I have a request to upgrade a couple of machines that I designed and built a few years ago that winds polyester tape onto a drum under controlled tension. The machine has a motorized mandrel that turns a metal drum. A tool platform travels back and forth down the axis controlled so that there is a set ratio of mandrel turns/platform motion. The purpose of the winder is to evenly wrap tape under a controlled tension over top of a raw rubber sheet on the drum. The drum is placed into an autoclave where the rubber is cured. The tape shrinks as the temp/humidity changes. This ensures the rubber cures with no voids.
The existing tensioning system consists of assembly where the 3" wide tape feeds around a 6" rubber roller, through some idler pulleys to the mandrel. The rubber roller is attached to a disc brake. Varying the air pressure to the break pads adjusts tension. The roll of tape has a pretensioner to keep the tape from slipping on the rubber roller.
This system does not work properly and there is a lot of hysteresis in the disc brake. I am thinking of using a DC regen motor in torque mode to pull against the tape. The problems I can see with trying this is that the motor will be continuously running in "brake mode" and heat dissipation will be a big issue. The system will have to supply up to
1000 lbs tension at up to 10 ft/sec.I'm trying to offer options to the user and this is one possibility I thought of. I will be talking to drive manufacture about this.
I thought someone here may have some alternates to suggest and/or systems on the market that they have used before.
What say yea?
Be well,
HoP
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