velcro - final report

Horizontal Calendering Machine Upgrade

10 May 2015, Seymour & Bunie, 1

Proceedings of the University of New Hampshire at Manchester and Velcro Group Corporation

February 3, 2015, Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

HORIZONTAL CALENDERING MACHINE UPGRADE

Ryan D. Seymour University of New Hampshire Undergraduate

Hillsboro, New Hampshire, USA [email protected]

Jonathan M. Bunie University of New Hampshire Undergraduate

Weare, New Hampshire, USA [email protected]

ABSTRACT A hook and loop company was facing process and

mechanical related problems on the horizontal calendering

machine. These problems continue to be in effect and cause

ergonomic and inefficient down time. The current layout also

effects the operation of the line leading to a loss in prototyping

time and costs research funding for the company. The line

currently contains six separated components which need to be

lined up for even product distribution during the testing phase.

Thus, a detailed solid-works model and simulation of

the horizontal calendering machine was developed to provide a

series of upgrade recommendations that would improve the

safety, repeatability, and reliability of the prototyping system.

The recommendations included all the equipment necessary

with fully defined assemblies and subassemblies as well as cost

lists, purchase orders, and vendor quotes.

Several iterations were developed for the railing,

purge, and unwinder systems. These cases showed various

improvement options, ergonomic advances, and ease of

operations. With engineering support a more developed and

easy to use system will be put in place to reduce the overall

amount of separated parts to five while increasing repeatability,

ergonomic advances, and reliability.

INTRODUCTION At Velcro Group Corporation’s Innovation and

Technology Center located in the heart of Manchester, New

Hampshire they have developed a horizontal calendering

machine which promotes cost efficiency and rapid product

prototyping. Horizontal Calendering is a process which presses

two materials under rollers at various temperatures and

pressures to create a new product. Currently, a vast variety of

product applications are present for research development for

this line. In many cases, the line is located in a straight

alignment to which the product can be fed through the system.

Another key feature of the horizontal calendering machine, or

Line 0 (L0) for short, is that it produces thinner product

prototypes and requires less material to produce the product.

Moreover, the flexibility of the machine to feed with different

materials provides some critical cost-saving advantages. In any

system, repeatability and reliability is required to improve the

process efficiency and maintain operating procedures to

manufacturing standards; thus, this is accomplished with

ergonomic and repeatable fixtures and upgrades.

This machine being in use for some time has presented

a variety of areas to which it can be improved for safety, ease

of operation, and process development. Utilizing outside

vendors, cost effective improvements were to be implemented

to meet the engineering desires in order to provide desired

criteria to the project. Upgrades to this Line include a wide

variety of improvements for ergonomics, efficiency, and

reliability.

The scope of the project featured a variety of

objectives with a main target being the platform and railing

system. Secondary objectives within our scope were to design

and build a modified unwinder with a regulated air brake which

was attached directly to the machine, a laminate guide system

which feeds materials into the machine, a measured floor plan

for machine layout, to design and build an idler roller to remove

material from the machine, and to provide fully developed 3

dimensional models and subassemblies of the machine utilizing

Solidworks and AutoCAD standards [1, 2].

NOMENCLATURE

3D Drawing File DWG

Acceleration (m/s²) A

AutoCAD Bible ACB

Force (kg*m/s²) F

Hook and Loop Fasteners VELCRO®

Horizontal Calendering Machine L0

Innovation and Technology Center ITC

Mass (kg) M

McMaster-Carr MMC

Newton (kg*m/s²) N Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA

Solidworks SW



COMPLETE ASSEMBLY In figure 1.1, shown below, the completed assembly is

shown including all of the modified components. Some features

are hidden from this view due to confidentiality agreements.

UNWINDER SYSTEM As shown in figure 1.2, a redesigned unwinder is

attached to the prototype machine so that it is easily lined up for

use through the extrusion head as the machine glides up and

down the improved railing system. The unwinder is a supported

cantilever with an air brake assembly which allows the material

to smoothly feed through the process without heavy manual

assistance. By using the air brake the operator can control the

amount of feed and torque the laminate comes in contact with

throughout the process. Following Occupational Safety and

Health Administration regulations a removable sheet metal

casing was designed to cover the brake. Using the Machinist’s

Handbook [3] an appropriate weld was specified for the casings

application. Prior to the finalized design of the unwinder and

iteration was developed which permanently mounted the

bracket to the table frame which limited the use of the unwinder.

It was not adjustable to different size laminate rolls which could

be used in experimentation. The design also had an air brake

that did not have a customized removable case and utilized a

pre-purchased plastic casing.

PLATFORM AND RAILING SYSTEM

The railing system (Seen in Figure 1.3) was designed

for easy set and place positioning for the operator to be able to

purge the line as well as change any tooling. It is raised up on a

platform which improves ergonomic and health hazards that

currently occur which improves the OSHA work standards for

this machine. The railing system implements two sets of slide

railings which allow the table to move back and forth with

reduced effort from the operator. It has 4 locking mechanisms

on the feet of the table so the table is not prone to move after

the machine is set in its required position.

The raised platform provides the machine assembly a

raised edge as to prevent the creation of a tripping hazard for

the operator as they go around the machine to adjust the

pressure regulation as well as bringing the machine closer to the

ventilation system which keeps toxic gases away from the user.

This addition of a raised platform increases maneuverability of

the production line around the shop floor as it can be easily lined

up for production and lifted with a power jack for removal.

Seen in tables 1.1 and 1.2 are the calculations used to

find the pulling force necessary to overcome the friction

between the carriages and the rails.

Figure 1.1: Overall Assembly

Figure 1.3: Railing platform with locking slides

Figure 1.2: Adjustable Unwinder with air-brake

ITEM WEIGHT (lb)

Minarik EC Motor + Gearbox 50

Table + Accessories 255

Unwinder Assembly 40

TOTAL WEIGHT 345

NOTE: Divide Weight by 2 to

find Wt on each rail=172.5lb/rail

Table 1.1 Estimated Weights



Prior to the finalized design, there were three iterations

which were proposed at the engineering design meeting. The

first was composed of 6 inch flanged wheels mounted on a drive

shaft and mounted bearings combined with custom rails

mounted to the floor (see Figure 1.4). The second iteration was

very similar to the first with the addition of a keyed drive shaft

powered by a .25 horsepower DC gear motor and worm drive.

The third iteration consisted of using v-groove track wheels and

a 90 degree rail mounted to the floor. All 3 iterations use a

combination of electromagnets and brackets mounted to the

floor as a method of constraining the machine in its operating

conditions. These iterations presented problems in adjustability

as well as safety hazards due to the potential for tripping and

pinching.

PURGING Between operations the process has to purge the line

of any excess materials from the previous experiment. During

this purging process the excess plastic material is sent out of the

extruder. It was previously either purged onto the floor or into

a metal cookie sheet. This provided health issues for possible

burns as well as toxic fumes which weren’t properly vented out

of the area. A dedicated purge shelf (Seen in Figure 1.5) was

implemented so that a removable stainless steel pan could be

placed into the shelf which would make it easy for removal and

disposal as well as ventilating appropriately. The selected

stainless steel was chosen to reduce the amount of material that

would stick to the container during the cleaning of the pan.

LAMINATE GUIDE SYSTEM The Laminate guide system, seen in figure 1.6, was

designed to control the direction of the laminate into the

extrusion zone. By raising the height of the guide it creates more

clearance from the devices below as well as providing clear

direction to the point of extrusion. With newly implemented no

tool modified quick clamps the control on the guide can be

adjusted to desired width of laminate. Utilizing spring loaded

conveyor rollers the guides are now more adjustable to relocate

the position of the laminate feed to meet experiment

requirements and expectations.

IDLER ROLLER A redesigned idler roller, seen in figure 1.7, was

designed to be adjustable and removable to meet all sizes of

prototype tools as well as allow for operation use. By using this

modified roller it improves the ability of the operator to line up

the system with the point of feed and laminate. A developed

attachment was implemented to move the roller closer to the

point of extrusion in order to provide more control and stability

while in operation.

Equation Force of Push = Force of Friction Co. + (Mass*Acceleration) Values

Fp=Ff+ma

Ff F= µN= .125(172.5lb)= 21.56N

M 172.5lb

A A=∆v/∆t= .609m/s /5s 1.218m/s²

Fp Ff+MA = 21.56 + (172.5)(1.218)

Fp 21.56N+210.105N 231.66N

Force of pull = 51.16 lbforce

Table 1.2: Force Calculations

Figure 1.4: Rail System Iteration

Figure 1.5: Removable Stainless Steel Purge Pan

Figure 1.6: Laminate Guides for Material Feed



MACHINE LAYOUTS An extrusion layout was determined using OSHA

specifications of safety for area around the machines. The

layout implements an improved extrusion system, L0, and a

cooling system. This was measured and marked off on the

laboratory floor so that operators could tell the imprint of the

machines necessary location and amount of space the machines

took up. This was specifically desirable if L0 had to be moved

to make room for future experimentation

Between the mounting and assembly of the table wire

management was added to provide ease of access to all cables

and utilities used on L0. Meeting OSHA standards the electrical

box was cleared of all wires that could potentially cause issues

with ease of access to the inside electrical components. The

emergency stop button and the controls panel were also moved

to the idler side of the machine as it provided ergonomic and

safety benefits while making the wiring more manageable

underneath the machine. The air regulator was also made more

accessible as it could be easily read while in a standing position

and could be adjusted from the same stance.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Upgrading the horizontal calendaring system for

ergonomics, safety, and operational advances is a complex task

that should include detailed drawings with appropriate

Geometric Drawings per the Solidworks/AutoCAD Bible’s

callouts [1, 2] and a good analysis of functionality. The

dynamics of the prototyping system is effected by the

interaction of the railing system and the added components as

they add weight and rotational complexity to the system when

attachments are fully extended. This paper presented and

summarized the upgrades, uses, and benefits of the upgraded L0

system.

In its original function the machine was found to be a

challenge for operators to reliably and safely maneuver into

position for experiments. Due to its excessive weight and

bulkiness the machine required a platform and railing system

which would improve both the operation and ergonomics. By

implementing an almost frictionless cart and track system L0

could easily move back and forth during experimentation and

would go to the same location each time.

The machine had a variety of devices that aid in the

operation of experiments. These devices (laminate guides, idler

roller) had basic operational potential which allowed L0 to

function in one standard way. With upgrades to the system it

increased the maneuverability of these devices to fit a variety

of complex experimental operations. The laminate guides were

improved to be tool-less so that the operator could easily move

the clamps to adjust to the appropriate size material. These

guides were also developed with spring loaded conveyor rollers

so that they could be adjusted to different locations in the

brackets that supported them. Operational benefits were

increased with the idler roller as the roller mechanism was able

to be removed so the operator could use tooling without

complications or crashes into other devices on L0. The idler

roller also has upgraded x and y operation for placement to

improve removal of material from the tool.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Velcro Group Corporation

Christopher LeBlanc, PhD, UNH Academic Advisor

Christopher Libby, Equipment Platform Manager

Christopher Gallant, Technology Development Manager

Mark Clarner, Intellectual Property Manager

Sean Tavares, PhD, UNH Academic Advisor

REFERENCES [1] Finkelstein, E., 2013, AutoCAD 2013 & AutoCAD LT 2013

Bible, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, IN.

[2] Lombard, M., 2013, Solidworks Bible 2013, John Wiley &

Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, IN.

[3] Oberg, E., Jones, F., Horton, H., Ryffel, H., 2012,

Machinery’s Handbook 29th Edition, Industrial Press Inc.,

New York, NY.

Figure 1.7: Slide Rail for Idler Roller

velcro - final report

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