- Email: [email protected]
Karl Rabofsky GmbH: Over 100 Years of Pleater Manufacturing
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COMPAhi SPECIA
Karl RabofskyGmbH:Over100 Years of PleaterManufacturing A story of success now with a world premiere: The PC-controlled knife-pleating machine with Windows-based software or more than one hundred years, Karl Rabotsky GmbH, a Germany-based Berlin, company has been dedicafed to pleater manufacturing. Founded in 1896 by Karl t?abofskay, an engineer and pioneer of ,oleating equipment, the company iniCally specialised In the manufacture of manually operated pleating machinery for the textile and fashion industry At the dawn of the twentieth century, R’abofsky also began manufacturing a new category of pleater that was specifically tailored to pleat material for use in filtration. With the co,ncurrent development of the filtration industr): this marked a decisive step fo,r the company into the market of filtration This separation. and market-segment rapidly developed to high volumes and today represents the company’s main area of business. Since the late nineteenth century, the company has expanded year by year growing their share in the market of pleating machines. During this time the company has succeeded in selling a vast number of pleating machines to all continents and therefore can count for the biggest installed base of pleaters world-wide. The path of
F
Rabofsky is marked with a line of world famous products such as the R55, R641164. R88lR188 and R116iR126. Many of these pleating machines can still be found doing their job all around the world providing evidence of their outstanding reliability and durability. This hundred-and-two-year success story is based upon the steady innovation of products that has been the Rabofsky tradition. Since March 1997 a new set of shareholders have been running the comcontinuing the pany, Rabofsky tradition of being the technology leader in the pleating business. The new team has brought new and wider expertise in mechaniengineering cal and automation to the company. The first milestone in this synergy has been the birth of a new generation of pleater. The first model in this generation, the R 178 PC, has the functionality, flexibility and performance that meet all major requirements of its customers. The model exploits all the advantages of PC-controlled technology enabling the operators of this machine to cut preparation times down to a minimum. Keying in and memorising the pleating programs make it simple and fast to change
the production program several times during one shift without the need to change cams or adjust blades. This increases the productivity significantly, when it is necessary to produce different filter-products in small or midsize volumes. The cams and shafts have been replaced by innovative servo-technology for all axles, which can each be individually controlled. This enables the producer of pleated material to create very flexible pleating patterns. The pleating pattern is written like a program, one “pleat-statement” fol-
lowed by the next. The software is based upon the MS Windows 95 or 98 operating system that gives it many more potential features. The technology incorporated in the R 178 PC also makes it easily adaptable for any future improvements allowing integration and networking within a computer controlled production process by simply releasing software upgrades when required. Some of the essential features of this new pleater generation include: After keying in such parameters as any pleat height between 5 to l
Flgoro1: A IlaboMy PC-Controlled Ploatlng Machine
Rabofsky Rotary Pleating Line R126/350 with Pleat Separation and Edge Sealing Equipment 1. Material Decoiler 2. Feed Guides 3. Preheating 4. Scoring Rollers 5. Erecting Rollers 6. HotmeltDistributionon
2000 ca 5600
_ I-
1000
_I_ t-
1500
edge 7. Edge Sealing Unit with
beardtransport 6. HotmeltUnit 9. SeparationControl
Equipment
1
Flgnm2: Schnatic Dmwln#of the RabofskyRotaryPleatingLineR126/350
1OOmm plus the media thickness, the pleater is able to automatically adjust itself within the space of one minute, i.e. the knives, the pressure plate and the entry table are positioned accordingly. A read-out on the monitor confirms the new parameters so that the process can be fully controlled. Separate drives for the top and bottom knife stroke allow the operator to program any special pattern including M-type or W-type pleats or any other sequence or size of smaller pleats alternating with the main pleats, A small pleat is used in many applications to mark the end of pleat packs making it unnecessary to have to use an extra marking device. In addition, a 50% sized end pleat from the top (M-type) and from the bottom (W-type) provide the ideal overlap for sealing rounded filter packs that can then be moulded into cylindrical filter stars. For sensitive filter media (like glass fibre, membranes, activated carbon media etc.) which tends to break at pleat crowns, there is additional software available for preselecting careful softknife ware-controlled movements (soft-touch). Alternatively, a heavyduty version of the R178 PC is available for up to a working width of 1300 mm (subject to
media test) including super-reinforcements for heavier wire mesh combination in cuts or material combinations coming from rolls. Powerful, maintenancefree Lenze AC-servomotors in conjunction with an optimised and windows-based software package provides for higher speed as compared to old cam-driven pleaters. Peripherals, like heating and cooling combinations, decoilers, slitters, cross cutters and pleat pitching and gluing solutions round up the range of accessories that can be added to the pleaters to adapt them for specific production tasks. All parameters can be saved in the PC for re-calling, and an additibnal pleat height control feature is optionally available, which means that significant reductions in wastage rates and reproduction times can be achieved. Rounding up this report about Rabofsky’s latest developments is a focus on two examples of special applications of the pleaters in typical growth markets, where the advantages of the R178 PC pleater in respect to flexibility and careful media treatment are highlighted.
bon media and PES Fleece are ideally pleated and treated by the PC-controlled knife pleater R178 PC because of its special features as cited above. Step b: The pleated packs, which can have a length of up to 2 m, are manually fed into a separate pleat pitching device where an exchangeable magazine consisting of top and bottom worm gears and web guides pulls the pleats into this unit. An equally defined pleat distance can then be established. For each defined pleat pitch, between 5 and 15 mm, a quick-change magazine is required. Magazines are available, subject to media quality, for adjustable pleat heights from 10 to 50 mm and from minimum pack width 50 mm up to a maximum width of 350 mm. Step c: An automatic edgesealing device that follows the pitching unit achieves the fixing of the defined pleat pitch. Endless strips of board or filter media, already cut to size (according to pleat height) and wound on separate rolls, are fed into a glue application nozzle (slot adjustable to required width of strips), which is part of a hot melt applicator. After sealing, the pleat packs can subsequently be transported for other processing operations like cutting to size, foaming into cassettes etc.
CABIN AIR OR POLLEN FILTER APPLICATIONS
MASS PRODUCTION OF PLEATED FILTER MEDIA
Step a: Multilayer or com-
pound media, like “Meltblown” plus activated car-
This example concerns the mass production of pleated
filter media. In this case the Rotary Pleating Machine is utilised with integrated pitch control and edge sealing facilities. The machine is for use with single or laminated material. With the Rotary type Pleating Machine R126/350 (working width max. 350 mm) or R126/600 (working width 600 mm) with scoring and erecting rollers, a range of pleat heights between 12 mm and 50 mm can be produced with a high media running speed of approx. 50 metres/min. Each pleat size requires a set of rollers consisting of one top and one bottom roller, each with blades and slots according to pleat size requirements. For a swift change of roller sets a special magazine is available. The pitch control and edge sealing with hot melt as referred to in example 1 is in this case integrated within the pleating line. Additional equipment, for example, semi or fully automatic material decoilers with roll exchange, splicing table and material buffer, are available. The schematic drawing shows a rotary line with pitching device. (Figure 2) For any future information about the new pleater generations and peripherals from Rabofsky kindly contact the manufacturer direct/y at: Karl Rabofsky GmbH, Motzener Str 10 A, D- 12277, Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 7 2 140 69; Faw: +49 30 7 22 45 79.
COMPAhi SPECIA
Karl RabofskyGmbH:Over100 Years of PleaterManufacturing A story of success now with a world premiere: The PC-controlled knife-pleating machine with Windows-based software or more than one hundred years, Karl Rabotsky GmbH, a Germany-based Berlin, company has been dedicafed to pleater manufacturing. Founded in 1896 by Karl t?abofskay, an engineer and pioneer of ,oleating equipment, the company iniCally specialised In the manufacture of manually operated pleating machinery for the textile and fashion industry At the dawn of the twentieth century, R’abofsky also began manufacturing a new category of pleater that was specifically tailored to pleat material for use in filtration. With the co,ncurrent development of the filtration industr): this marked a decisive step fo,r the company into the market of filtration This separation. and market-segment rapidly developed to high volumes and today represents the company’s main area of business. Since the late nineteenth century, the company has expanded year by year growing their share in the market of pleating machines. During this time the company has succeeded in selling a vast number of pleating machines to all continents and therefore can count for the biggest installed base of pleaters world-wide. The path of
F
Rabofsky is marked with a line of world famous products such as the R55, R641164. R88lR188 and R116iR126. Many of these pleating machines can still be found doing their job all around the world providing evidence of their outstanding reliability and durability. This hundred-and-two-year success story is based upon the steady innovation of products that has been the Rabofsky tradition. Since March 1997 a new set of shareholders have been running the comcontinuing the pany, Rabofsky tradition of being the technology leader in the pleating business. The new team has brought new and wider expertise in mechaniengineering cal and automation to the company. The first milestone in this synergy has been the birth of a new generation of pleater. The first model in this generation, the R 178 PC, has the functionality, flexibility and performance that meet all major requirements of its customers. The model exploits all the advantages of PC-controlled technology enabling the operators of this machine to cut preparation times down to a minimum. Keying in and memorising the pleating programs make it simple and fast to change
the production program several times during one shift without the need to change cams or adjust blades. This increases the productivity significantly, when it is necessary to produce different filter-products in small or midsize volumes. The cams and shafts have been replaced by innovative servo-technology for all axles, which can each be individually controlled. This enables the producer of pleated material to create very flexible pleating patterns. The pleating pattern is written like a program, one “pleat-statement” fol-
lowed by the next. The software is based upon the MS Windows 95 or 98 operating system that gives it many more potential features. The technology incorporated in the R 178 PC also makes it easily adaptable for any future improvements allowing integration and networking within a computer controlled production process by simply releasing software upgrades when required. Some of the essential features of this new pleater generation include: After keying in such parameters as any pleat height between 5 to l
Flgoro1: A IlaboMy PC-Controlled Ploatlng Machine
Rabofsky Rotary Pleating Line R126/350 with Pleat Separation and Edge Sealing Equipment 1. Material Decoiler 2. Feed Guides 3. Preheating 4. Scoring Rollers 5. Erecting Rollers 6. HotmeltDistributionon
2000 ca 5600
_ I-
1000
_I_ t-
1500
edge 7. Edge Sealing Unit with
beardtransport 6. HotmeltUnit 9. SeparationControl
Equipment
1
Flgnm2: Schnatic Dmwln#of the RabofskyRotaryPleatingLineR126/350
1OOmm plus the media thickness, the pleater is able to automatically adjust itself within the space of one minute, i.e. the knives, the pressure plate and the entry table are positioned accordingly. A read-out on the monitor confirms the new parameters so that the process can be fully controlled. Separate drives for the top and bottom knife stroke allow the operator to program any special pattern including M-type or W-type pleats or any other sequence or size of smaller pleats alternating with the main pleats, A small pleat is used in many applications to mark the end of pleat packs making it unnecessary to have to use an extra marking device. In addition, a 50% sized end pleat from the top (M-type) and from the bottom (W-type) provide the ideal overlap for sealing rounded filter packs that can then be moulded into cylindrical filter stars. For sensitive filter media (like glass fibre, membranes, activated carbon media etc.) which tends to break at pleat crowns, there is additional software available for preselecting careful softknife ware-controlled movements (soft-touch). Alternatively, a heavyduty version of the R178 PC is available for up to a working width of 1300 mm (subject to
media test) including super-reinforcements for heavier wire mesh combination in cuts or material combinations coming from rolls. Powerful, maintenancefree Lenze AC-servomotors in conjunction with an optimised and windows-based software package provides for higher speed as compared to old cam-driven pleaters. Peripherals, like heating and cooling combinations, decoilers, slitters, cross cutters and pleat pitching and gluing solutions round up the range of accessories that can be added to the pleaters to adapt them for specific production tasks. All parameters can be saved in the PC for re-calling, and an additibnal pleat height control feature is optionally available, which means that significant reductions in wastage rates and reproduction times can be achieved. Rounding up this report about Rabofsky’s latest developments is a focus on two examples of special applications of the pleaters in typical growth markets, where the advantages of the R178 PC pleater in respect to flexibility and careful media treatment are highlighted.
bon media and PES Fleece are ideally pleated and treated by the PC-controlled knife pleater R178 PC because of its special features as cited above. Step b: The pleated packs, which can have a length of up to 2 m, are manually fed into a separate pleat pitching device where an exchangeable magazine consisting of top and bottom worm gears and web guides pulls the pleats into this unit. An equally defined pleat distance can then be established. For each defined pleat pitch, between 5 and 15 mm, a quick-change magazine is required. Magazines are available, subject to media quality, for adjustable pleat heights from 10 to 50 mm and from minimum pack width 50 mm up to a maximum width of 350 mm. Step c: An automatic edgesealing device that follows the pitching unit achieves the fixing of the defined pleat pitch. Endless strips of board or filter media, already cut to size (according to pleat height) and wound on separate rolls, are fed into a glue application nozzle (slot adjustable to required width of strips), which is part of a hot melt applicator. After sealing, the pleat packs can subsequently be transported for other processing operations like cutting to size, foaming into cassettes etc.
CABIN AIR OR POLLEN FILTER APPLICATIONS
MASS PRODUCTION OF PLEATED FILTER MEDIA
Step a: Multilayer or com-
pound media, like “Meltblown” plus activated car-
This example concerns the mass production of pleated
filter media. In this case the Rotary Pleating Machine is utilised with integrated pitch control and edge sealing facilities. The machine is for use with single or laminated material. With the Rotary type Pleating Machine R126/350 (working width max. 350 mm) or R126/600 (working width 600 mm) with scoring and erecting rollers, a range of pleat heights between 12 mm and 50 mm can be produced with a high media running speed of approx. 50 metres/min. Each pleat size requires a set of rollers consisting of one top and one bottom roller, each with blades and slots according to pleat size requirements. For a swift change of roller sets a special magazine is available. The pitch control and edge sealing with hot melt as referred to in example 1 is in this case integrated within the pleating line. Additional equipment, for example, semi or fully automatic material decoilers with roll exchange, splicing table and material buffer, are available. The schematic drawing shows a rotary line with pitching device. (Figure 2) For any future information about the new pleater generations and peripherals from Rabofsky kindly contact the manufacturer direct/y at: Karl Rabofsky GmbH, Motzener Str 10 A, D- 12277, Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 7 2 140 69; Faw: +49 30 7 22 45 79.