NEW LIFE FOR OLD GODETS: Top Quality from Yesterday's Machines at a Fraction of New Machine Cost
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Fiber producers today face a double-edged sword. To capture new business, and keep existing customers, they must beat the competition on quality. But how can they invest in quality improvements when their profit margin is being squeezed by low prices? One answer is to leverage existing capital machinery with updated technology. And the best technology bargains are in instrumentation. Here's why. First, electronic circuitry has leap-frogged ahead at lightning speed, thanks in part to digital circuit design, driven by the computer industry. Just look at how fast today's top dog PC becomes yesterday's news as faster, more sophisticated designs are introduced. Second, unlike capital intensive machinery investments, instrumentation investments are much smaller, and much less painful on tight budgets. Instrumentation upgrades not only improve machinery performance, they extend the useful life of the machinery, postponing the major capital investment for new equipment. And, instrumentation upgrades can be integrated quickly into the production process, minimizing the downtime and maximizing the return on investment. Rotary temperature transmitters are excellent targets for instrumentation upgrades on existing spin draw machinery. Aging analog transmitters frequently hamper the process control system by inaccurately transmitting roll temperatures, reducing product quality. And their higher-than-acceptable failure rates decrease production capacity. If you are running rotary temperature transmitters that are even 5 years old, you are likely missing a significant opportunity to improve your process control and ultimately, your product quality. If your transmitters are over 10 years old, the combination of lower maintenance costs and increased production capacity will payback an upgrade in as little as 18 months. What's so special about the new generation of transmitters? The introduction of digital electronics provides higher precision and most importantly, long term stability for these circuits, even in the harsh, hot vibratory environment of a fiber plant. Stability (and therefore repeatability, a critical requirement for consistent yarn) is the greatest benefit of digital designs. Digital transmitters don't drift over time or with temperature changes like analog transmitters do. Upgrading the rotary temperature transmitters on a spin draw line is a minor expense compared to installing a line of new machinery. And that makes it an acceptable investment for today's tight budgets. The result is improved yarn quality, required to stay competitive in the marketplace. And the short payback quickly converts investment to profit.
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Conclusion:
In the current market of low prices and depressed margins, fiber producers are reluctant to make the large investment new machinery requires. However, smart manufactures will invest smaller amounts to update instrumentation because it decreases production costs and increases quality and production capacity, restoring their margins and competitive edge in the market.
Binsfeld Engineering Incorporated, 4571 West MacFarlane Road, Maple City, MI 49664. Tel: 231-334-4383; Fax: 231-334-4903.