A cable manufacturer needs a cable coating system to spray coating liquid onto a telecommunications cable. They do this to reduce the harmful effects its lead casing could pose to the environment.
The previous spray solution, consisting of air atomizing nozzles, a siphon and compressed air, created a fogged atmosphere through which the cables were conveyed. This misting effect resulted in a significant waste of expensive chemicals. Half of the spray solution evaporated in free air. Compounding this overuse was the fact that the spray required twice the amount of chemicals. This was due to their dilution rate and the use of atomized air, which severely hampered the chemistry’s ability to neutralize the effects of lead poisoning. The air atomized chemicals also omitted a foul odor that made the work environment unpleasant for workers. All of these issues led to the need for a person to maintain the equipment on a daily basis.
The company required a new cable coating system that would eliminate the use of compressed air and deliver an extremely low flow of chemicals. Expectations were that the system would cut chemical consumption in half. This would also eliminate offensive odors. Finally the system had to be transportable to multiple locations throughout the facility.
AutoJet cable coating system
Our AutoJet® E1850+ Spray System was selected after on-site tests to confirm spray coverage and repeatability of the chemical application rate. The system features an integrated, air-operated diaphragm pump and three PulsaJet® AA10000AUH hydraulic, electrically actuated spray nozzles. UniJet® tips are positioned at optimal angles around the cable to provide full coverage without excess overspray, an enclosure was also installed to prevent spills from escaping the application area.
Ideal for coating applications, the AutoJet® E1850+ system ensures accurate placement of the liquid to minimize waste. The system’s Precision Spray Control (PSC) allows the smaller PulsaJet® hydraulic nozzles to achieve low flow rates. At the same time they also maintain pattern integrity and droplet size.
Result
With our AutoJet cable coating system in place, the manufacturer was able to address the issues it was having. The PulsaJet hydraulic spray nozzles eliminates the use of compressed air from the system. This increases the transfer efficiency of the chemical over air atomizing by more than 50% and fortifies its effect on the lead casing. They also rid the production area of chemical mists and bad odors, leading to happier, healthier workers. The new system’s portability allowed engineers to move it to various production areas in the plant. There was also no longer a need for frequent manual monitoring and maintenance of the system.
In the company’s first year of using the cable coating system, it was able to reduce chemical waste. They also reduced subsequent purchases like energy to produce compressed air and manual labor. These benefits led to € 40,000 savings and a payback period of only three months for the total investment on the system.