Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:58

Infrared dryers from Compact Engineering double laminator speed at James Cropper Converting Ltd.

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James Cropper Converting Ltd, part of James Cropper Plc, the Cumbrian papermakers have invested in a new drying system from Compact Engineering to increase the speed of the laminator at their Burneside, Kendal mill.

 

Compact have a great deal of expertise and experience in drying heavyweight sheets and understand exactly how to get the water out of the sheet without over drying it or scorching the surface. Based on this compact_1experience, James Cropper Converting Ltd had little hesitation in placing an order for the supply of one of Compact’s special laminator dryers to double the existing machine speed.

 

The customers of James Cropper Converting Ltd are particular about the appearance and quality of the final sheet. This is because some of the laminated sheets are used for point of sale displays and mounting boards and as such are subject to the scrutiny of many a passing eye and the quality of the board conveys an unspoken message about the quality of the products being promoted.

 

The system delivered by Compact Engineering had to meet certain criteria in addition to the efficiency of the drying operation. The infrared dryers had to be installed so that they had the minimum impression on the existing machine footprint while still catering for the fact that the machine is fed by hand, ruling out the possibility of extending the sheet run vertically above the factory floor.

 

When the dryers were commissioned at the end of April, the infrared was turned on to its lowest setting to start and the laminator was run at its normal operating speed and a check of the sheet moisture made. The sheet was too dry, so the laminator speed had to be increased. Both the laminator speed and the power from the infrared were increased until the drive limit on the laminator was reached, about twice the normal operating speed.

 

The infrared has additional capacity available should the machine drive be upgraded at some time in the future.

 

James Cropper Converting Ltd laminate a very wide range of basis weights and colours, both of which have an influence on the drying rate when using infrared as a heat source. The flexibility and unique wavelength of the infrared dryers from Compact Engineering means that they are able to cope with the extremes of colour and weight presented to them, while delivering the desired dryness at the dry end of the process.

 

Compact Engineering makes a wide range of dryers for papermakers and converters from edge dryers to high-intensity Corona dryers for full width CD moisture profile control and Titan dryers for energy efficient coating drying. All of Compact’s dryers are engineered to fit seamlessly into the existing process.

Read 2643 times Last modified on Wednesday, 29 June 2011 18:00