The Challenge

A leading manufacturer of PVC-coated tents in Abu Dhabi commissioned us to develop a continuous welding station to produce wall panels for their extra-large tents. The goal was to speed up their semi-automatic production cycles while simultaneously creating durable and aesthetically pleasing seams. The seams’ ability to withstand pressure was critical due to the safety issues concerned once the heavy PVC panels are mounted in the tent structures.

The Solution

We developed a multiple-roll sealer that feeds the fabric from two motorized unwinding stations with an automatic edge correction and digital fabric tension control to manage jumbo rolls. A high-power welding head installed in a central position on the bridge joins the panels together while two lateral heads apply a single or double-flag keder to either side of the fabric, or fold the fabric into a pocket while automatically inserting a rope.

We installed a camera near every welding head to allow the (single) operator to continuously monitor the production process and the quality of the seams from a single control station. The machine grants easy access to all welding and cutting tools so that operators can easily intervene if necessary.

Flat, durable seams with increased production output.

As the seams, particularly the overlap are always in sight and the end products created are high-end , the customer required that all seams must not only be strong, but must be perfectly flat and aesthetically pleasing. This was achieved by installing motorized pullers prior to and after the welding bridge to keep the fabric under the right tension.

Prior to installing our solution, the customer used manual cutting devices and high frequency and impulse welders. With the continuous welding and cutting cycles of SolarEdge Automation Machines, the company increased production output multiple times.

The machine is operating in our customer’s plant in Abu Dhabi.

Machines for PVC – Case Studies – Tents and Shelters - Image - 1