PLC Control 4 Roll Rubber Cord Fabric Calender Machine

Rubber calender is an essential equipment used in the manufacturing process of rubber and plastic products. It is a heavy-duty and high-precision machine that plays a critical role in the field of rubber and plastic machinery. In this article, we will provide a detailed overview of the rubber calender.

There are various important components of the rubber calender that warrant discussion.

Working roller: The working roller is the primary component of the calender. Constructed of high-quality alloy steel, the role has a high degree of strength and hardness, which ensures its ability to bear the huge pressure and friction during the calendering process. The surface of the roller is fine-tuned to achieve a high level of surface finish and flatness to ensure the quality of rubber products.

Frame: The frame is used to support and fix other components, such as rollers, transmission devices, and pitch adjustment devices. It needs to have sufficient strength and stability to ensure that the calender will not shake or deform during operation.

Machine base: The machine base consists of a heavy cast iron or steel structure and supports and carries the entire calender equipment. Its construction allows for equipment weight dispersion and smooth equipment operation.

Transmission device: The transmission device transmits power to the roller, allowing it to rotate at set speeds. The transmission device is composed of components such as motors, reducers, couplings, transmission shafts, etc. Its performance levels directly impact the working efficiency and stability of the calender machine.

Speed and distance adjustment device: The speed adjustment device can adjust the roller speed according to process-specific requirements, meeting the various demands of rubber calendering. Meanwhile, the distance adjustment device adjusts the spacing between rollers to control the rubber product's thickness.

Roller heating and cooling device: During the rubber calendering process, heating or cooling of the roller is necessary to ensure the plasticity of the rubber and product quality. The heating process typically involves steam or electric heating methods, while cooling methods include air and water cooling, among others.

Lubrication system: The lubrication system offers lubrication for various movable parts of the calender, lowering friction and wear and increasing the equipment's lifespan. The lubrication system features oil pumps, oil pipes, filters, lubrication points, among other components.

Emergency stop device: If the calender faces abnormal conditions during operation, such as roller jamming or transmission device failure, the emergency stop device can cut off power supply immediately, halting equipment operation and avoiding accidents.

The heated mixed rubber is squeezed and stretched through the gap between two or more rollers, rotating and horizontally mounted, forming semi-finished products such as films. While this occurs, the rubber's molecular structure changes, improving plasticity, with precise control of thickness, width, and other dimensions of the rubber.

There are multiple classification methods of the rubber calender, including:

By the number of rollers:

• Two-roll calender
• Three-roll calender
• Four-roll calender

By process use:

• Sheeting calender
• Rubber rubbing calender
• General calender
• Profile calender
• Laminating calender
• Steel wire calender

Various parameters indicators offer an excellent assessment of the rubber calender's performance, including:

• Roller linear speed, expressed in "m/min"
• Speed range
• Speed ratio

During the operation of the rubber calender, there are several key operational stages to consider:

• Preparation before starting
• Feeding operation
• Adjustment of the calendering process
• Stop operation

Maintaining the rubber calender is critical to ensuring machinery longevity, achieving peak performance and quality. Consider the following maintenance requirements:

• Daily maintenance
• Regular maintenance
• Troubleshooting

The rubber calender has a number of key features which make it an essential machine in the production of various rubber products:

• The calender works by rotating multiple rollers which exert pressure on the rubber material, resulting in it becoming stretched and thinner, and producing a more uniform thickness. There are various roller configurations available, such as two-roller, three-roller, four-roller, etc.
• A key structural feature is the roller itself, which is made from high-quality steel. It needs to have high levels of hardness, strength, and good thermal conductivity, as well as being very accurate in order to ensure that the quality of the calendered products is high.
• The calender comes equipped with a comprehensive transmission system, which is able to control the speed of the rollers. This ensures that different calendering speeds and speed ratios can be achieved, meeting the production needs of the rubber manufacturer.
• Another key feature is the spacing device which can adjust the spacing between the rollers to ensure that rubber materials of varying thicknesses can be calendered effectively.

Precision control is another benefit of using a rubber calender. The machine is able to accurately control the thickness, width and other important dimensional parameters of rubber sheets or profiles. The thickness tolerance can be closely controlled, usually to within a range of approximately ±0.02mm.

Temperature regulation is also an important factor in the calendering process. Most rubber calenders come with roller heating or cooling functions. This is to ensure that the roller is kept at the right temperature for the plasticization and molding of the rubber. The temperature control system can help to maintain the roller at a working temperature of between 50℃ and 150℃.

Efficiency is an important aspect of any production machine, and the rubber calender delivers in this respect. The calender is able to operate continuously, and can process a large quantity of rubber raw materials quickly and efficiently, so that they can be produced to specific specifications. The hourly output will vary according to the machine model and the process being used. Smaller machines may be capable of producing several tons of rubber products per hour, while larger options may be able to produce tens of tons.

The rubber calender has a diverse range of applications, and is used in the production of various rubber products, including tires, conveyor belts, rubber sheets and seals, as well as in other processing links associated with raw materials.

The operation process of the rubber calender involves various steps, starting from preparation before starting, start-up operation, calendering process operation, and shutdown operation.

The preparation before starting includes several checks to ensure that the components are securely connected and not damaged. The surface of the rollers should be smooth and free from debris. The rubber raw materials and auxiliary materials such as additives and fillers should be prepared accurately and uniformly mixed. The roller speed, spacing, and working temperature parameters should be set in the control system to meet the specifications and process requirements of the rubber products.

In the start-up operation, the transmission system of the calender should be turned on to allow the roller to rotate slowly, and the temperature control system should preheat the roller gradually to the appropriate temperature range while continuously monitoring temperature changes.

The calendering process operation includes feeding the rubber raw materials slowly and evenly into the feed port between the rollers while paying attention to the molding of rubber products. The quality of the calendered rubber products should also be continuously checked.

The shutdown operation should be carried out by stopping feeding the rollers, allowing the roller to cool gradually, stopping the transmission system of the calender, and cleaning the equipment thoroughly for maintenance and preparation for the next start-up.