Specialty Products

A manufacturer of specialty machinery required a vacuum hold-down of gasket material on a conveyor belt as material was fed into a punching operation.

 

Southwestern Controls recommended changes to the perforated belt design, so that sufficient vacuum hold-down force could be applied to the gasket material. A high-flow regenerative blower vacuum pump was sized to guarantee sufficient air flow. A vacuum relief valve was sized to control hold-down force.

 

The customer incorporated the following components into the process, following our recommendation:

 

 

Our consultants also assisted in optimizing the final relief valve settings.

A manufacturer of machines used to fabricate neon signs uses a solenoid valve to vent the machine daily. The application required the manufacturer to weld a special flange to the vent valve body. Costly weld failures occurred.

 

Southwestern Controls had GC Valves, one of its valve suppliers, furnish a valve with the needed flange machined integral to the valve body. This eliminated the need for a weld. The new valve significantly reduced the manufacturer’s production and warranty costs.