CN
Are You Ready For the Revolution ?
THE INDUSTRY IS MOVING : SMART F A C T O R I E S , I N T E L L I G E N T AUTOMATION , CLOUD COMPUTING , PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE . THE POLYURETHANE INDUSTRY IS MOVING AS WELL : FASTER PRODUCTION CYCLES , M A T E R I A L S A V I N G S , H I G H E R ATTENTION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT , NEW APPLICATIONS . WE DISCUSS ALL OF THIS WITH FRANCESCO ABBA ', SALES & MARKETING MANAGER OF AFROS , THE CANNON GROUP COMPANY SPECIALISED IN METERING AND MIXING EQUIPMENT FOR POLYURETHANES , E P OX I E S A N D OT H E R R E AC T I V E CHEMICALS .
C a n n o n N e w s : Cannon celebrated their first half century of activity , last year . How do you rate the 2015 i n t e r m s o f business ? Francesco Abbà : We did well , all in all . We were able to r e i n f o r c e o u r presence in most markets , both in geographic and application terms , with a number of important contracts that have granted us an increase of EBITDA over the previous year . Speciality machines and the refrigerator industry did quite well , with reasonable margins . A growing return from Service and Spare Parts means that a good percentage of our equipment is running regularly , in spite of the local crises , and that more machine users prefer to rely on our qualified assistance rather than investing in their th
own maintenance staff . A good 50 anniversary , I ' d say .
CN : These first 50 years saw big improvements in the field of Polyurethanes . Which are the latest ones worth to be mentioned ?
FA : To reply to this question we must first of all look at the developments that the Raw Material Suppliers have done in the past years . Their research is allowing for faster cycle times , more thermally-efficient insulation foams , more comfortable flexible grades , new products . We must stay ahead of these developments , being prepared with new process technologies as soon as they launch their new formulations on the market . This is why we keep with all of them a very good relationship , helping them for trials in our R & D Lab or supplying their laboratories with dedicated equipment . Once we ' ve said this , it will be very clear why we have developed in the past nine years at least 20 new models of mixing heads – including high flow rates , multiple components , very compact versions for in mould installation and fast moving types for high production rates – versus the 18 models developed in the first twenty years since our foundation . These new heads are making possible daily what we call the “ Polyurethane miracle ” !
CN : That would be ? FA : We keep saying this since ever : the mixing head is the heart of the system . There is no other reactive plastic or foamed material which is so heavily dependent on good mixing efficiency . Polyurethanes are unique from this point of view : all the performances provided by the chemical components of the formulation cannot be exploited if the blend is not mixed efficiently , and to obtain that you must have a mixing head with the right design . Almost each PUR or Epoxy application requires a specific mixing performance , and that ' s the secret of our success : we can develop quickly a proper mixing solution , with the relevant metering circuit behind it , for almost any type of formulation . We cover an output range from 0.4 g / s to 10,000 g / s , with repetitive shot times that can be as short as 0.3 s . We offer heads for a range of component ' s ratio between 1:1 and 1:24 , the latter used for special applications . We are experimenting with extremely-high viscosity Polyols , up to 50,000 M Pa s , with success . For Epoxy HP RTM process we are experimenting heads working at 150 ° C . We work with a 360 ° horizon , on mixing heads !
CN : Any recent example of this performance ? FA : Take for example the recent FPL SR series of mixing heads designed specifically for rigid insulation foams . Featuring brilliant technical solutions it allows for reliable long runs of production without maintenance or lubrication ; it is particularly efficient in mixing gaseous blowing agents with difficult Polyols ; its resistance to wear and blockages has been dramatically improved , thanks to the use of new materials ; it allows for output rate change in real time , that can be achieved automatically and quickly with the Cannon Multi Injection process ; the Variable Output Technology allows to do that also during the injection phase . This head is now an industrial success , panel and refrigerator producers love it because it ' s the ideal tool for
Qiang Ge , Area Manager China ( left ) and Alessandro Colella , Sales Engineer ( right ) are only two of the numerous young recruits that contribute to the cultural revolution of Cannon .
2