Preferred Systems Inc. (PSI) Calls on Pillar Technologies for Corona Solutions
The Challenge
Preferred Systems Inc. (PSI), located in Hartford, Wisconsin, is a maker of coaters, laminators, unwinds, rewinds, dryers, and between color dryers.
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PSI faced a problem when their customer application demanded user-friendly corona treaters with the flexibility to treat PE, PP, BOPP, OPP, PET, LLDPE, and Nylon, while operating at 1,100 fpm line speeds – achieving a consistent 44-dyne level. PSI’s customer also needed the “built-in” capability of expanding the treating application in the future – all in one system. As a result, PSI wanted to source out a corona treating manufacturer whose equipment was designed with the versatility to satisfy every one of PSI’s customer needs.
Jeff Otto, President and CEO of PSI, explains, “factor in all of our customer requirements and now try to find a corona treater that retrofits smoothly into our system design with an easy install. Basically, we need a corona treater with extreme flexibility, compact and virtually effortless, with room for growth. Pillar was the only company that could accomplish all of this and more.”
The Solution
The solution was found in Pillar’s Universal bare roll Surface Treater, coupled with the new, high-powered P6000 Power Supply. Pillar’s Universal Surface Treater and P6000 Power Supply went beyond PSI’s needs by offerings the only treater on the market with a patented modular interchangeable electrode assembly that provides the versatility to treat any substrate with just one station. The Universal system can be configured to run bare roll, covered roll, or dual-dielectric by means of its unique patented electrode design. The P6000 Power Supply provides the best industry turn-down ratio to meet all power densities required.
Otto explained that he liked that Pillar’s systems features a microprocessor-based diagnostics program that walks the end-user through any troubleshooting situation. In addition to this, the standard Universal system includes easy air gap adjustment, pneumatic electrode thread-up for on-line maintenance, easy roll removal, dynamically balanced treater rolls, a variety of roll coverings, and four separate interchangeable electrode configurations to treat any substrate. These key features were compactly packaged in an effective program to deliver incredible value to the PSI end-user.
The Outcome & Benefits
“It’s all about customer satisfaction,” explains Otto at a recent interview at CMM’99 in Chicago, “our customer is relying on us [PSI] to give them the highest quality product to meet their specific needs. Pillar continually demonstrated their willingness to work with us, and offered solutions for our customer prior to the sale.” Tests were performed in the Pillar Technologies research and development lab in Hartland, Wisconsin, which proved positive for PSI.
Although superior machinery performance stood out to PSI, they were also impressed with the level of professionalism that Pillar displayed. Optimizing on their after-sale theory of “customers first”, Pillar’s standard comprehensive service program ensures PSI will have 24 hour ‘direct from the factory support’ 365 days a year. “The price tag of the equipment is directly related to the long-term price paid when you have unresponsive service. We know that Pillar will meet or exceed our expectations,” says Otto.
OEMs like PSI have found the Universal Surface Treater effortless in installation, compact, and can be easily retrofitted onto various locations on their line. This flexibility gives PSI the comfort in knowing they can confidently provide Pillar’s Universal station and P6000 series to any customer, regardless of specifications, while providing optimum quality and after-sale support.
Preferred Systems Inc. (PSI) Calls on Pillar Technologies for Corona Solutions
The Challenge
Preferred Systems Inc. (PSI), located in Hartford, Wisconsin, is a maker of coaters, laminators, unwinds, rewinds, dryers, and between color dryers.
​
PSI faced a problem when their customer application demanded user-friendly corona treaters with the flexibility to treat PE, PP, BOPP, OPP, PET, LLDPE, and Nylon, while operating at 1,100 fpm line speeds – achieving a consistent 44-dyne level. PSI’s customer also needed the “built-in” capability of expanding the treating application in the future – all in one system. As a result, PSI wanted to source out a corona treating manufacturer whose equipment was designed with the versatility to satisfy every one of PSI’s customer needs.
Jeff Otto, President and CEO of PSI, explains, “Factor in all of our customer requirements and now try to find a corona treater that retrofits smoothly into our system design with an easy install. Basically, we need a corona treater with extreme flexibility, compact and virtually effortless, with room for growth. Pillar was the only company that could accomplish all of this and more.”
The Solution
The solution was found in Pillar’s Universal bare roll Surface Treater, coupled with the new, high-powered P6000 Power Supply. Pillar’s Universal Surface Treater and P6000 Power Supply went beyond PSI’s needs by offerings the only treater on the market with a patented modular interchangeable electrode assembly that provides the versatility to treat any substrate with just one station. The Universal system can be configured to run bare roll, covered roll, or dual-dielectric by means of its unique patented electrode design. The P6000 Power Supply provides the best industry turn-down ratio to meet all power densities required.
Otto explained that he liked that Pillar’s systems features a microprocessor-based diagnostics program that walks the end-user through any troubleshooting situation. In addition to this, the standard Universal system includes easy air gap adjustment, pneumatic electrode thread-up for on-line maintenance, easy roll removal, dynamically balanced treater rolls, a variety of roll coverings, and four separate interchangeable electrode configurations to treat any substrate. These key features were compactly packaged in an effective program to deliver incredible value to the PSI end-user.
The Outcome & Benefits
“It’s all about customer satisfaction,” explains Otto at a recent interview at CMM’99 in Chicago, “our customer is relying on us [PSI] to give them the highest quality product to meet their specific needs. Pillar continually demonstrated their willingness to work with us, and offered solutions for our customer prior to the sale.” Tests were performed in the Pillar Technologies research and development lab in Hartland, Wisconsin, which proved positive for PSI.
Although superior machinery performance stood out to PSI, they were also impressed with the level of professionalism that Pillar displayed. Optimizing on their after-sale theory of “customers first”, Pillar’s standard comprehensive service program ensures PSI will have 24 hour ‘direct from the factory support’ 365 days a year. “The price tag of the equipment is directly related to the long-term price paid when you have unresponsive service. We know Pillar will meet or exceed our expectations,” says Otto.
OEMs like PSI have found the Universal Surface Treater effortless in installation, compact, and can be easily retrofitted onto various locations on their line. This flexibility gives PSI the comfort in knowing they can confidently provide Pillar’s Universal station and P6000 series to any customer, regardless of specifications, while providing optimum quality and after-sale support.
There are two basic types of corona treater stations. One type of system is designed to treat non-conductive materials. This system uses a metal electrode over a dielectrically covered roll.
The other type of system is designed to treat conductive substrates. Early designs used a series of driven covered rotating electrodes placed over a bare grounded roll, enabling the conductive web to be grounded. The newer design is an open style, called bare roll, which extracts the ozone between two fixed ceramic tubes, cooling the electrodes, as well. The ceramic tubes are placed over a bare grounded roll.
Corona Treater Systems
Narrow Web Treating Systems
Though both types of systems are used on narrow web presses, the bare roll style (conductive design) has been more popular in recent years. This is primarily due to the compact design and because it can treat both conductive and nonconductive materials, although not as efficiently. The harder to treat materials require higher power levels, making treater versatility more important.
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The increase in power has also caused treater stations to become larger. Since space on a narrow web press is very limited the challenge to treater manufacturers recently, has been to develop compact designs which can handle higher power levels and efficiently treat conductive and nonconductive substrates.
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In order to improve treat levels, many newer designs incorporate two electrode assemblies. One with a metal electrode and the other with ceramic electrodes. These assemblies are mounted over a ceramic covered roll. The operator then connects the appropriate assembly for the type of substrate.
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These designs improve the efficiency of treating nonconductive webs (metal electrode over a ceramic roll), however, the dual dielectric combination (ceramic electrodes and ceramic roll) is less efficient for conductive materials. This style treater station is also fairly large due to the need for two electrode assemblies.
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The newer approaches incorporate an open style bare roll design, which employs an electrode magazine and an easy roll change mechanism. The user can quickly change from covered roll to bare roll by changing magazines. This feature also enables the user to treat conductive or nonconductive films efficiently, without having to run with a dual dielectric. In addition, the system is more compact since there is only one electrode assembly.
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Most of the newer treater station designs usually offer several other features intended to simplify operation and maintenance. These features may be such things as external gap adjustment knobs, pneumatic mechanisms for simplifying web thread up, access for easy cleaning, quick electrode and roll replacement, the use of ceramic dielectrics to reduce pinholing and easy to replace ground brushes.
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Solid state power supplies have proven to be reliable for years, however, they have become more compact recently. In addition, they have increased in frequency, in order to help reduce the required electrode area, enabling the non conductive treater stations to become smaller. They have taken advantage of microprocessors, by becoming capable of being controlled by an external (customer supplied) processor, or can be supplied with their own microprocessor controller. These new microprocessors feature memory for storing common job parameters, watt density control, proportional speed controls and various levels of system diagnostics.