Sophisticated NC equipment used to produce Cannon mixing heads , the hearth of Polyurethane technology , cannot replace the careful handwork of the skilled workers that finish them one by one .
Frequent meetings with the international sales forces are organised to keep them updated on the latest technical and commercial developments . their trade . And we can guarantee their performance for up to one million shots , if properly run and serviced . The availability of a proper Service Kit , available as a spare part , even allows our local engineers to perform a full head refurbishment on site , saving our client ' s time and money .
CN : That head is on the market s i n c e t h r e e y e a r s , r i g h t ? Any new entry in your head ' s catalogue for the 2016 ? FA : We have just announced our new version of the Cannon JL , the innovative head launched a few years ago for the large panel and refrigerator industries . The new Cannon JL Vector has now been tested successfully in production for 18 months , and it works fine . It ' s a new , simplified design of the former JL , with a more rational hydraulic circuit . It has been designed for those manufacturers of very large elements that require at the same time an improved foam laminarity during the injection and higher output values . We ' re able to guarantee , with conventional Polyol viscosities , a laminar flow at 2.7 kg / s output , which is what is required to produce high quality foams with very fast-reacting formulations , free from voids and air traps . We can deliver now a 26 mm and a 7 mm diameter models , and the series will be extended to other sizes as needed .
CN : What is Cannon Afros presenting at the K Show in terms of new dosing units ? FA : Quite a lot , but I would not say new dosing units . I ' d prefer to call them the evolution of a series of proven machines , used worldwide successfully . A lot is happening on the control side , on the latest Cannon dosing units . We ' re oriented towards an Industry 4.0 concept of manufacturing . This means that all the interaction between the single components of a plant – dosing unit , mixing head , press , mould , carousel or fixed lines , a continuous foaming conveyor – must be tuned and played as an orchestra , composed by people , machines and devices . They must interact instantly , and there must be a certain level of automatism involved . To achieve this integrated operation , we must be ready to increase the level of our electronics from a simple system using I / O ( Input / Output ) logics to an intelligent combination of devices able to deal with unforeseen events , sudden change of ambient variables , frequent modifications to a planned production schedule . This is what we are currently doing . Where we used standard Siemens S7 Logic Controls now we use the latest 1200 and 1500 models , implementing our software programs on these two platforms . A PROFINET data exchange protocol allows for faster communications between the mechanic and the human players of this new game .
CN : What is precisely the target for this technological innovation ? FA : This is more than innovation , this is the beginning of an Industrial Revolution , the Smart Factory is taking shape also for an application – P o l y u r e t h a n e s a n d r e a c t i v e formulations – that , due to the influence of a lot of chemistry-inmould , is still full of wizardry ! The targets are two , one for our client and one for us . The customer will be able to program , execute , change and debug his production schedules more freely , achieving higher flexibility in his supply chain and savings in terms of plant efficiency . More time to produce , less downtimes . This will reflect in advantages along his whole production cycle . Our target is to be able to perform predictive maintenance on our client ' s plant , in order to suggest him a
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planned maintenance programme even for those components that seem to be working perfectly , but are already showing some deviation from their standard functioning . We can obtain this through the installation of special sensors on selected equipment – connected in real time with the central control , the operator and his technical manager ' s PC or smartphone . All data referring to these checked functions ( the wearing of a seal , a fluctuation in the electric consumption of a motor , an unusual performance of a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit , etc .) allow the operator or his maintenance fellows to see immediately on a connected device – operator panel , PC in the control room , smartphone – a graph explaining that specific situation . This saves a lot of downtimes and repair costs . The machine becomes a combination of individual components with an individual life expectancy , not calculated in operating time but in terms of specific parameters ( number of actions , electric consumption , mechanical tolerance , pressure of exercise , etc .) which constitute a bundle of information stored on the Cloud , made available by Cannon or on the client ' s own one . With it the management has a continuous pulse of the manufacturing situation , this reflects in economic benefits and increased productivity . Another target , for the customer : to obtain production statistics based on complex data . We used for the past 30 years to collect , store and analyse average production parameters . Now modern electronics and faster data throughput allow to record these parameters during the entire event . All these data becomes part of the production statistic report , at the end of an injection , of a shift , of a production day , week or month , available in real time on the machine , not later on an exported Excel table .
CN : Thank you for your time , Francesco . Anything to add ? FA : We are designing the equipment for a new generation of producers , those who will work in a Smart Factory . We still like to talk face-to-face to Smart People , they stimulate our brain cells . Come and see us in one of our locations , around the world . Together we can make the Fourth Industrial Revolution !
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