Perform preventive maintenance on a limited budget

In this cash-strapped economy, we are all doing more ourselves. The do-it-yourself industry is growing in areas such as home improvement and auto repair. We still need a reliable set of brakes on our cars, even though we may not have hundreds of dollars to pay a dealer to do the job. We do well as long as we get quality parts at a fair price, along with the technical support we may need to do the job correctly and safely.

In corrugated maintenance, we face similar conditions, tighter budgets and fewer personnel to perform repairs. When you think of the term preventive maintenance, what is it exactly you are trying to prevent? In a box plant, it is breakdowns, machine down time and poor production. Your managers expect you to find ways to control, or better yet, prevent these conditions from stealing money from the bottom line. You have a small budget, however, so what can you do?

Here are some steps you can take to help prevent breakdowns, lower your machine down time and maintain production. The following is a list of items you can do that require no parts, just some organization and time. If you don’t already have a PM schedule, take the time to write down a basic list of tasks and how often they should be performed. Include housekeeping and visual inspection of the machine. Follow your PM! Postponed or neglected PM schedules and housekeeping are responsible for a large amount of unnecessary operational costs each year.

For a typical Ward rotary die cutter:

Feed unit:

• Check for main drive V-belt squeal at start-up. If adjustment is necessary, loosen the motor mounting bars and tighten the jacking screws evenly to adjust the belts properly, so they don’t wear prematurely.
• Check the feed section belt timing. The lifting bars should raise the feed belts fully before the belts begin rotating. Re-time the section, if necessary, to prevent premature feeder belt wear.
• Check oil levels, condition and type in the gear guard, the Camco indexing box and the center cam box. Call Sun for correct oil types and check/change schedules.
• Check the condition of the feed table beds and wear strips for damage or loose fasteners. A loose screw could potentially ruin a cast blower wheel or cause an injury.
• Check for smooth operation of the side guides and feed gates. If necessary, clean the sliding parts to prevent motor damage.
• Check the motor opening mechanism for proper operation. Adjust the clutch if it’s slipping. Adjust the chain tension. Adjust the limit switch so the motor shuts off before the sections make contact during closing.
• Adjust the bottom frame lock using the shim underneath the locking plate. Clean and lubricate the mechanism.

Print unit:

• Housekeeping in the ink system is critical for proper performance. Review procedures and cleaning expectations with the crew. Clean ink rolls with a soft brass brush and a mild detergent; not high pH cleaners. Clean ceramic-coated rolls with a nylon brush. Clean pans thoroughly and coat with cooking grease.
• Check the doctor blade seals, if so equipped, and clean any dried ink at the ends of the anilox roll to prevent leaks and seal damage.
• Check the wipe roll torque detector clutch and chain tension adjustment, if so equipped.
• Check register for play, both laterally and radially. Radial play can be addressed by adjusting the internal worm gears. Call Sun for step-by-step “how-to” procedures.
• Check the permanent mesh couplings on the pull rolls and impression cylinders for a .015” clearance between the plate and gear, using a feeler gauge.
• Check the incoming air filter/regulator bowls for water (all sections). Drain, if necessary.

Die cut unit:

• Check for snapped bolts and/or stripped bolt holes in the upper drum. Remove any broken bolts and repair tapped holes with Helicoil inserts.
• Check the lateral and radial play in register, as done on the print unit. Grease the bearings, set the play and adjust the register worm gears.
• Check the permanent mesh coupling, if so equipped, as done in the print unit.
• Check for proper anvil drum oscillation to prevent premature blanket wear.
• Check for proper movement of the elevating gears on the drive side (all sections). Clean and repair, as necessary.

By accomplishing these routine checks and adjustments, you can potentially save your company thousands of dollars and hours of down time each year. If you require parts, Sun is well-stocked and has a helpful customer service support team to assist you with any questions or technical advice you may need.

Get a ‘grip’ with vacuum transfer

Lead-edge feeders were considered state-of-the-art equipment in the 1980s and ‘90s because of their accuracy and their ability to prevent jams and run E flute and cross corrugated. By the mid-‘90s, lead-edge feeders became standard on new finishing machines, while existing equipment was often upgraded to include the new technology.

Since that time, vacuum transfer systems have become the new standard for converters and are an accepted enhancement for existing machines. These systems help boost profits and yield the same benefits for all converters, no matter whether they produce specialty graphics in small quantities or manage large-volume national accounts.

Innovative vacuum transfer systems use a vacuum and wheels to keep the entire corrugated sheet flat through the printing application. Unlike a pull-roll transfer system, the vacuum transfer system’s print-to-print register holds the entire sheet — not just the edges — for greater accuracy. The printing plates do not have to grip the sheet, which allows the plates to apply the image precisely. As a result, the need for trim allowance is reduced or eliminated.

Converters can also use thin and warped sheets at top production speeds with accuracy because of the vacuum transfer system’s excellent grip. And because pull rolls, pull collars and pull bands are eliminated, set-up time is reduced. Another plus: The digital-controlled motorized nip setting allows operators to set the print impression precisely.

Upgrading to vacuum transfer technology provides productivity and quality improvements that are well worth the investment.