basic job of the LineMaster system is to adjust for the many variables that affect the rate at which extruders consume raw material, such as the source of the material, storage conditions, density, particle geometry, die and heater conditions, screen packing, and fluctuations in electrical power. The system includes control software and a loss-in weight (LIW) hopper that gravity-feeds material into the processing machine. This technology can be deployed as a stand-alone system or to work in concert with a blender such as the Maguire® Weigh Scale Blender. Maguire produces LineMaster extrusion and yield control systems for a wide range of processes, including blown and cast film, sheet, pipe, tubing, profile, and wire and cable.
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