Extrusion Press Revamping and Aluminium Extrusion Systems

There are machines and plants in good production conditions, but due to obsolete technology they are not as productive as desired. An upgrade is always possible. Tecalux having gained more than thirty years of experience in revamping aluminium extrusion press and production lines is able to offer various updating solutions with reliability and productivity results equal to the latest generation systems.

Revamping, an affordable alternative to the new

Main causes of inefficiency in production plants are:

Outdated automation

Slow and undersized hydraulic systems

Incomplete or missing diagnostics

Low reliability of mechanical components

Slow loader and handling system

Machines worn out after years of work

Missing specialized maintenance operators

Some considerations:

The age of the machines is not important

A structurally robust machine that has been working without defects for years is a still a guarantee

What our work consists of:

Upgrade to latest generation plc and sensors:

The new generation PLCs include features that can increase Performance, reduce downtime, increase productivity and quality thanks to optimal control of speed and ramps.

The cylinders position control through encoders, the pressure control through transducers, the accurate constant control of the extrusion speed through Pid function, the accurate faults diagnosis and the data exchange with a supervisor system are some of the advantages obtainable with this level of intervention.

The electrical panels are built according to sil 3 safety level and can include also the energy saving inverter management of the pumps.

Software plc development:

The PLC software. It is made to be easily accessible even by the customer's maintenance team for any diagnostic purpose. Optimize the management of hydraulic valves in order to minimize dead cycle time. Particular attention was paid to routine control of extrusion speed and ramps at the beginning and end of extrusion in order to obtain a constant profile quality throughout the duration of the cycle.

The system is remotely connected through a 'Teleservice' to our technical office to guarantee, if necessary, fast reaction times minimizing production losses. The integrated message, alert and sms service functions easily assist the production and maintenance team in case of problems that, if not solved in time, could lead to a production stop, such as anomalies in the heating of the container or at the oil temperature of the press.

The Software includes a recipe system linked to the profile code that guarantees the repeatability of the process regardless of the operator's skills. The hydraulic components and the working pressure and parameters are constantly monitored referring to a complete diagnosis that warns the operator in case of anomalies. For each extruded billet, all parameters are recorded in the customer's database, allowing accurate production tracking.