ABB MEASUREMENT & ANALYTICS Web tension systems

ABB MEASUREMENT & ANALYTICS Web tension systems

Mini series PillowBlock load cells

Bringing quality and reliability to

the measurement of web tension

Introduction

ABB’s Pressductor® load cells are sensitive and

accurate yet rugged, reliable and compact.

They can withstand high overloads and vibrations,

and operate over a wide range of tensions: ideal

for any web converting application such as coating,

laminating, printing, slitting winding/unwinding

and many others. The well-proven Pressductor

load cells combined with the tension electronics,

offer an easy to use/user-friendly web tension

measurement system with superior long term

performance leading to higher productivity

and product quality and higher profit for the

converter.

Increased process uptime

In a web process running continuously, every

minute of production time is precious. Even so,

no production line runs without downtime.

With Pressductor Mini PillowBlock load cells the

risk of web breaks can be reduced to a minimum,

thus leaving as much time as possible for real

production. Thanks to a strong and stable signal

deriving from the Mini PillowBlock load cells,

the upcoming web breaks are kept to an absolute

minimum level.

Tighter product tolerances

The ability to produce web to tighter tolerances

minimizes the costs associated with non-conforming

web. It also increases the web producer’s accessible

market to include products with tighter tolerance

requirements. 

Minimize maintenance

Share the experience, of virtually maintenance-free

load cells, with thousands of other Mini PillowBlock

users. A robust load cell design with no fragile

or ageing components makes this possible.

Thanks to its robust design, the Mini PillowBlock

load cells work consistently for many years

without any need for maintenance.

Fast access to support and service

ABB provides customers with superior distinctive

after sales service that really differentiates from

the competition. You obtain advanced solutions

to problems, service and professional consultation

through our after sales service program. Expert

engineers with extensive experience of all types

of Force Measurement products are available

to assist you through our world-wide network.

There is a Mini series PillowBlock load cell

suitable for most web processing machinery

used in the converting, printing, plastic film,

textiles, and other industries.

In the converting industry, the Mini series

PillowBlock load cells are ideal on machinery for

coating, laminating, embossing and many other

processes.

• Mini series PillowBlock systems are used on a wide

range of printing presses – in both converting

and commercial printing as well as newspaper

and magazine production.

• In the plastics industry, Mini series PillowBlock

Systems are used to optimize the production

and processing of blown and cast film.

• And in the textiles industries, machinery

applications include nonwovens production

as well as finishing operations like bleaching,

desizing, dyeing, and printing.

• In all web processing areas, Mini series PillowBlock

systems are used on the full range of winding

machinery, from unwinders to slitter-rewinders.

The Pressductor difference

Like ABB’s other load cells based on Pressductor

technology, Mini series PillowBlock load cells

rely on electromagnetic changes in the transducer,

not on physical movement, to sense fluctuations

in web tension. The Pressductor technology

operating principle provides exceptional

improvements in load cell performance

characteristics, including reliability (notably

absence of drift), durability, repeatability,

and wider measurement range.

• Machined from a solid block of steel, Mini series

load cells are rugged and stiff, affording high

overload protection as well as an extended

measurement range above the nominal load.

And they won’t contribute to machine vibration,

even at high speeds.

• Since the transducer action – the magnetic flux

– takes place inside a steel core, environmental

factors like dirt or fluids can’t degrade

performance and reliability. These stainless

steel load cells don’t require any physical seals.

• Furthermore, low transducer impedance

– less then a couple of ohms – helps eliminate

susceptibility to radio-frequency and

electromagnetic interference.

Mini series PillowBlock load cells

—

Designed to measure either horizontal or vertical forces in both directions

on most types of web processing machinery used in the converting,

plastic film, printing, textiles and other industries

These are some of the qualities that contribute

to the Mini series’ excellent performance:

• Superior Design: ABB’s exclusive Pressductor

technology gives the Mini series PillowBlocks

exceptional sturdiness and makes them highly

tolerant of operating conditions.

• Rugged construction: Machined from a single

block of stainless steel, Mini series PillowBlocks

provide a high level of protection against

overloads and shock impact.

• Immunity to environmental stress: Load cell

performance is unaffected by environmental

factors like dust, fumes, fluids, and radio or

electromagnetic interference. Sealing is not

required.

• Overload endurance: The system can handle

overloads ranging up to 300 % of nominal load

without affecting load cell calibration.

• Extended range: A standard extended range

adds another 50 % to measurement capacity for

more versatile machine operation. Load cells

can be specified for the web’s normal tension

range, but also accommodate occasional peak

loads.

• Wide measurement range: The capacity to

measure web tension variations of up to 30-to-1

provides valuable operating flexibility in

processing a wide range of applications.

• Vibration-free: High spring constant and low

physical deflection reduce any contributions

to machine vibration to negligible levels,

even at high operating speeds.

Designers appreciate:

• Remarkably high spring constant

• Wide measurement range

• High reliability

Operators value a load cell with:

• No drift

• No recalibration

• No failures

• High reliability

Extended-range operation

An extended range of measurement beyond the

nominal load allows the Mini series PillowBlocks

to be sized for normal, as opposed to maximum,

tension levels. As a result, they permit greater

application flexibility on the web processing

machinery.

Easy to apply

Standard assemblies of load cells equipped with

top and bottom mounting plates match the overall

sizes of most commonly used types of pillow block

load cells (see drawings below). They provide

for direct substitutions of the UPB series of load

cells as well as others.

The topside adapter plate secures the Mini

Series load cell to the pillow block bearing housing,

and the bottom plate is bolted to the pedestal.

Self-aligning pillow block bearings should be

used in conjunction with the load cells. Standard

pillow block bearings typically are self-aligning,

whereas older, non-standard units may not be.

Simple to size

The size, or nominal load, of a load cell is contingent

on the anticipated force it will measure. When ABB’s

Mini series load cell is mounted horizontally on

a pedestal (the most common arrangement),

the measurement force (FRtot) is a function of the

tension in the web (T) and the deflection angles

(α and β), and for the vertical load cells also the

weight of the roll and bearings (Tare).

Since load cells are typically used at both ends

of a roll, rating the individual cell usually must be

based on half of the resultant force. The ideal size

of ABB load cells is the smallest nominal capacity

rating accommodating that force level, as long as

the force exceeds 10 % of the rating. Before choosing

a larger size, however, consider using the extended

range feature of ABB load cells. FVtot should not

exceed the overload specification for transverse

forces.

In instances where the force component in the

measuring direction is insufficient or non-existent,

the Mini series PillowBlocks can be mounted

at an angle.

PFTL301E