Premier precision engineering companies today undertake the task of not only the production of precision products for diverse industries but they also carry out complex tasks such as laser barrel alignment, gearbox repair and the refurbishment of melt pumps. Precision Products Inc., (PPI) is one of the prominent manufacturers of precision products in the US. It is also well known for carrying out the highly precise jobs referred to as it has the CNC equipment, technical expertise and metallurgical backup.
Extrusion barrel alignment is one of the common uses of laser alignment due to the very fine tolerances that exist between the screw and the extruder barrel. Perfect alignment of the barrel relative to the output shaft of the gearbox will dramatically increase both the life and the output of an extrusion line. It is significant to note that the larger & longer the extrusion screw, the more important is the necessity of proper alignment.
Therefore, a misalignment of 0.060” on a 4” 24:1 screw requires more than 9000lbs force on the screw in order to bend it so that it conforms to the misaligned barrel. This implies that if extrusion barrel alignment is not proper, this large force will mean extra wear on the screw and the barrel. This will reduce the extruder output while both line efficiency and profits will suffer. In extreme cases the misalignment may result in the breakage of the screw.
Laser barrel alignment is the best way to prevent improper alignment. It should be carried out each time the screw is removed and whenever the gearbox is decoupled from the extruder. Laser is at once the most accurate and the fastest way to perform the procedure of alignment with the device that can measure a deviation of less than 0.001”.The alignment task takes 8-10 hours.
