PROJECTS

Company

Soleno, a major corrugated plastic piping manufacturer, was struggling with a lack of reliability of the 2 corrugators the company depends on in Quebec for the production of 12-inch to 48-inch diameter pipes. Those corrugators are producing continuous piping thanks to a removable mold train propelled by synchronized servomotor-driven axes. The following problems were occurring:

• No more support from the machine’s manufacturer
• Closed technology made troubleshooting or third-party improvements impossible
• No local technical support, leading to major production losses in case of breakdowns
• Bad servo control of the servomotors causing premature wear of the machine mechanics
• Reduced operating speed due to bad servo control, causing a decrease of production
• Dangerous machine putting operators at risk of injury
• Long setup time when changing mold size
• Variation in production quality depending on the operator

Mandate

To address those problems, Lem Technologies worked closely with Soleno to pave the way for a successful modernization:

• Analysis of the corrugator’s current and desired operation by observing and by discussing with operators, mechanics and production supervisors
• Validating if the existing mechanics could be reused and suitable for a modernization of the controls
• Functional description and risk analysis to clearly define the expected outcome of the modernization and to ensure controls are secured
• Design of a new control panel allowing to achieve the objectives of the modernization without having to change mechanical and drive components
• Electrical installation of the new panel
• Programming and start-up

Benefits

Soleno can take full advantage of its corrugators since the modernization, which has provided the following benefits:

• Production quality consistency thanks to production recipe management, which automatically adjusts the parameters independently of the operator
• Elimination of unplanned breakdowns thanks to the reliability of the new control panel
• Reduction of mechanical wear thanks to the performance of the new servo control
• Increase of production speed