High purity plastic for electric cables conveyed by JOEST feeder.
For the second time, JOEST built a highly pure tube-type feeder for plastic pellets, which are used as base material in the production of electric cables. The challenge in building such a machine is the extremely high demand towards the surface quality and overall cleanness of all of the components. Foreign particles could lead to imperfections in the cables. These can result in short circuits during operation.
To meet these demands, JOEST developed a 2.40m unbalanced, free oscillator with an electromagnetic drive, that is built using solely stainless steel. To achieve a surface quality of ra < 0.2 µm, the machine was sanded and electro polished.
The delivered materials passed a very strict reception inspection using spectrometry. A spectrometry checks the material’s structure and quality of composition. At the end of the production, the pureness is inspected using a tape test. During a tape test, adhesive strips are attached and removed from the machine. Afterwards, the samples are examined under a microscope in search for dirt particles.
In order to maintain the demanded cleanness for the tape test, the tube is stored in a special room, equipped with a filter system that guarantees a particle free environment. The machine is shipped in a particular stainless steel frame with an appropriate packaging, since transportation is not technically feasible on wooden pallets, due to the clean-room technology.
The first machine is in place and operational since 2013. The second tube-type feeder was delivered in May 2019.
This case proves once again, that JOEST is capable of consistently satisfying its clients, even when the demands are extremely high.