PHOTO: Unibell1 200JRE
SICA of Italy, a leading manufacturer of ancillary equipment for plastic pipe production, has introduced a number of wide-ranging innovations for ‘green’ production that save energy, materials and costs.
According to Anton Silvis of Plasco Consulting, these technologies yield tangible savings for pipe manufacturers.
Cape Town-based Silvis recently hosted a visit by Giovanni Calisesi of SICA, during which time they visited a number of pipe manufacturers around the country.
“The SICA systems offer definite advantages for South African plastic pipe manufacturers,” said Silvis. “Initially the cost of European equipment seems high for the South African market, which is understandable considering the current exchange rate. However, the benefits in long-term savings completely outweigh the higher purchase price compared to less efficient equipment,” he added.
These savings are not limited to lower energy costs, but include increased efficiencies, reliability and therefore lower maintenance and labour costs.
“Essentially when it comes to manufacturing, the goal is to reduce costs per unit manufactured without compromising quality, which is exactly what SICA systems enables the manufacturer to do,” added Silvis.
The new systems from SICA include the Unibell1 200JRE PVC pressure pipe belling machine. This is an automatic inline belling machine with one IR-SW oven for PVC-U smooth solid-wall or multilayer pipes with 32-200mm diameterand lengths from 0,5-6m plus the socket. The system operates with electro-mechanical, electrical and pneumatic drive, forming by external pressure in a single chamber for all pipe diameters and socket cooling by compressed air pre-cooled by an internal refrigeration cycle (a SICA patent).
The belling machine can form smooth solvent-cement sockets, sockets with gasket seats with a mechanical mandrel system and sockets with integral gasket (Rieber system) complete with gasket magazine with system for loading the ring seals on the mandrel (SICA patent).
The RoboJack 250 is an automatic palletizing station for all types of plastic pipe (PVC, PE, PP), with or without sockets, OD 32-250 and for pipe lengths of 1-6m. It offers simultaneous palletizing of two different pipe lengths on carts with wooden frames. The station is equipped with a pipe magazine and an anthropomorphic robot (having humanlike abilities) serving as the pipe handling unit, capable of alternating the position of the sockets in the pallet layers even with minimal area available for rotation of the pipe.
SICA’s Flash 450 is an automatic coiler for packing corrugated PVC, PE and PP pipes, with diameters from 8-25mm in short-length coils covered with stretch film. The coiler has three reels with centralized adjustment controls, a film dispenser with electronic tension control, universal film cutting systems and variable-geometry reel unloading device. The machine is equipped with a wireless communication system for control of the main reel functions.
The TRS 160W swarfless saw can cut any PVC, PP and PE plastic material and chamfer without wastingmaterial. Yes, you read that correctly: without wasting material. This manages to save a considerable quantity of raw material as well as avoids problems of scrap suctioning and recycling (which are among the factors that affect 80% of the pipe cost). In traditional cutting machines, chips and dust end up partially between saw mechanisms despite suctioning: for this reason, the necessity of maintenance increases. In contrast, the new TRS 160W removes the problem with an innovative system (patent pending) that guarantees not only a clean and perfectly perpendicular cut with aknife, but also a precise and well-defined chamfer, maintaining the same productivity and satisfactory speed requirements for modern extrusion lines.
With the launch of these machines, SICA has reached a ‘green turning point’. Along with functionality, productivity and reliability at the right price, more attention is paid to the environment and energy and material savings for a sustainable economy. Environmental conservation and savings for a better world!
www.plasco.co.za