Tuerk, Stieglitz
Stabilisers & Manufacturing # 2004 Milan
Conventional dimension change is a time- and labour-intensive procedure and as such it is a significant cost factor. Reducing this cost was the motivation for QuickSwitch. The new system was developed by KraussMaffei, Munich; in cooperation with Egeplast Werner Strumann GmbH, Greven, a well-known German pipe producer. With QuickSwitch, dimension change is easier and faster. A QuickSwitch dimension change is highly automated - initiated at the touch of a button - and steplessly adjustable. The line does not stop; instead the changeover is a continuous process. It takes only a matter of minutes before the line is again producing perfect pipe - in the new dimension. Productivity jumps, while the number of manhours calculated for operating the line drops significantly. In addition, the volume of production waste is reduced to an absolute minimum, because the line is not run down and restarted. For the first time, producers can supply pipe that is produced to order just in time in the required dimensions. The cost of stockpiling pipe can be eliminated or substantially reduced.