SplitMaster cools down surfaces to temperatures as low as -70°C quickly and efficiently. Partial cooling is also possible. Being able to reach such low temperatures quickly has advantages when cleaning contaminated surfaces and separating bonded parts, for example. The bond areas of the components are made brittle by the freezing temperatures, which enables easy separation.
Removal of a glued-in bronze bushing SplitMaster, mycon's new cooling process, has been an immediate success in its first application in the field of extrusion lines at a renowned manufacturer of elastomer components for various sectors: Print cylinders, industrial rollers, and elastomer mouldings.
The roller manufacturer has multiple extrusion plants. Tecuma Systems GmbH from Osnabrück supports them in product optimization in the Roller Production division.
The manufacturer was experiencing repeated faults on a new extrusion plant. The large bronze bearing bushings with a max. bearing seat tolerance of 2/100 – 4/100 mm for the central tube, with an outer dimension of 380 mm, are firmly bonded with the outer tube. At times, the central tube got so jammed in the bearing bushing that the 30 kW drive motor was unable to move the central tube. This meant that the bearing bushing needed to be removed so that the plant manufacturer KM could check it and rectify any damage. To enable this, the central tube first had to be dismantled. Tecuma Systems required a way to remove the bonded bearing bushing without destroying it.
Mr. Meyer, Managing Director of Tecuma Systems, had found out from LinkedIn that mycon's new SplitMaster system enabled the non-destructive loosening of bonded joints using a newly developed chilling technology. Afterwards, the central tube and brass bushing could be easily checked, inspected, and overhauled by long-term partner Haberland Zerspanungstechnik GmbH.
Mr. Meyer/Tecuma Systems, short description of company like that given above:
Tecuma Systems GmbH is a globally active company in the field of packaging technology (reel slitters, roller handling) and special applications as well as in technical production consulting for small and medium-sized businesses.
Mr. Meyer/Tecuma Systems
"The new mycon SplitMaster procedure won over everyone involved and saved a significant amount of time. In future, we'll know to use SplitMaster straight away if we need it."
The challenge
When work started, it transpired that the central tube of the plant was so jammed in the bearing bushing that it was not possible to remove the central tube using a press cylinder with a pressing force of up to 10 t, despite major efforts and lots of time spent attempting it. This resulted in a new requirement for the use of SplitMaster. The bonding of the bearing bushing with the outer tube needed to be chilled to around -50°C to make the bonding agent brittle enough for it to no longer effectively bond the parts. Since the bearing bushing was not accessible in this case, SplitMaster had to apply its chilling power through the wall of the central tube and through the 8 mm wall of the bushing over the entire surface of the bond.
The solution
SplitMaster was able to master this challenge in less than three minutes of exposure time. In this short amount of time, the chilling effect made the bonding agent brittle enough to render its bond ineffective. In addition, the outer dimension of the bearing bushing shrank by around 0.50 mm. The bearing bushing could be pressed out effortlessly along with the central tube while the chilling process was still ongoing. The bearing bushing could then be freed from the central tube, too.
Afterwards our long-standing partner Haberland Zerspanungstechnik GmbH was able to easily measure and revise the central tube and the brass bushes.
The material-friendly use of SplitMaster saved a considerable amount of time here for what would have otherwise been a violent, destructive separation.
mycon is working with the University of Paderborn and the Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences to further develop this process. The main objective is to facilitate the separation of bonded car body parts. However, the SplitMaster method has potential uses in many industrial sectors, and mycon is open to collaboration in all areas in this regard.