The automobile manufacturing industry places high demands on suppliers with regard to process reliability, quality and efficiency. To meet these challenges, a customer from the company, preeflow, had to optimize the application of a two-part sealant to make a form-in-place (FIP) gasket. In his previous process, the dispensed sealant bead exceeded the tolerance limits at the point where the gasket loop completed and the sealant overlapped itself. In addition, a key process variable – the material dispense pressure – could not be monitored during application. The result was a high reject rate, and poor productivity due to process variability and the need for heightened and laborious QA inspection.
The team helped the customer to significantly improve the production process through implementation of more accurate dispensing technology. For process reliability, a two-part dispensing system from the company is now used. The eco-DUO600 is a volumetric metering, mixing and dispensing unit which uses a progressive cavity pump principle to deliver precise amounts of the mixed sealant. The systems have precision control of the material output (which can be dynamically changed); this means that the FIP gasket application is very consistent along its entire dispensed path, including at the problematic area of the join.
The EC200-DUO controller includes material pressure monitoring and control. The mixing and dispensing unit can be connected to the flowscreen monitoring unit, a device for showing the material process pressures on a graphic display.
Stable process for mass production is very important. With the help of the unit’s pressure sensors in combination with the flowscreen, the dispensing parameters can be displayed graphically in real time. Pressure fluctuations that can occur, for example, due to a blocked or defective dispensing needle, contamination, or cured material, are displayed in real time. This means that errors can be rectified immediately and the number of rejects can be minimized.
Peter Swanson, Managing Director of the company’s UK distributor, Intertronics, said: “Accuracy and repeatability are key concerns of our customers, and we frequently recommend preeflow dispensing systems in these types of scenarios. Whether our customers are dispensing a single-part or a two-part material, we have found these systems provide a very high level of reliability combined with ease of use and real-time monitoring.” The eco-DUO system, which operates using the endless piston principle, along with the flowscreen pressure monitor, provide a repeatable and stable dispensing process. The system combines the benefits of reduced material costs with improved product quality.
