Pneumatic controls ensure safe and precise molding.

Molded composite parts are commonplace in products ranging from boat hulls and hot tubs to storage tanks and wind turbines. However, regulatory pressures are impacting the composites manufacturing process, and that has producers turning to pneumatic controls.

“Traditionally, fiberglass and composite parts have been made in an open-molding process,” explains Jeff Austad, vice president of distribution and specialty sales for Magnum Venus Plastech (MVP), a Clearwater, Fla.-based manufacturer of pumping and meter-mix equipment used in composites production. Typically, workers spray a gel-coated mold with a mixture of catalyzed resin and glass fibers, then the part is oven-cured, cooled, and removed from the reusable mold.

That has spurred a move to closed-mold processes. As the name implies, instead of spraying material to make a part, the resin and other constituents are injected into a closed and sealed mold. Versions of this process include resin-transfer molding (RTM), light RTM (vacuum-assisted), vacuum-infusion molding, and closed-cavity bag molding.

Closed molding lowers emissions, says Austad. It results in a much cleaner work environment and reduces the need for protective clothing, respirators, and expensive ventilation systems. 

The automated process also reduces manual labor and improves part quality dramatically, he explains. “Open-molded parts might vary by 15 to 20%, depending on the skill of the operator, and that can generate considerable waste. Closed molding takes that out of the equation by injecting the same amount of resin into the mold every time, resulting in minimal trim waste and less finishing after the part is made,” says Austad.
The Innovator II controls meter/mix dispensing for closed-molding applications.

Closed molding better controls component thickness and produces a higher-quality part that’s smooth and shiny on both sides, he adds. In open molding, on the other hand, one side of the part usually has a rough, unfinished surface.

But closed molding requires precisely controlled metering and mixing of the resin and catalyst, as well as the amount of catalyzed resin injected into the mold. Although it’s possible to use PLC-based controls with flow meters, because the resins are flammable that would require explosion-proof electrical systems which are quite expensive. Instead, MVP’s engineers opted for all-pneumatic controls using valves and air logic components from Cincinnati-based Clippard Instrument Laboratory.

Pneumatic controls

The Innovator II control box is an air logic panel with no electronics. It is used primarily with MVP’s Patriot mix/meter dispensing system, its newest generation of resin dispense systems. The Innovator II is specifically designed for closed-molding applications, including RTM, light RTM, and infusion molding, explains Tim DeLuca, vice president of MVPs RTM Division. The Innovator II is assembled and fully tested prior to shipment by Clippard distributor AOP Technologies, Auburn, Wash.

This meter-mix system delivers precise quantities of resin and catalyst to the mixing head, automatically blends them, and then injects the mixture into the mold.  The pneumatic controls perform three major tasks, explains DeLuca. The first is to repetitively inject the same shot size into the same cavity every time, eliminating guesswork on the part of the operator. Once user-designated injection parameters have been reached, a counter circuit shuts off injection at a predetermined pulse count.

The control’s second function is to manage injection input pressure and prevent overpressure conditions which could blow out clamps or resin seals, says DeLuca. A pneumatic switch – called a PV switch – can be mounted in the mold for closed-loop control. “The PV switch is a self-contained feedback device that senses resin pressure in the cavity,” says DeLuca. “When the switch trips, it removes the run signal from the control box and closes the mix heads and stops the pumps. Once the pressure is reduced, the switch turns back on and resumes the injection cycle.”

“Customers who require higher precision, say for aircraft or automobile parts held to tight tolerances, are more likely to want this option,” notes Austad. Overpressure can damage the mold or result in parts with inconsistent thickness. So sensing pressure lets the controller slow down the pump or shut off the injector, or both.

The last, and perhaps most important, function is the control interlock system. At no time can the operator accidently push the wrong button and botch the process. During certain cycles of the machine, other functions are locked out and not usable. This prevents costly mistakes, says DeLuca.

Accurate delivery

Precise metering was a key during development of the Patriot to ensure a catalyst-to-resin variance ratio of 1% or less.  An air motor drives the resin pump, and a slave arm connects the catalyst pump. In this way, the catalyst pump is directly slaved to the resin pump, ensuring accurate metering as both catalyst and resin are delivered to the mix head.

The air motor uses line-pressure pilot valves, which shift a 4-way valve spool to reverse the pump.  Keys for fast pump reversal are a light spring load on the pilots and large exhaust ports on the 4-way valve.  Also, the air cylinder has a 2-in. stroke to minimize the volume of air that must exhaust when the pump reverses.  Older versions used 4 and 6-in. stroke cylinders, which take longer to exhaust due to the greater volume of compressed air.  All this adds up to fast pumping action with a quick change in direction.

A low-friction seal configuration is used on the closed-molding, low-pressure system along with a balanced power ratio pneumatic drive.  These features ensure very uniform material delivery at both high and low flow rates, says DeLuca.

By changing to a larger air motor and using the same fluid section, the Patriot can also be used for high-pressure spray. One of the most challenging processes involves spraying polyester gelcoats which are thick and contain abrasives.  Even in these more-difficult applications, the Patriot’s wear-resistant seals and parts have been a great success, comments DeLuca.

Innovative design

The Innovator II is based on controls originally built in the United Kingdom for a specific model of MVP’s meter/mix equipment. It used European-standard components and metric tubing. “We wanted an ‘Americanized’ version for North America with Clippard valves, standard tubing, and other components that are readily available,” says Austad. And they wanted to the controls to work with a variety of the company’s equipment.

Looking to build in greater versatility and functionality to the controls, engineers from MVP and AOP Technologies made some key improvements, notes DeLuca. “We changed all the control lines to 1/8-in. OD to get faster reaction times on the circuits. All of the valves that actually control outside sources were upsized to allow for more flow so that we could use longer trigger lines outside the box,” he says.

“Using standalone brass valves from Clippard, we arranged the valves into ‘banks.’ Four of the valve banks are pretty much complete circuits, to ease troubleshooting. The fifth is an overall control circuit with a set of flow controls for system tuning. Some redundancies were removed and common valves were used whenever possible to reduce the number of different parts,” notes DeLuca.

Another important feature is that the solvent flush system cannot back up into the air supply system and ruin the entire controller. A ‘sacrificial’ valve was added to the circuit to prevent this.

In addition to converting to inch-size fittings and tubing, the plumbing was streamlined and secured with clips for a better appearance and easier troubleshooting. Plus, all 70+ lines and valves are labeled for identification versus the schematic.

Finally, the control box is configured for remote-control pendant operation, multiple feedback devices, and different styles of mix-meter equipment.

Ensuring reliability

While the box is designed primarily for the North American market, MVP’s machines are shipped all over the world. This makes reliability, along with minimal maintenance, essential, according to Austad. “From MVP’s standpoint, we have used Clippard products in our pumping systems for many years, with good results,” he says. The design relies on standard components and Clippard has worldwide distribution. “So in case there is a problem, users can go to their local distributor and get it repaired and up and running as soon as possible.”

“Because of proven reliability and durability of the Clippard air-logic valves, we expect these systems to be trouble-free for many years,” adds DeLuca. “Other than cleaning the input air filter, no maintenance is required.”

Because of the number of air-logic components, the plumbing is quite complex. To eliminate any confusion or uncertainty during production, AOP Technologies builds and tests the control panels under ISO 9001-2008 guidelines. “Our technicians closely follow well-documented assembly and test instructions, which ensures the customers are getting the same product every time,” says John Wilkinson, the company’s sales manager.

“AOP Technologies has done a wonderful job on this panel, it is clean and well-marked. Along with that, their testing procedure ensures that we get a product that is the way we intended it to be and is well perceived by MVP’s customers,” says DeLuca.

For more details on Magnum Venus Plastech, visit www.mvpind.com.
And for info on AOP Technologies, visit www.aoptec.com.

Clippard's automated stamping machine enables fast, efficient imprinting of the Clippard logo and part number into small fittings that are machined in mass quantities.

How Does It Work?

Once in place, a GMR switch is activated and a side cylinder extends and clamps the fitting in position to be stamped. When the fitting is in position to be stamped, a signal is sent to MPA3 and the MJV3 stamp cylinder is actuated, imprinting the Clippard logo and part number into the fitting.

Once the fitting has been stamped, it is released and ejected down the chute, ready to be packed and shipped.

Parts used here include:

UT0-2, UT0-4, MJV-3, MPA-3, AVT, MMR-1N, SLV-3, 11752-3, 11752-2, MFC-3AK, GPS-P8Q, UC-0848, MAV-3, SAS-1A1, SPO-4, 4CQN, 15002-1, 11924-1, 15080, MJQC-CB4, MME-41NES-D024, MMM-41-06, 11755, URH8-0402-02T-050, URH1-0402, URH1-0804, T44-4, PC-3E-RD, CPS-C8Q5

AFill and Bleed Circuit
is combination of pneumatic valve components used to inflate a volume or apparatus in one controllable function and to release or vent pressure in a second controllable function.

Fill and Bleed Circuits are commonly used in many applications where a particular pressure, firmness or position can be controlled with the addition or venting of pressure.

Pressure control systems typically use a fill and bleed type circuit to add or subtract air in maintaining pressure. They can also be referred to as E/P or Electronic Pressure Control when feedback is provided to read the downstream or output pressure and looped back to tell a PLC or System to fill or bleed more pressure. These can be tremendously accurate depending on the speed and orifice of the valves used in the circuit and the accuracy of a pressure transducer.

Clippard EV valves are commonly used in these applications in analytical and instrumentation equipment, medical devices such as blood pressure cuffs, and pressure control industrial applications.

In lumbar support applications, pressure would be better defined as firmness, where a pneumatic fill and bleed circuit is controlling the air pressure in a flexible bladder built into a seat. Massage or therapy chairs use multiple bladders filling and bleeding pressure that changes the firmness in a sequential pattern massaging the user. These applications can be found in first-class airline seats, train seats, truck or mobile cabs where the operator is sitting for extended periods of time.

Position is based on the same principle when applying a fill and bleed circuit along with the basic cylinder formula of  ^{PRESSURE X AREA = FORCE}  and linear spring force. Using a single acting cylinder, the linear spring force on the cylinder needs to be overcome with a particular pressure in order to move. As the cylinder moves, the force required to push against the spring force changes, therefore varying the pressure can simply vary the position. For example, if a cylinder was used to move the position of a table up or down, a fill and bleed circuit can be applied to the bottom of the cylinder to adjust pressure, which in turn changes the position.

The components can be quite simple and robust, such as the FBV manual fill and bleed valves. Or, for integration with electronic controls, a combination of electronics valves can achieve very simple or more complex circuit for your fill and bleed applications.

Clippard has made hundreds of different fill and bleed circuits for many different application and industries. Contact us today for assistance with circuit design, sub-assemblies quotes, or just to chat.

Sub-miniature (SAS) and Miniature (MAS) Air Switches are low-cost, air-actuated electrical switches that come in a variety of pressures.
 

Sub-miniature switches utilize a single pole, double throw (SPDT) electrical switch, certified UL and CSA. Mechanically-operated models are also available which may be used with any Clippard air pilot or push-button actuator. The electrical switch is actuated by a lever arm which may be used as a manual override.

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Miniature switches utilize a standard miniature single pole, double throw (SPDT) electrical switch, certified UL, CSA, SEMKO and VDE. These models are available in #10-32, M5, manual and female 1/8-27 NPT ports for direct mounting into manifolds.

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Long periods of sitting flatten the lumbar curve that leads to a variety of back problems. Seating that lacks proper and adjustable lumbar support and cushion bounce leave their users vulnerable to physical pain and to long-term damage.
 

Lumbar Support Systems

Lumbar support systems cradle the neutral back curvature, reducing back and neck strain by promoting good posture for long hours of work or driving. This support must be dynamic enough to adapt to a number of different body shapes, while firm enough to provide effective support.

Fill & Bleed Circuits

A fill and bleed circuit is a combination of pneumatic valve components used to inflate a volume or apparatus in one controllable function and to release or vent pressure in a second controllable function. These circuits are commonly used in applications where a particular pressure, firmness or position can be controlled with the addition or venting of pressure.

Ride Control Systems

These systems utilize pneumatic valves that again "fill and bleed" a device that controls the cushion of the the seat. In these applications, they also incorporate a regulator that allows pressure adjustment based on variables such as weight differences.

Clippard has been successfully partnering with progressive companies in the design and development of innovative pneumatic solutions for their unique lumbar and seat support systems.

• Engineering application & product application expertise
• Large inventory
• Worldwide distribution
• Complete line of miniature cylinders, valves, fittings,
  tubing and more

Contact Clippard today to see how our engineering and application expertise can assist in the development of efficient, compact pneumatic assemblies for your next critical project.

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Malevolent spirits, ghosts, poltergeists and other supernatural entities can wreak havoc on a business, causing extensive damage and loss of revenue as they intimidate and traumatize employees and customers. Entire families may find themselves terrorized and even be displaced from their own homes.

Accelerated Particle Beam Systems

The Proton Pack is a portable particle accelerator system that is used to create a charged particle beam composed of protons. The Proton Pack has a hand-held wand (Neutrino/Neutrona Wand, aka "Proton Gun") which fires the particle beam by colliding the high-energy positrons generated by the Proton Pack. This particle beam helps dissipate the negatively charged electromagnetic radiation plasmic entities use to manifest themselves.

Plasmic Entity Control

Critical Reliability

Contact Clippard today to see how our engineering and application expertise can assist in the development of efficient, compact pneumatic assemblies for your next critical project.

• Engineering application & product application expertise
• Large inventory
• Worldwide distribution
• Complete line of miniature cylinders, valves, fittings,
  tubing & more

 Contact Clippard
 Download Whitepaper

Automated Traffic Cone Dispensing Machine

Automated traffic cone dispensers allow cones to be safely set up and collected in the middle of the highway. This machine uses Clippard cylinders for speedy deployment of the traffic cones.

Original Article, February 2014
By Michael Jermann

Charter Engineering Group was contracted by a Northwest US-based food manufacturer to design and fabricate a machine to automate a manual fill operation. The fill material is a heated, viscous cheese product that is poured into fiberglass trays and later cooled and cut for packaging. Clippard Instrument Laboratory supplied the pneumatic components used in the design.

"Clippard components have been used by our company on many projects over many years. The cylinders are long-life products offering stainless-steel washdown and reliability of use," said Jay Rosen, professional engineer and owner of Charter Engineering Group. "The costs are equivalent to other vendors. More importantly, the sales applications staff has always been helpful and supportive on product questions for new and custom applications."

The machine, marketed as "Index and Fill", continuously measures the weight of food product emptying into the trays and includes a forward push system. The index push system is fully pneumatic and uses two, 2-in. bore air cylinders (model UDR-32) with magnetic pistons, external cylinder mounted reed switches (RPS-S3), and meter out flow control valves (model JFC) to control the indexing motions.

"Competitive quotations suggesting electrical designs that incorporated stepper motors and encoders, PLC programming and similar designs were eliminated by the customer as too costly and complicated and not easily maintained by plant personnel," said Rosen. "Similarly, designs using conveyor belts were discussed as being difficult to clean."

In this application, the trays are filled with product to a customer-selected weight (typically 40 to 100 lb) while air cylinders and pneumatic logic control the index movements.

In operation, the trays are weighed on custom designed load cell rails. Weight actuates the pneumatic index system, moving the trays in a 3-step direction with air cylinders. The front tray length is filled to one-half the finish weight and then indexed forward and filled to the final weight. The trays are then pushed forward to the unload position.

What was a three-to-four person manual push and weigh operation has been simplified to a one-man operation. These machine steps are being repeated for several hundred trays in a production day. Similar applications exist to fill and move bags, boxes, crates, and large containers with food product of higher fill weights (typically 25-plus lb) and container throughput of 15 sec. and greater.

The machine is design-built to meet USDA and FDA food sanitation standards. The frame construction is stainless steel and all components are NEMA 4X.

 

solution An Index & Fill machine utilizing several Clippard products, including: • UDR-32 Stainless Steel Cylinders • RPS-S3 Magnetic Reed Switch • JFC Flow Control Valve

Filling cheese trays, weighing up to 100 pounds, and moving them along the conveyor line was the challenge Charter Engineering received from a food manufacturer. This small northwest company designs and builds food processing machinery. For this particular challenge, Charter Engineering worked with Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc. as their pneumatic component supplier. The application consists of pouring a heated cheese product into fiberglass trays, cooling them and then cutting for packaging.

index & fill

Known as "Index and Fill", this machine continuously measures the weight of cheese emptying into trays and utilizes a pneumatic forward-push system.The system is fully automatic and uses several Clippard products, including; two UDR-32 stainless steel cylinders with magnetic pistons, a RPS-S3 magnetic reed switch and a JFC flow control valve to control the indexing motion.

long life & reliability

According to Jay Rosen, professional engineer and owner of the Charter Engineering Group,

"Clippard components have been used by our company on many products over the years. The stainless steel cylinders are long-life, offer washdown capability and are reliable. Their costs are competitive but more importantly, the sales application staff has always been helpful and supportive on product questions for new and custom applications. This system compared to competitive quotations suggesting electrical designs was far more cost effective for the customer. Also, other designs using conveyor belts were evaluated but considered too difficult to clean."

check weighing system

The check weighing system is a three stage process. After the first tray has reached one-half of the desired fill, stainless steel air cylinders push it forward to the next stage. Here the filling process is completed, and the trays are again pushed forward by the cylinders to the unload position.

The customer's original operation called for three-to-four people to manually push the trays through the weighing operation and then to the unloading station. Today's procedure pushes several hundred trays through the process in one day with one person. According to Mr. Rosen, similar applications exits that fill other types of containers including, bags, boxes, and crates, where high fill rates are needed. Generally, the weights of the container is greater than 25 lb. with a cycle time of 15 seconds.

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A leak is defined as an unintended passageway that enables fluid to escape plumbing, a component or a system. There are a number of methods used to detect leaks such as pressure decay, mass flow, bubble, sniffing and vacuum.
 

pressure decay technology

Clippard utilizes pressure decay technology, and integrates automatic leak testing circuitry into our assembly equipment. We use our EV/ET, EGV, DV andEM series electronic valves to fill and hold pressure because they are bubble tight, do not generate heat, and have a billion cycle life expectancy.

The Analytical Series has been designed specifically to reduce and limit potential leak paths within the valve.

reliability & accuracy

For reliable, accurate leak test equipment designs, Clippard provides:

•High flow valves capable of filling large volumes quickly

•Built-in pneumatic circuits that automatically switch leak
  tests from one side of a part to another

•Optimized systems for multiple test pressure
  requirements, etc.

•Custom assemblies including valves, cylinders,
  regulators, fittings and more.

Clippard’s miniature valves, actuators, fittings and regulators are ideal for these types of applications.

Clippard Two-Stage System
for High & Low testing

Clippard has a long history of successfully partnering with progressive companies in the design and development of innovative pneumatic solutions for both portable and stationary leak detection equipment.

How can Clippard’s engineering and application expertise assist in the development of efficient, compact pneumatic assemblies for your next leak test application?

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In the medical marijuana industry, the packaging process is critical. Oxygen, light and humidity all work to degrade the quality of cannabis—the more it is exposed, the more the cannabinoids are degraded. A superior packaging system gives manufacturers distinct advantages.
 

medical marijuana

According to Rob Clippard, Vice President of Sales & Marketing:
"It's no secret that the medical marijuana industry has really taken off, and we have already been developing innovative solutions for the medical and packaging industries for years. So when we began brainstorming ways to develop new revenue streams, this seemed obvious. It was really just the next step."

innovative packaging system

Clippard's engineering department developed an innovative packaging system that uniquely preserves and protects the marijuana, in addition to allowing it to be easily packaged. Bulk product is poured into the system by hand, where it is dispensed onto a conveyor belt. As it moves along the conveyor, the system senses the product on the belt and sets of cylinders extend and retract, pushing it into precisely portioned piles.

proprietary binding agent

Once properly portioned, a proprietary binding agent is dispensed and the product passes through to the cubing station. Here, two sets of cylinders extend to compress the product into compact, easy-to-package cuboids which are then sealed into packages, labeled and dispensed into a box to be shipped.

Clippard's proprietary binding agent, Formula 420, was discovered by accident when the advertising manager dropped an undisclosed ingredient into his soup by mistake. Although the resulting concoction was not tasty enough to serve as lunch that day, a few brave engineers happened to hear of the incident and set about performing a test that, had it not been successful, would not have been endorsed by the company in any way...

Clippard's Formula 420 was the deciding factor behind the decision to launch BudPack, a new Colorado-based division that will focus on the production and packaging of marijuana.

Kyle Kushman, lifelong marijuana connoiseur, has been named BudPack’s CEO. Kushman worked directly with Clippard engineers to develop AirBud, BudPack’s house brand of medical marijuana. AirBud has been specially engineered for BudPack. Its medicinal qualities are actually enhanced by key enzymatic processes activated by the proprietary binding agent, and are uniquely protected by BudPack’s innovative pneumatic packaging process.

According to Kyle Kushman, CEO of BudPack: “Clippard’s engineers are so awesome... We never could have made this totally awesome machine without them... It’s just like, so awesome... This is the best weed ever and all the weed we pack with our awesome weed packer is so awesomely packed man! It’s just... Awesome.”

Happy April Fools’ Day!

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Published April 1, 2014

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