Shaking up productivity
July 1st 2008

Tube manipulation experts HLP Tube Formers of Caerphilly has introduced finishing, deburring and drying equipment from PDJ Vibro improving throughput and product quality

HLP predominantly manufactures steel tube work for the automotive, construction and sports sectors as well as hydraulic applications. Bottlenecks were encountered in its deburring and cleaning department and with over 250,000 tubes manufactured monthly – bottlenecks are not acceptable.

When HLP Tube Formers managing director Garry Page was specifically looking for a solution to solve the bottleneck he found PDJ Vibro. As Page comments: "We were using barrel finishing machines that were labour intensive and time consuming and loading and unloading was painstaking. We used to put the parts into boxes that were then emptied into the barrel finisher. Once processed the parts fell from the barrel back into boxes that were then dipped into a vat of liquid inhibitor that coated the parts to prevent corrosion. Following dipping, the boxes would be left for up to an hour for the parts to drip dry. Looking back we don't know how we managed." The introduction of the EVP-RA 550 vibratory finisher and EVK350 vibratory dryer now sees the parts placed firstly into the EVP-RA 550 vibratory finisher. This deburrs and cleans the parts.

Eliminating the bottleneck, the EVP-RA 550 is at least 15% more productive than the previous two machines combined while being quieter than its predecessors. Making the EVP-RA 550 more efficient by reducing the laborious load and un-load operation is the ability of the finishing machine to deliver the parts directly into the EVK350 vibratory dryer. Parts are moved directly from the EVP-RA 550 by conveyor into the EVK350 without operator intervention.

Once parts are transferred to the EVK350 the machine removes oil and swarf remnants to completely dry the parts without having to leave the parts stand to drip dry – as the company previously did.

The EVK350 separates HLP's 6 to 65mm diameter tubes from the Maize granules with its integrated ramp, leaving the parts to be caught in boxes ready for further processing operations or dispatch. The heating system in the Maize dryer delivers the parts to boxes in less than 30 minutes, a processing reduction of 50% compared to the previous drip dry method.

Following the success of both PDJ Vibro machines, HLP Tube Formers purchased a second finishing machine to accommodate increasing capacity levels. The third addition, an EVP-A 350 vibratory finisher has a high abrasive efficiency that delivers surface finishes to HLP Tube Formers products. With continuously adjustable vibration controls, the EVP-A 350 comfortably and rapidly processes all the parts that HLP put through the machine.