Why do we need to perform maintenance frequently?
In the world of plastics, there are countless processes to transform raw materials into finished products for various applications. Companies acquire PVC equipment that allows them to meet their production targets and ensures a finished product that complies with market demands.
Understanding that PVC equipment should ideally be in continuous operation, as downtime represents a cost to the company, these machines experience constant wear. Therefore, maintenance shutdowns must usually be planned well in advance, unless an urgent repair is required.
In some companies, preventive maintenance programs do not even exist, and only essential or routine repairs are carried out to keep the equipment running. What is often overlooked is that, without thorough maintenance, operational activity becomes more complicated over time, making it harder for the production manager to meet objectives. Since these repairs are not considered urgent and involve high costs, the common saying applies: “If it works, why fix it?”
What does PVC do to our equipment?
In the case of PVC, it should be noted that this material is highly corrosive due to the hydrogen chloride (HCl) it emits, and depending on the formulation used, it can cause significant frictional wear on the equipment. For example, various types of mineral fillers are employed to provide PVC with structure, ductility, and cost reduction, where hardness and particle size play an important role in machinery wear.
In a rigid PVC formula for sanitary piping, the gap between the screw and barrel in the extruder gradually widens over time, making proper material fusion more difficult. Without PVC equipment in optimal condition, the company must compensate by adding lubricants to improve fusion, which in turn increases formulation costs. It would likely be of interest to the production manager to compare the benefits of regular major maintenance versus the additional costs from formulation adjustments.
Of course, there are tricks to minimize the aforementioned problem. It's common to see customers reduce the extrusion speed to increase the residence time of the material in the equipment. Adding mesh to compensate for the compression required in the process is also common.
Another very common issue is that injection and/or extrusion equipment lacks ammeters or pyrometers to guide the operator and ensure they are working within ideal parameters. This not only complicates the operator's task, causing frequent machine stoppages and requiring constant adjustments to process conditions, but also significantly increases process losses.
To make matters worse, many companies acquire used equipment and continue these poor practices, which only complicate operations. Furthermore, the failure to perform thorough and proper maintenance raises the possibility of hidden defects that even the company is unaware of.
In summary, we recommend implementing a preventive maintenance program for your PVC equipment and identifying unplanned repairs to strengthen this area. This will help reduce hidden costs and improve the profitability of your operations.
At Chemical Additives, our technicians recommend conducting on-site trials with our clients to anticipate any such issues, communicate them effectively, and provide a product that is tailored to their needs and process.
We invite you to learn more about PVC by clicking here. HERE.
Chemical Additives SA de CV.