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On-Line Gauging Brings Big Benefits to Coating Operation As printed in Paper, Film & Foil Converter Magazine A beta gauge measurement system from NDC Infrared Engineering means efficiency and consistency on Adchem Corp.'s coating line Since its founding with a single coating machine in 1966, Adchem Corp., a manufacturer of
adhesive tapes headquartered in Westbury, NY, has prided itself on providing customers with a quality product at a fair price. "We believe in understanding the customer's needs and developing relationships and partnerships," says
national sales manager Lou Falletta, who has worked from the beginning with company founder Joe Pufahl. Now a mid-sized company best known for its double-coated adhesive tapes, Adchem produces a variety of single-coated,
double-coated, and transfer tape products for a range of industries, including automotive equipment, graphic arts, paper trade, construction, electronics, and business supplies. The tapes are used for fastening, binding,
laminating, mounting, holding, and splicing. The company, which has a manufacturing facility in Riverhead, NY, as well as the one at company headquarters, also has the capability to custom-coat virtually any web, including films,
nonwovens, paper, metal foils, vinyls, and foam. (Material suppliers are proprietary.) But, says director of marketing Ray Ciamaga, "We can't be everything to everybody. We pick select markets and then spend considerable time
studying their requirements." Once Adchem decides to enter a market, it focuses on dominating that market subsegment. To achieve that end, Ciamaga adds, "We invest whatever it takes in technology and equipment to make us strong
in the segment." Indeed, over the past three years the company has revamped much of it production process, upgrading its converting and coating application machines, adding slitting capacity, and integrating additional on-line
gauging for increased process and quality control. It is in this last area that NDC Infrared Engineering has played a key role. "The demands of our customers mean that we have to explore the very latest technology," observes John
Praitano, the Westbury plant manager. To meet the need for increased customization, Adchem has increased its slitting capacity, allowing it to produce any specialized width required by a customer. The company can supply adhesive
tape in long-length spools, enabling end users to reduce the downtime associated with roll changes. Additionally, single- and double-coated tapes are produced in sheet form for many specialty applications. Details of slitting and
sheeting equipment are proprietary. Fresh Approach to Gauging In addition to increasing its manufacturing flexibility, Adchem has invested in improved
production efficiency and product consistency. When Praitano joined the company three years ago, he set out to improve the coating process as well. "I wanted to be able to
deposit the coating more precisely and to have a line that was more amenable to incorporating on-line gauging," he says. To that end, Praitano worked with a small company to design a line that incorporated some
proprietary coating methods. "I influenced the design based on experience I had, " says Praitano, a 30-year industry veteran. For on-line gauging, Praitano selected a beta gauge measurement system from NDC
Infrared Engineering for its production line. The NDC Infrared gauge is designed for on-line thickness and weight measurement of continuous web processes. Praitano reports that,
since the NDC Infrared system takes a fresh approach to The approach required a rethinking of old assumptions about the source size, data processing, and mechanical engineering. And since NDC Infrared
Engineering was able to lower the size and weight of the source shielding because the radiation output was so much lower, it was able to develop a
compact scanning frame that is completely maintainable by the user, Praitano explains. Why Beta?
Adchem chose a beta technology approach to on-line gauging, and specifically NDC Infrared Engineering, for several reasons. "We wanted beta from
the beginning," Praitano recalls. "We felt the technology would provide the response and control performance Adchem wanted without scan speed
limitations. Moreover, we wanted to read the wet area of the web rather than the dry area as well as to automatically and remotely control coating weight."
The NDC Infrared beta gauge measurement system had several important features that appealed to Adchem. "The source is a very low millicurie
source, so you don't have the radiation hazards some other units have," Praitano notes. Indeed, Praitano had the opportunity to work with NDC
Infrared Engineering in the overall design and installation of the system. The unit's easy-to-use touch screen control console was also a significant feature, Praitano recalls.
Finally, Praitano says, "It was an economic decision." For example, NDC Infrared's frame design eliminated the need for an expensive service contract.
Prior to installation, John Bell, an Adchem plant engineer, visited NDC Infrared Engineering for a week of hands-on training. The system was installed in a three-day period, and plant personnel received an additional four-hour
training session. "Within a week we were comfortable with the unit, and we were working with new information, targets, and
gauge factors," says Praitano. Although plan personnel initially operated the system in a manual mode, they now use the closed-loop feature that allows for fully automated operation.
Praitano reports that they payoff of the new line and gauging system was immediate. "There have been multiple benefits-improved product quality, product consistency, and cost reduction."
The improvements are easily documented, since Adchem uses the NDC Infrared Engineering Aiding in SPC
The NDC Infrared Engineering on-line beta system
also has other features that Adchem will probably make use of in the future. "Although we use
many of the system features, we have not fully exploited all of its statistical process control capabilities," Praitano remarks. Nevertheless, continually
improving the management of production information is high on Praitano's priority list, and SPC is a central element of that progress. Praitano also has
his eye on new technology that could advance other aspects of the production process. "We are always looking for the state-of-the-art equipment as
we move forward," he says. Adchem is looking at drying and coating technology as well as technology that can be used to bolster specific aspects
of the converting and coating processes. The company recently added a second NDC Infrared Engineering on-line beta gauge measurement system
. "We at Adchem have a vision about how to do business in the 21st century and how we can reach the next plateau," says Lou Falletta. This strategy
includes branching out into new markets and servicing existing markets with improved product quality. "We have to move on a broad front with new
product development," adds Ciamaga. "To sustain our growth, we have to be successful I a number of projects. Our objective is to meet out customers' expectations the first time, every time."
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Korins Co.,Ltd.
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