PKG Equipment Enhances Plastic Fabricating Capabilities

PKG Equipment installed a third thermoplastic sheet butt welding machine in its plastic fabrication department with several advanced technological features. The butt welder has sheet thickness capacities that range from 1/8″ to 2-3/8″ with a working width of 158″. It can also be used to butt weld 90° corners on material over 1/2″ thick.

The operating controls consist of PLC controls allowing for parameter selection by manually setting pressures, welding times and temperature, but there is also a touch screen feature where the operator can input sheet length, sheet thickness and select a standard material from the menu. The machine then automatically calculates and sets all the necessary adjustments with respect to times, temperatures and pressures. The preprogrammed parameters are based on current DVS (German Welding Society) guidelines and include polypropylene, polyethylene, extruded PVC, pressed PVC and PVDF, therefore performing quality controlled welds according to DVS 2208-1. In addition, the PLC interface allows the operator to produce documentation on welding parameters for individual welds.

Another feature is the extension of the memory with parameter sets for customer specific data. Product specific parameter sets, including geometrical data, can be stored and easily retrieved, allowing for considerable minimization of set-up times when changing materials or product types. This is an additional feature to prevent potential operator input errors.