Manual Horizontal Tire Spray Machine
Customer, Challenge & Risks
Our customer was a global tire manufacturer who was facing the common challenge of tires sticking to the bladder during the curing process. What made this case unique was the fact they already had several of our automatic spray machines. He was looking for a portable piece of equipment that could be placed out next to the conveyors feeding the automated machines. This way, when the automatic sprayers were taken down for routine maintenance, the plant still had a short-term plan to process the tires coming down the conveyors. Another challenge was that this unit needed to be a portable machine that could be easily moved from line to line which required a self-contained exhaust and filtration system.
Solution
Thankfully, our customer was familiar with Pioneer Industrial Systems since they already had our high-speed automatic dial spray machines. A sales engineer was on-site within a week to further understand the challenges, constraints, and requirements of the system. Due to the manual load and unload, this portable unit would only be used on passenger tires, which lead Pioneer to use the HTS100i design.
Our engineers have been working with the tire industry since the late 1980s, so we understood the importance of keeping the mold release inside the tire and what a mess the overspray could make. We also used our history of spray booth projects to provide a three-sided open face spray booth that included many other benefits. After providing the customer with a proposal that highlighted our prior experience with tire spraying technology and collection, along with low-cost and portability, the unit was approved and a purchase order was issued.
Pioneer started its defined Machine Building Process. After the customer runoff and training at our facility, the machine was shipped. Since the unit was self-contained and designed to be portable, installation was not needed. They simply put it in place, plugged it in power and hooked up to plant air. The customer was given support documents, a spare parts list, and was well taken care of after shipment.
Outcomes of Success
Overall, the project was very successful. The system was shipped and installed by the customer. The spray was contained with minimal to no overspray getting outside of the spray booth. The plant engineer was involved throughout the project, so he was always aware of status, any obstacles, and felt comfortable through the entire design and build process. Mold release consumption was controllable and containable, which was a substantial cost savings in both material consumption and labor involved. The primary purpose of allowing production to continue was achieved.
The machine performed quite well as a manual loaded automatic spray booth that was portable, could be moved around as needed, and allowed the customer to maintain production while taking down any of the high-speed spray cells for routine maintenance.
