Page 43 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 3-2021

With plunger cooling systems being a must for many

automatic presses, GMP&A recently contacted FAMOR

for some first-hand impressions on the advantages of the

company’s new automatic plunger cooling system.

DESCRIPTION OF In practice, maximum tempera-
ing area itself. Other pain points FUNCTIONALITY ture fluctuations from the rated
come with air current adjustments, A thermocouple element value have been verified to never
which are entirely left to the skill gets inserted into the plunger exceed 10°C. Here, even under
and experience of the operator. S/ to measure temperature near its such unfavourable conditions as
he will usually set the temperature outer wall at a spot where contact those of borosilicate glass, the
to the lowest possible level, given is made between the plunger and fluctuations -as read off the regu-
that an overheated plunger will the glass. The values recorded are lating unit- will just slightly exceed
likely stick to the glass and even then checked and processed by that tolerance level. Any short-
need dismantling – all to the detri- an electronic unit which regulates term interruption of the working
ment of glass quality, which comes proportions. Should temperature cycle has only a modest effect
best when temperature is at its exceed what’s been preselected, upon cooling, given that it will
highest. Here, too, quality is nega- the cooling medium is passed to be instantly cut-off in the event
tively affected yet further by una- the plunger, with supply inter- of temperature dropping below
voidable fluctuations in plunger rupted only once the plunger has the rated value. Soft water leav-
temperature. cooled again and the temperature ing the plunger is then evacuated
has dropped below the rated value. by a hose. As for the two IN and
NEW COOLING SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
To best avoid the above-
mentioned disadvantages, an
improved plunger cooling system
would need to offer the following
features:
Maintenance of a constant
plunger temperature at a given
level;
Lowering of noise pitch to
acceptable indices;
Reduction of running costs
using water as cooling medium;
Plunger cooled from within;
Reduction in technical meas-
ures to be taken, with neces-
sary investments brought to a
reasonable level;
Guaranteed automatic monitor-
ing of the plunger temperature.
For Famor Engineering,
these mandatory requirements
have resulted in development of
the APCS (Automatic Plunger
Cooling System) which, in prac-
tical applications, has proved
itself exceptional.