Helping wire and cable manufacturers improve quality and increase productivity
Nordson Measurement & Control Solutions (formerly NDC Technologies) claims to have solved the tracking problem of bouncing, moving products on steel and copper wire drawing lines.
Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) has been a long-used method for accurately measuring the length and speed of products, but many applications involving the drawing of long, continuous wire can pose measurement challenges. Drawn wire that cannot be well guided, and moves off-axis and out of the measurement range, can be problematic for traditional LDV-based gauges as they try to keep the laser on the product's surface. These measurement issues can affect the ability to control product speed, achieve accurate cut-to-length requirements, and other critical functions during the wire drawing process. Unreliable measurements can also be costly due to product give-away, waste from scrap, process downtime and other conditions.
Nordson's patented LaserSpeed Pro M Series gauge solves these problems, using an LDV optical technique to provide reliable, accurate (up to 0.05 per cent) speed measurements of small, bouncing, unguided drawn wire. The LaserSpeed Pro M Series works at high line speeds for responsive velocity measurements to control elongation from stand to stand and throughout the drawing line.
The company says that the technology is valuable in applications involving roughing, intermediate, pre-finish and non-twisting mills, reducing and sizing mills (RSM) and stations, including wire-laying heads. Manufacturers benefit by producing a higher quality wire while reducing the possibility of line cobbles. This increases the lifetime of the mill guiding elements, including the wire loop shaper. Other production savings include reductions in material waste, operational downtime and frequent maintenance.