While most people might not be aware of what strip guiding systems are, they are extremely beneficial when working with metal and in the manufacturing industry.
1. They Keep the Strips Aligned.
When metal is going through processes at a high rate of speed, it’s essential for it to stay aligned. If it doesn’t, then it can damage or destroy either portions of the machines in the shop or entire machines. Generally, high line speed is that which is above 15 meters per second, which translates to roughly 33 miles per hour. Let’s say that the strips you’re currently making are 600 mm wide and 5 mm thick. Assuming the strip is 10 meters long, it comprises 0.1059 cubic feet. Steel weighs 490 pounds per cubic foot, meaning that a strip that size weighs a little more than 51 pounds. That much weight flying at 33 mph can cause significant damage to anything it hits even if it’s a mill. Therefore, your strip guiding system has to be exactingly adjusted to ensure that the strip stays where it’s supposed to stay.
2. They Ensure Better Quality.
A well-aligned strip guiding system doesn’t just protect the metal strips and the machines of the shop, but it also ensures the quality of the items being made with them. Some processes require tight tolerances, so the fine adjustment of the guiding system is necessary to achieve those tolerances, which are sometimes as little as 4 thousandths of an inch. With so little “wiggle room,” the well-honed strip guiding system is an integral part of the machining process. The tight tolerances required in this kind of machining mean that without the right attention to detail, you might wind up making a great many defective pieces. In the 21st century, these systems are generally automated because the programming can react much quicker than a person can. The automation enables the strip guiding systems to be more accurate, as well, because the computer can catch the imperfections in real-time even as the strips are zipping by at 33 mph.
3. They Can Be Custom Built.
Not every company will be making strips of the same size. The example given in the first paragraph was only for illustration. Strips are used to make coils and other similar objects, and they can be virtually of any size. You can have your strip guiding system built to the specifications you need to be able to fashion the strips and other materials the way you want. Some of these machines can also be adjusted to suit your purposes, making them a flexible and required part of your machining processes. You can also pick different sets of actuators, sensors, and other components for your strip guiding system and the rest of the machine shop. A custom-built system also contributes to the comprehensive efficiency of your business because it’s one of the fundamental systems in any machine shop.
Overall, strip guiding systems help control the quality assurance of your machine shop’s production of strips and the items that contain those strips.
