Extrusion International 1-2018

27 Extrusion International 1/2018 point control. Furthermore, QUANTUM 360 is frequently able to measure all 3 layers individually. To the pipe produc- er, this opens up for the first time the possibility to measure and accurately control the important interior layer. The process can be automated through weight per meter control carried out by a gravimetric system. Not only the savings potential influ- ences the success of a measuring and control system but also a comfortable operation. In this respect QUANTUM 360 sets new standards. The automat- ed centering performed by an XY cross table and the lack of dimensioned parts enormously simplify the reset of the sys- tem, specifically after a change of pipe dimensions. Added to which is the us- er-friendly visualization software which is based on a state-of-the-art software architecture and a 21” multi-touch display, all designed for the optimum support of the line operator. It leaves him to select the pipe recipe and start the measurement. Numeric or graphic representation is available besides trends or statistics data and various in- terfaces. Especially to be emphasized is inoTREND for the almost playful visual- ization of production and process val- ues via „multi-touch“. Display of pro- cess data and production times can be adapted individually by the operator. Each system disposes of a TeamViewer Client requiring minimum configura- tion to set up a remote session. Author: Arno Neumeister, Director Marketing iNOEX GmbH iNOEX GmbH Maschweg 70, 49324 Melle, Germany www.inoex.de of a multi-layer pipe is possible, given different refractive indices. Depend- ing on materials and measuring meth- ods, generally a measuring accuracy of 25 µm can be achieved. The combina- tion of a THz sensor and an opposing laser sensor provides simultaneous di- ameter measurement. QUANTUM 360 covers a broad spec- trum and is currently available in four different sizes. All common plastic ma- terials such as PE, HDPE, PP, PA6, PA12, PVC are measurable. All SDR classes contained in DIN 8074 for pipe diam- eters of 10 to 1000 mm are measurable by QUANTUM 360. (see table) 80 percent or more of the total costs of the extrusion of plastic pipes can be attributed to production materials. Depending on the throughput rates of a pipe extrusion line, the materials and the produced standards, there are enormous savings potentials between minimum and maximum permissible pipe dimensions. Through appropriate measuring and control technology such as QUANTUM 360 combined with con- tinuously performing gravimetric sys- tems, five percent or more can be saved in raw material. All proven control al- gorithms such as e.g. mass throughput control, weight per meter or thin point control, equally the „Thermal Die Cen- tering“, are available and complete this measuring system which thus becomes a full automation system. Producers of foam core pipes are in intensive price competition with each other. The decisive criteria here is al- ways a cost-efficient productionprocess which uses as little material as possible. Particularly the combined use of “Ther- mal Die Centering“ and thin point con- trol will lead to substantial rawmaterial savings in the production of PVC foam core pipes. This is due to the fact that the thermal die centering will ensure a homogeneous wall thickness which of- fers potential for optimization by thin also more and more cost-effective. This forms the basis for the economic utiliza- tion of THz technology which offers un- doubtedly great benefits. One of these benefits is that Terahertz radiation is a longwave, non-ionizing radiation. Con- trary to X-rays, the use of Terahertz ra- diation does not involve any health risk. Another interesting aspect is one of its physical properties related to varying temperatures. A temperature change of 10 °C of the measuring object would lead to a mere deviation of approx. 0,001 mm in the measured wall thick- ness which is a value that is significantly lower compared to other measuring systems. Due to this fact, measuring values do not need to be calibrated in practical use during the extrusion pro- cess of smooth or corrugated pipes. An additional and very significant advan- tage of this technology is the contact- less measurement which makes the sys- tem very flexible. The mounting or use of dimensioned system components can thus be completely avoided. QUANTUM 360 features a Terahertz sensor which reverses 360° around the measured pipe. Wall thickness sizes between 100 µm to 60 mm can be measured easily. High- precision measurement of every layer Pipe dimension [mm] Wall thickness [mm] QUANTUM 360 / 250 10 – 250 100 µm – 60 mm QUANTUM 360 / 400 63 – 400 100 µm – 60 mm QUANTUM 360 / 630 250 – 1200 100 µm – 60 mm QUANTUM 360 / 1000 250 – 1000 100 µm – 60 mm