Case Studies

The Challenge

A French manufacturer of mining industry ventilation tubes commissioned us to build a complete production line to fully automate their manufacturing process. The end-products are tubes with diameters up to 3 m in very heavy, flexible PVC.

The Solution

Beginning with the base-concept of our SM-450-SA multi-sealer, we designed a machine that welds continuously and directly from the roll. The fabric is fed into the machine by three motorized unwinding stations with automatic edge correction and digital fabric tension control, folded over several A-frames, then welded into a tubular shape by multiple high-power welding heads. Simultaneously, other welding heads apply PVC strips with eyelets on top of the tubes, used to secure the tube to the ceiling of the mine tunnels. Another A-frame folds the created tubes to a maximum width of 1,2 m. Once the product reaches the programmed length, a crosscut is made, and the tube drops into a steel crate ready for transport.

Reduced cycle times, constant monitoring for quality.

Prior to commissioning the SolarEdge Automation Machines’ solution, this customer employed manual cutting technology with high frequency and impulse welders, producing around 12 meters of tube per hour. After installing our machine, with multiple welding heads working simultaneously, their production increased the hourly output to 70 meters per hour.

Multiple bridges over the machine and easy access to all welding and cutting tools allow the operator to continuously monitor the process and intervene when necessary. A welding platform installed behind each motorized unwinding station allows attaching the end of a previous PVC roll to the start of the next roll, so that the production can continue uninterrupted when a roll is finished.

The machine is being successfully operating in our customer’s factory in France.