"What You Need in a Clutch"
Application
Tension control for wire coating application.
Products Used
The Ogura Magnetic Particle OPB and OPC Series.
Size Used
Will depend upon tension required in the application.
Description of Operation
The wire is pulled from the unwind roll and goes through a heating unit, the plastic coating is put on the wire which is then placed in the cooling bath. The wire is then rewound on the winding roll.
Reason for Selection of Mag-Particle
Mag-particle clutches and brakes provide an accurated control of tension in all types of winding applications. This particular application is coating steel wire used for orchard trellises. The wire is coated with nylon to prevent rust which otherwise would contaminate fruit. As the roll diameter increases the torque to the mag-particle clutch and brake varies depending upon roll diameter. This variation in torque allows for constant tension control during the rewinding and unwinding phases.
Other Applications
Almost any type of wire coating application uses tension control in both the unwind and rewind phases. Some applications use DC drives to accomplish this but are still substantial number of manufacturers of wire drawing equipment that use mag-particle clutches and brakes.