The Know-How To Be Your Best in resin casting and impregnation for higher quality and cost-effectiveness in the casting of electrical and electronic parts. We shall be pleased to send you further additional information on: Electrical industry Electronics industry Electronics industry/Electrical industry Vacuum mixing and metering systems Vacuum mixing and metering systems • Multi-component vacuum casting systems • Systems with single casting valve • Systems with multiple casting valves • High performance degassing units • Multi-component atmospheric casting systems • Multi-component vacuum casting systems • Systems with single casting valve • Systems with multiple casting valves • High performance degassing units Vacuum compounding and material preparation systems Brochure No. 8 Brochure No. 5 Electronics industry/ Electrical industry Electronics industry/Electrical industry Electrical industry Impregnation systems • Atmospheric impregnation systems Vacuum impregnation systems • Vacuum-pressure impregnation (VPI) systems • Vacuum drying and impregnation systems Brochure No. 3 Automatic pressure gelation (APG) • Vacuum mixing and metering systems with direct injection • Single casting valve • Multiple casting valves Brochure No. 6 Electronics industry/electrical industry/ chemical industry/plastics industry/ special applications Electrical industry Laboratory and special systems APG clamping machines and moulds Brochure No. 4 Drying and curing systems • Batch ovens, compartment dryers • Serpentine conveyor ovens • Inline-conveyor ovens • Multiple layer elevator ovens • Pressure-curing ovens • Special ovens Brochure No. 9 Electrical industry Mixing and metering system COMPACT Brochure No. 7 VERFAHRENSTECHNIK HÜBERS GMBH Bernhard-Otte-Str. 1 • D-46395 Bocholt Postbox 1552 • D-46365 Bocholt Telephone **49 / 28 71 / 28 1-0 Fax **49 / 28 71 / 28 11 50 http://www.huebers.de Brochure No. 10 03/99 Brochure No. 2 • Silo and conveyor systems for components in solid and liquid form • Dryers for fillers • Mixer and premixer groups • High performance degassing units • Metering and weighing systems Brochure No . 5 Vacuum mixing and metering systems for the electronics industry The Know-How To Be Your Best in resin casting and impregnation Verfahrenstechnik Hübers: Innovative technology for higher quality and cost-effectiveness in the casting of electroni VTH. The specialist in resin casting technology. The Know-How To Be Your Best. Throughout the world where electrical parts have to be cast and impregnated VTH is rated one of the leading names. With many patented developments, VTH is known as the innovative pacesetter in the field. Its name stands for outstanding precision and high economic efficiency in resin casting technology. VTH's know-how has made the company a partner with industry whose competence can be relied upon. VTH provides engineering support, systems and system components tailor-made to customers' needs. Improvements in product quality and productivity are VTH's objectives. The result: greater competitiveness for VTH customers. Competence and capability for the customer. VTH experts are respected partners of the industry and the casting material suppliers in developing new processes and products. Prior to an order: Soundly based processengineering support to find the best technical solution with the best economic result. A convincing success story: 12 patents have been applied for in the last 15 years. Made by VTH: All system components specific for the particular process are manufactured in-house at VTH. Like the outsourced components, they are subjected to the strictest quality checks. VTH offers all the processes: Casting and impregnating, single and multi-component systems, atmospheric pressure, vacuum, vacuum-pressure and pressure-gelation. Single modules or complete systems: Storage and conveyor systems, compounding and preparation systems, mixing and metering systems, units for generating vacuum, overpressure and temperatures, casting chambers, moulds and clamping machines, dryers and curing systems. VTH. Facts and figures. • Founded in 1937 • Headquarters: at Bocholt in Germany's state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the edge of the Ruhr industrial heartland and 70 km north of the international airport at Düsseldorf. • 80 employees • Between 1968 and 1998 more than 65 patents and registered designs have been applied for. • More than 20 agencies world-wide • Since 1963 VTH has built and installed over 1400 systems throughout the world. VTH. International benchmark for higher quality and cost-effectiveness in resin casting and impregnation. 2 Of every size: From laboratory systems to systems for large-volume manufacturing with programmable logic controls and on-line monitoring of quality. Replacement parts are supplied rapidly and flexibly thanks to the great depth of in-house manufacturing at VTH. Controls and programming by VTH. VTH's controls, customized to specific process requirements, offer many advantages. Electrical installation and programming are carried out by VTH specialists. Prior to shipment: Every system is completely assembled and the process is tested with the customer's own raw material. Personal responsibility: The VTH team that builds a system also installs it at the user's factory, commissions it and remains personally available for the system user by phone. ic parts. VTH. High performance resin casting systems for the electronics industry. VTH customers place the very highest requirements on resin casting. To fulfill their function over long periods of time parts must be free of pores, have a homogeneous structure, the undercut edges must be filled completely, the impregnating of windings must be reliable and surfaces must be smooth. Homogeneous preparation and mixing of the casting material and exact metering are required in order to achieve the very best electrical properties. In addition today the complete process must serve the economic criteria for just-in-time production. This in turn requires clean casting, high system availability, the ability to change over to other casting materials easily, exact reproduction of process parameters, reliable programming and online monitoring of the process. VTH's special technology meets this challenge. VTH resin casting systems are unparalleled in terms of their many patented details: • component preparation, mixing and metering technics, • component degassing and preparation processes, • devices for controlling and regulating the process, • modular structure requiring little maintenance. Assurance of outstanding electrical properties. Maintenance of the tightest manufacturing tolerances, high and constant product quality. Process parameters such as mix ratio, casting volumes, pressures, temperatures and casting times are kept reliably constant and are reproducible. They are easily changed when required. On-line quality assurance of production processes. Easily realized system options to permit the use of other resin systems with different viscosities, filler loadings and material formulations and allow use of the products of the majority of manufacturers including local ones. Environmentally friendly production processes which allow users to dispense with solvents almost entirely. Low sensitivity to operational disruptions and high system availability. Security and flexibility for the future. The system can be converted for other processes, used for other products, expanded easily and retooled rapidly. Cost reductions in raw materials, power, labour and retooling. Time savings in operating, cleaning, maintenance and service. Automatic casting units from VTH stand for highest casting quality and productivity. For this reason nearly 100 % of all ignition coils produced in Germany in large volume are cast on VTH systems. This 3-chamber automatic casting unit represents the core of a system for casting up to 1,000 ignition coils per hour with programcontrolled precision. (View from position A. See horizontal projection of system on page 5.) Contents Page Examples of VTH systems ...used to produce • ignition coils 6/9 • fly-back transformers 9 ...providing innovative solutions for special problems 11 The Know-How To Be Your Best. VTH-systems technology -an example 4/5 VTH metering-mixers VTH metering pumps 6/7 VTH static mixers VTH casting systems 8/9 Automation and further advantages 10 Production range and literature 12 3 Vacuum mixing and metering systems from VTH The know-how for total system engineering. Including oven system High output vacuum mixing and metering system for 3-chamber vacuum casting, im Productivity and quality made by VTH. Fully automatic system for the precision casting under vacuum and at atmospheric pressure of up to 1,000 ignition coils per hour. The system was planned and built by VTH to customer's specification and includes ovens, vacuum and pressure systems, conveyor systems and VTH control. With automatic pallet recognition: the required casting parameters are selected for each individual ignition coil type without any interruption in production. This enables the system to be charged with different ignition coil types. VTH process and plant technology ensures high plant availability under continuous operation conditions. 1 Preheating oven 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Vacuum mixing and metering system, vacuum casting Resin premixer with high performance degassing Hardener premixer with high performance degassing Metering-mixer / metering pumps, resin Metering-mixer / metering pumps, hardener 3 3-chamber casting automat 3.1 Loading chamber 3.2 Casting chamber with static mixer and 4-nozzle casting head. 3.3 Unloading chamber 4 Impregnating in pressure chamber 5 Mixing and metering system, postcasting 5.1 Metering-mixer, resin 5.2 Metering-mixer, hardener Atmospheric postcasting station with 2-nozzle casting head The Know-How To Be Your Best. Multi-component mixing technology from VTH. 6 7 Gelation oven with pallet lift VTH vacuum metering-mixers. VTH static mixers. 8 Full curing oven Large surface to give optimum preparation of the material. Are able to be used even with a very wide range of mix ratios and viscosities. 9 Cooling section Homogeneous, gentle mixing. Optimum degassing - even without the high performance degassing unit. Casting resin components are uniformly evacuated and uniformly prepared - whatever their viscosity. VTH metering pumps. Metering takes place from evacuated vessels. Even highly filled materials can be metered precisely. Maintenance-free and wear-resistant; no pressure losses even when longer supply lines are required to reach a number of casting valves. The delivery of the pumps is not affected by gravity so that the systems can be floor-mounted if necessary. Long service life even with highly abrasive materials. VTH metering pump drives. The synchronized running of the two metering pumps guarantees exact maintenance of the selected mix ratio. Long cleaning intervals, easy to maintain, long service lives. Can be flushed out with just the resin component - no solvent required. 10 Pallet conveying sections 10.1 Pallet lift 11 Product tray conveying sections 11.1 Separation station, pallet / product tray 11.2 Loading station, product tray / pallett 12 Switch cabinets, control, process data printer VTH casting systems. Material passes directly from the static mixer and casting valve into the mould. There are no hoses. Front view 8 Absolutely bubblefree and dripless casting; no contamination of the part or casting chamber. Small amount of reactive mix - just that required for casting, uniform temperatures, higher quality and precision of casting - even with multiple casting and very small casting quantities. 7 VTH on-line process control. Quality-assuring, automatic, programmable operation for high volume production. 9 11.1 10 10.1 VTH process and plant technology meet the highest requirements in terms of precision and cost-effectiveness. • Pressure station for accelerating the vacuum-pressure impregnation process and ensuring that even the smallest cavities are reliably filled. • Postcasting station provides filling to a precise level. (View from position B). 4 m s and conveyor technology for maximum productivity. mp regnating under pressure and postcasting at atmospheric pressure. Platform 8 Cycle time: 3 min per pallet. 7 9 11 11.1 10 10.1 Ground floor 12 12 5.1 2.1 2.3 5.2 2.2 2.4 7 5 2 1 3 1 2.1 6 4 3.3 3.2 B 10.1 3.1 A 11.2 11 10 • The ignition coils arranged on product trays are conveyed on pallets through the preheating oven and are brought up to process temperature. • In the first or loading chamber of the 3-chamber casting automat the parts are evacuated. Then casting is carried out in the middle chamber under vacuum. • The components are homogenized, degassed and dried under vacuum in premixers and are then pumped to their particular vacuum metering-mixer. From here and in accordance with the amount of material required in the casting chamber, the synchronized metering pumps deliver the components continuously and with the exact mix ratio to the VTH static mixer. Here, directly above the casting head, the components are brought together for the first time whereby just that quantity of each required for the particular casting operation to be carried out is metered in. In the static mixer and still under the influence of the stroke of the metering pumps, the components are mixed together intimately and rapidly to give the reactive mix. With its viscosity still constant, the required quantity is metered out precisely via 4 casting valves under vacuum into the moulds. The casting valves (together with the static mixer) can be moved horizontally in the X-direction with the aid of the vacuumtight slider plate (VTH patent). Since the pallet can be moved in the Y direction, this means that every point on a pallet can be reached for casting. • In the third (unloading) chamber the vacuum is released. Then in the pressure chamber pressure is applied to accelerate the impregnation process. • The above process causes the level of the cast material to fall. Topping off is now carried out in the postcasting station at atmospheric pressure to bring the level precisely back to the upper edge of the mould . The postcasting station is supplied from its own pair of metering mixers with metering pumps via a static mixer with 2nozzle casting head. • In the gelation oven the reaction resin gels. The pallets leave the gelation oven at the platform level. • After this the parts are allowed to cure in the curing oven. • On leaving the oven the product trays are separated from the hot pallets and are cooled down in the cooling section on the platform. • In order to save energy, the pallets are conveyed to the lower level while still warm where they are loaded with freshly charged product trays prior to entering the preheating oven again. • This microprocessor-controlled system is equipped with on-line control of all process data while its superordinated instrumentation and control system includes a pallet recognition system. With the aid of the latter, the process parameters required for the particular parts to be cast are selected from programs stored in the PLC. 5 Examples of VTH systems used to produce ignition coils. 397 Like all VTH ignition coil casting systems, this one too has been optimized so that the high voltage coils produced on it will have uniformly excellent electrical properties. • Achievement of consistently homogeneous mix quality even with highly filled material. • Uniform impregnation of the fine-wire winding that reliably reaches every last cavity. • Highest metering precision to ensure exact filling to the required level and clean contacts. • At each program change the process parameters - casting volume, casting speed, positioning of the casting nozzles as well as vacuum, temperature and pressure data - are reliably reproduced. • Automatic changing of the casting program via pallet recognition when the parts to be cast change. The system with its multifunctional single-chamber casting automat is designed for the fully automatic manufacturing of up to 300 ignition coils per hour. On the right in the photo: preheating oven; in the middle: gelation oven; on the left: curing oven. Each of the ovens is of the serpentine conveyor type. Multifunctional single-chamber casting automat of the system shown above for the exact metering of different shot sizes. The casting chamber, which is tight to both vacuum and pressure, has • 4 casting nozzles • for 3 functions: 1. Precise, dripless vacuum casting, 2. Accelerated impregnating under pressure, 3. Postcasting at atmospheric pressure to give the precise filling height. • All casting functions are supplied from one mixing and metering system. • As with all VTH systems, the parts of the system coming into contact with the reactive mass can be cleaned by flushing with the resin component without the use of solvent. VTH can also provide economic solutions for small and medium-sized production units. • Single-chamber casting automat combined with batch preheating and batch curing oven. The ovens are loaded and unloaded manually. • Here too the mixing and metering system which can be seen in the background and the VTH control ensure uniformly high product quality and reproducibility of the casting parameters. 6 VTH material preparation, VTH metering. The Know-How To Be Your Best. VTH metering-mixers. VTH metering pumps. VTH metering pump drives. The know-how ... The know-how... The know-how ... Each vessel is characterized by its large diameter and low height. The special shape of the slow running stirrer is optimally matched to the shape of the vessel. The gap between the lower edge of the stirrer and the base of the vessel is less than 1 mm. The double-jacket vessels can be heated, chilled or kept at a constant temperature as required and ensure uniform temperature distribution throughout the complete vessel. The vacuum is retained reliably during the complete production period. Pneumatic lid-lifting device. Piston-type metering pumps with no pressure loss. Driven from above through the stirrer axis. 6-fold vacuum sealing that does not come into contact with the casting resin. Quickly changed insert modules to permit different quantities of casting resin. Option: patented, fully ceramic metering pumps of silicon carbide for highly abrasive casting resins. Externally mounted metering pumps working synchronously in pairs for automated multi-shift operation with the desired number of clamping machines. The metering pumps can be driven alternatively either via (1) Pneumatic central drive with infinitely variable lever arm system driven from a centrally positioned cylinder. Or (2) Electronically controlled servomotor drives with brushless servomotors, controlled and monitored by microprocessor (VTH patent). ... for exact metering: ... for optimum material preparation: Homogeneous and gentle mixing. Short material preparation times. Optimum degassing even without a high performance degassing unit. Uniform degassing capability regardless of the viscosity of the material and the proportion of filler it contains. Sedimentation cannot take place at any point in the vessel. Constant evacuation and thereby uniform homogenization. No phases in which air is introduced into the vessel and hence no contamination of the material with air or atmospheric humidity. Exact maintenance of the temperature. Metering from the evacuated vessel. Even highly filled materials can be metered precisely and reliably. No pressure losses even where there are long lines to a number of casting valves. Maintenance-free and wear-resistant, reliably vacuumtight. Function independently of gravity, i.e. they can be floor-mounted. Long service life even with highly abrasive materials. VTH high performance degassing unit. ...for the exact mix ratio required: Synchronized running of the two metering pumps. The mix ratio can be set precisely and then remains absolutely constant. (1) Simple and cost-favourable version. (2) High flexibility in selection of the casting parameters: the quantities of each component which should be metered to the static mixer and the speeds at which this should be carried out are freely programmable. (2) Electronic metering control is possible when pressure sensors and a pressure monitoring system are fitted. Electronic VTH metering pumps mean that three or more components can be metered synchronously if desired. Simple to maintain and quick to clean: VTH metering-mixers with the pneumatic lid-raising device are freely accessible. The know-how... Only needed when further shortening of the material preparation time is required. The material is transported through the unit by an externally located conveyor screw driven independently of the stirrer. ... for acceleration of the preparation phase: Minimizing of the material preparation time. Optimal matching of the circulation speed to the viscosity of the material. The mix ratio can be set precisely and changed easily with this pair of metering pumps which are driven in tandem from a central pneumatic cylinder. To change the ratio, you only have to adjust the fulcrum point on the lever arms. Mix ratios, casting quantities and casting speeds can be freely programmed with this pair of electronically regulated VTH metering pumps. 7 VTH static mixers, VTH casting systems. The Know-How To Be Your Best. VTH static mixers. ... for the homogeneous mixing of the components: The Know-How... A VTH static mixer consists of 10 or more metal segments. Each segment has 4 angled bores. The segments stand on top of one another as a column in a tube, into which they fit exactly. The diameter is just a few centimetres. The two components in liquid form, which are pressed in separately at the top of the column, are mixed together fourfold on passing through each segment. After passing through 10 segments they have been mixed together over 2 million times. 1 3 2 3 Low volume Vacuumtight No dead space Not sensitive to temperature Low generation of heat Made of metal Double jacket version Simple structure 4 1 4 No moving parts Favourable flow 2 Gentle on the material Can be used even with extreme mix ratios and large differences in viscosity of the individual components Contains only a small quantity of the reactive mix Quality is assured Cleaning can be carried out without any solvent by flushing out with the resin component Work can be carried out as required at both low and high temperatures Advantageous with sensitive casting resins Can be heated electrically (standard version) Can be heated, chilled or kept at constant temperature Service-friendly, easy to clean, low procurement and operating costs, maintenance-free, long service life One segment of a VTH static mixer VTH casting chamber systems. 8 The know-how… ... for precise casting and short cycle times: Casting is carried out automatically; depending on the particular system type, it is carried out at atmospheric pressure, under vacuum or under vacuum followed by application of pressure. Static mixer and casting resin valves can be moved horizontally (X-direction) and vertically in a vacuum-tight manner (VTH patent). Moving of the casting mould in the Y-direction in combination with the movement of the casting nozzles means that every point in the casting chamber can be reached for casting without hoses being required. The special design of the VTH outlet valves means that dripping is prevented even with multiple casting. Different versions of casting chambers are available to match the particular application. Equipped with viewing windows and frequently with doors in the front. Optional: multiple mixing and metering head system (VTH patent). VTH static mixer and multiple metering head are combined with plunger pumps which have no dead spaces. The latter draw in the precise amount of mix required for the meteringout operation which takes place simultaneously. The plunger pumps are driven via a common drive and meter the mix exactly and simultaneously through the casting valves into the parts. Optional: 3-chamber vacuum casting system with loading and unloading chambers. Short path from the static mixer to the outlet valve. This means that only a small quantity of reactive mix has been prepared at any one time. High and uniform metering precision. Bubblefree and dripless casting under vacuum or at atmospheric pressure with single or multiple casting heads. Higher quality of casting thanks to constancy of temperatures and other processing parameters during the short processing time. No contamination of the parts or casting chamber by dripping nozzles. Rapid, easy cleaning of the small part of the system carrying the reactive mix by flushing out with the resin component. No solvents required. Less cleaning work and shorter downtimes increase output. Each point in the casting chamber can be reached by the outlet valve giving higher system productivity. Easy changeover from casting at atmospheric pressure to vacuum casting and vice-versa. Multiple mixing and metering head system: Simultaneous and highly precise metering out of the very smallest quantities under vacuum. Increases the capacity and productivity of the system • through simultaneous casting of a number of parts • through ability to reproduce casting quantities even over extended periods of time, • through process control and quality assurance via active electronically controlled nonreturn valves, • through a metering-monitoring system developed by VTH especially for this purpose (VTH patent) • through high metering precision, long service life of the multiple mixing and metering head and low amount of cleaning required. The same system can also be used for casting at atmospheric pressure. 3-chamber vacuum casting system: Shortening of the process time through elimination of evacuation and vacuum-release times. Increasing of the capacity and productivity of the system through • shorter cycle times, • longer service life of the mixing and metering head as a result of shorter waiting times when filled with reactive mix, • additional quality assurance through pre-evacuation in the first chamber. Examples of VTH systems for the casting of fly-back-transformers and ignition coils. The know-how for high system productivity - examined here in detail: Casting chamber of a high output system for the production of fly-back transformers. With bypass line to prevent filler sedimentation. The following points can be seen: 1. The design with its compact 5-nozzle casting head with VTH static mixer, 5 plunger metering pumps and 5 casting valves ensures that the amount of reactive mix prepared at any one time is kept to the absolute minimum. The result: long service life, less cleaning effort. 2. The casting valves under the vacuumtight slider which permit each casting point in the chamber to be reached exactly. The result: clean casting without splashes or drips. 3. The resin bypass line, which can be fitted easily with the aid of its quick-fastening system, enables the resin component to be circulated under vacuum and constant temperature during periods when there is no production (blank shift, weekends, public holidays). Result: no sedimentation, long maintenance intervals. High performance casting chamber for the world's largest consumer of ignition coils. • Ultra-compact VTH vacuum casting chamber with 16-nozzle casting head. • Each casting valve has its own VTH metering plunger. • The pallet with the parts is pushed in at the side, positioned exactly with a pusher and - following casting - pushed out without any vibration. • The head can be moved along the Y-axis and the pallet positioned along the X-axis. The 16-nozzle casting head casts all 16 coils simultaneously. The advantages • The pallet conveyor system does not pass through the casting chamber. This means that the size of the casting chamber can be reduced and this in turn means that evacuation is faster and the process more cost-favourable. • Extremely fast casting process. • Short dwell time of the parts in the chamber. Each part has the same history. Highest possible uniformity of the casting quality with the reactive mix being produced just in time. FP Seite 15 The qualitative characteristics of this production system for up to 800 fly-back transformers per hour: • absolute homogenization at mixing and preparation of the material, • reproducible process parameters, • highly precise metering, • casting without drips or splashes. Fully automatic system with predrying oven and cascade-regulated secondary drying oven with four temperature zones and one cooling zone. The serpentine conveyor system in the ovens • saves space and • reduces power costs. 9 Automation, system engineering. The Know-How To Be Your Best. Monitoring and control. The know-how… Mixing and metering monitoring: 3 options with modular characteristics. 1. Manual monitoring by taking of samples at the 3-way valve. 2. On-line monitoring with metering control device. The pressure curves of each metering stroke of each metering pump are recorded, compared and logged. 3. Direct fully electronic monitoring and control of the metering quantity and mix ratio by command/actual comparisons via the electronic metering pump drives. The sum of the individual technical details maximize the overall benefit of VTH systems: For example VTH non-return valves with quickchange system. Maintenance can be carried out while the vessels are full. Easy-to-maintain system structure. The know-how… Two of many examples: Lid-raising device for premixers and VTH metering-mixers. VTH non-return valves. …for high system availability: Long servicing intervals. Low expenditure for service. Lid-raising device (see photo on page 7). Gives easy accessibility to primary system parts. Enables important system parts to be maintained without the vessel having to be emptied. Allows the vessel to be cleaned rapidly and easily when changing the material. Enables large quantities to be put into the vessel easily. Fully automatic process monitoring. In addition to the process control processes, all the process parameters can be monitored and compared with the permissible limit values set for them. If the values measured leave the permissible range, optical and acoustic alarm signals are given and an error message is displayed on the monitor in clear text. If a fault arises at metering, the system is stopped immediately. The cause is also displayed on the monitor and logged. VTH non-return valves (see photo on left) Can be supplied in passive or active version. Flow-favourable design gives long service life. Can be maintained and serviced even when the vessel is full. Quick-change system permits easy replacement. Programmable logic control. Modular system structure. Where fully automatic, microprocessor-controlled systems are required, VTH uses programmable logic controls which have proven themselves in the area of casting resin metering. Initial programming is carried out by VTH specialists who are also trained in process engineering. The variables required for different process sequences are freely programmable and can be stored in subroutines. Programming is carried out and operator guidance provided on a video terminal with easily understood menus. Superordinated instrumentation and control or process visualization systems are available as options. ... for increased productivity: Fully automatic, disruptionfree production process. Utilization of the full capacity of the system, minimal downtimes, high system availability. Ability to change over the production process rapidly and without problems to other products, other raw materials or other processes. High flexibility permitting small quantities to be manufactured economically for just-in-time delivery. Enhancement of competitiveness on the market. Rapid amortization of invested capital. 10 The know-how… Existing system parts can continue to be used even following expansion of capacity. Systems can also be used for other products. The process carried out by a system (e.g. vacuum casting, atmospheric casting, pressure gelation and vacuum pressure gelation) can be changed easily. Ability to add additional casting stations supplied in parallel from a central material preparation, mixing and metering system. Fully automatic, disruptionfree production speeds up amortization of the capital invested and increases competitiveness. This is what the Know-How To Be Your Best means. …for greater flexibility on the market: VTH has cost-favourable systems to permit low initial investment costs. These systems can be expanded subsequently - again in a cost-favourable manner. Output can be increased and production costs reduced as the market and sales grow. Ability to react flexibly to new opportunities as they arise on the market. Examples of VTH systems providing innovative solutions for special problems. Absolutely bubblefree casting at atmospheric pressure with heavily filled epoxy resin and an extreme resin/hardener mix ratio of 100 : 10 parts by weight. • This system is used to cast semiconductors containing ceramic components and this in turn means that casting cannot be carried out under vacuum. To produce parts able to withstand high thermal loading, a fully homogeneous structure must be achieved with a filled material. • The components are prepared and mixed under vacuum. • Casting is carried out at atmospheric pressure fully automatically, without drips and with high precision in terms of the quantity metered out and the point of casting. • The photo shows the complete system with metering-mixer, casting table and switch cabinet with monitor and process data printer. Finding a solution for every problem is an area where VTH is constantly making use of its know-how and experience. • Here a resin system curing at room temperature had to be selected for casting the pressuretight and seawater-resistant jacketing of underwater pumps. • Using a highly reactive PUR system with a potlife of just 4 minutes, this system carries out casting under vacuum and with absolutely no bubbles. • Following casting the casting chamber is returned to atmospheric pressure in just a few seconds. The pressure difference of ∆p = 1 bar presses the mix into the spaces to be sealed or impregnated. • To increase the production capacity, the system uses 2 pallets to supply the 2 casting chambers arranged in parallel. Reducing the curing time pays. The graphic on the right shows the influence of pressure on the speed and degree of impregnation. VTH offers three alternative solutions for reducing the impregnating or curing time. 1. Pressure chamber downstream of the vacuum casting chamber - see system example on pages 4/5. 2. Application of pressure in the casting chamber following casting under vacuum (vacuumpressure chamber) - see system example on page 6. 3. Pressure curing in a pressure curing oven - see example below on this page. The know-how to be your best: VTH is the master of all the relevant system technologies for the processing of highly reactive material and the shortening of impregnating and curing times. Use of a new, rapid-curing cationic resin material for the large volume production of line transformers. • Instead of requiring 120 °C for 6.5 h, the material saves energy by curing at 75 °C in just a few minutes. At 20 °C the reactive mixture has a latency of over 20 h and remains stable during this time. • The very fast cross-linking reaction starts at 65 °C. A pressure difference of ∆p = 1 bar between vacuum casting and application of atmospheric pressure would not be sufficient to give good impregnating of fine-wire windings. • For the new resin material, VTH developed and built the appropriate mixing and metering system in co-operation with the resin manufacturer and system user. • The line transformers, which have been cast under vacuum, are impregnated and cured in the pressure curing oven with ∆p = 6 bar in just a few minutes. • Compared with conventional materials for diode split transformers, the material shown here reduces the manufacturing time by 87%, the investment costs by 20%, the spare part and stockholding costs by 75% and the space requirement by 65%. • In addition to the time savings and improvements in productivity, there are also improved product properties such as lower shrinkage and higher moisture resistance. The system requires no solvents or cleaning agents and there is almost no wastage of resin at the start and end of the production process. Degree of impregnation as a function of pressure and time Degree of impregnation (%) ∆p = 6 bar ∆p =1 bar Time 11
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