Sica is a well-established Italian producer of downstream equipment for plastic pipes known worldwide. Nevertheless, not all pipe manufacturers are aware that Sica, besides pullers, saws and belling machines, also makes coilers and packaging machines to address the automation of the end of the extrusion lines.

60 years have passed sometimes in calm and sometimes in stormy waters, but always keeping our gaze with the bright light of a lighthouse that guided our navigation. So many people have come and gone, so many stories of work, life, friendship, and collaboration have intertwined and have marked the passage of time.

What has remained and unites us with the founding members, and our predecessors, is honesty, passion for work, enthusiasm for challenges and the desire to always do better to satisfy the customers who trusted us and made us grow.

From a small artisan company, SICA has transformed into an international manufacturer with three sites in Italy, United States of America and India and sales throughout the world.

Thanks to the shareholders for their vision and courage; to employees for their ideas and sense of responsibility; to suppliers for product quality and service reliability; to all those who have supported us and made us known beyond borders; and above all, to customers, who after 60 years of activity, renew their trust in us every day, are an incentive for technological and professional development and help us keep our determination and our enthusiasm.

Nothing is taken for granted, goals are reached with many sacrifices and continuous teamwork, and then they are exceeded; we come out strengthened and looking to the future together with confidence.

On the occasion of our 60th anniversary, an infinite and a heartfelt thanks to all of you!

Valeria Giacomoni
Managing Director – President

Over the last few years, the Artificial Vision (from now on, Vision) has made enormous strides both from the point of view of the improvement of technology (devices and software algorithms) and of economics of scale of its components. All this made it possible to extend the field of application to areas where the use of the Vision was previously considered too expensive or too complicated. Today, this change of scenery is combined with a growing demand for processing quality control systems even on extrusion lines, no longer just upstream, immediately after the extruder, but also downstream where a typical example is the need to control the quality of the "socket" as a result of the thermoforming process to which the pipe is subjected in one of its ends. SICA has always been careful to meet market needs by combining the most advanced technologies with Italian design, and has developed a Vision based quality control system to be applied to its Belling machines or stand-alone to evaluate the quality of the produced sockets and discard those that do not fall within the acceptance thresholds.

The new Sica electric saw model TRKC 160E (for cutting without producing chips or dust up to a diameter 160 mm (6.3″) or optionally up to 168.3 mm (6″ NPS, 6.6″) definitely exceeds all the limits of current hydraulic or pneumatic systems. In fact, inside the new machine, every hydraulic component and every manual adjustment required in the previous versions have been removed completely (such as the positioning of the cutting and counter-arms).

Everything is managed automatically and immediately by defining a few essential parameters from an operating panel, such as the type of extruded material, the diameter and thickness of the pipe. Each movement is electric, therefore silent, precise and extremely repetitive. In particular, for the movement of the cutting arm, the machine has been equipped with an innovative extremely compact servo-actuator which integrates the motor and gear unit, and which guarantees (when compared to other electric actuators available on the market) superior thrust force even at high speeds, impact resistance, complete absence of vibrations and high efficiency – all translate into superior final quality of the cutting process.

This gives complete control of every movement and internal positioning. This versatility therefore allows an automatic positioning adjustment of both the cutting arm and counter-arm, by simply defining the diameter being processed, and now offers greater possibility of an optimal intelligent management of the cutting process, which is prompted directly from the machine's operating panel depending on the selected material to be cut. In fact, different cutting algorithms have been developed to obtain the best performance in terms of cutting quality and execution speed, among which: once the basic parameters of the pipe have been set, the most appropriate to use is automatically selected by the control system.

At the same time, the performance of the machine is maximized, allowing the elimination of handling inertia or delays in the overall cutting time. To cope with any emergency operating conditions (or due to the sudden absence of power), Sica has created an innovative electro-elastic hybrid system (patent-pending) that allows cutting tools to be secured, disengaging them from any pipe in transit and thus overcoming the typical intrinsic limits, from this point of view, of the electrically actuated solutions.

The standard equipment is completed by a touch-screen control display with icons that are easy to interpret and manage, as well as the presence of all safety devices (such as the access doors with interlocked and timed locks) that already constitute standard equipment for Sica cutting machines.

Dear All,

New technologies for processing pipes: K show 1 minute recap. Enjoy!

The global market of HDPE pipes for the transport of pressurized fluids shows a continuous and growing interest in large-diameter thick-walled pipes, considering that lines for pipes with two-meter (6.56 ft.) diameter and wall thicknesses greater than 140 mm (5.5 in.) are already commonplace today. Sica, thanks to over fifty-year of experience in the development and marketing of downstream machinery for plastic pipe extrusion lines, has produced and installed numerous machines dedicated to the haul-off and cutting of large diameter and thickness HDPE pipes.

The new Sica P3500/24 Plus multi-caterpillar haul-off, capable of hauling pipes up to 3.5 m (138 in.) diameter, represents the new technical reference in the downstream machinery world for extremely large HDPE pipe extrusion lines. Despite being able to achieve maximum pulling force equal to 900000N (≈ 200890 lbf) using all its 24 caterpillars, it still guarantees reduced energy consumption thanks to the adoption of high-performance mechanical transmissions and requires minimum level of maintenance.

To confront the oily behavior of polyolefins, all rubber pads of the caterpillars are made with new and special compounds. Their specific anti-wear properties combined with high contact friction, allow highly effective gripping action and a surprising increase in the average life of the pads.

To avoid malfunctioning on these extraordinary dimensions lines, the new haul-off has been equipped with cutting edge management software and specific devices that constantly check the efficiency state of the machine during the pulling phase. Examples of these devices are: redundant encoders for precise speed monitoring, and digital pressure sensors for continuous monitoring of working pressures and caterpillar tensioning force. Moreover, the independent control of each caterpillar makes this machine extremely versatile despite its considerable size and allowing a particularly wide range of processable diameters (from DN2000 to DN3500). Robust pipe supports with electric handling both on entry in and exit from the haul-off complete the standard equipment, making the management of the pipes simplified and safe, despite the sizes and extreme weights.

Ultimately, Sica's proposal for haul-offs for HDPE lines is complete, and combines maximum performance and minimum energy consumption, ease of use and process versatility, operational safety and environmental awareness, all of which are indispensable today.

 Video - Sica Today

Sica P 3500/24 PLUS haul-off for pulling huge pipe up to 3.5 m (138 in). It reaches pulling force of 900000N (≈ 200890 lbf) when using all its 24 caterpillars, but it requires proportionally little energy and maintenance.

Sica's latest effort to find solutions for reducing processing costs.

More and more people and companies think in terms of savings, sustainability and ecological economics. Sica has helped to save energy, raw materials and to maintain clean and safe the environment with the development of a new range of automatic in line planetary saws: the TRS W series. Available, depending on the tube diameter, in the TRS 160 W, 250 W, 400 W and 500 W versions, they are featured with a technologically innovative and unique system in its kind for cutting and chamfering plastic pipes (PVC-U, ABS and PP) without any removal of material.

The particular architecture and the revolutionary cutting and chamfering method of the machine was patented by Sica (EP2828047B1) and allows the W models to overcome all possible problems related to the production of dust and chips related to classical processes.
On the contrary, in fact, for each saw machine that performs cuts and chamfers by removal of material, the following disadvantages, in a more or less serious manner, are noticed:

• need to equip the machine with a suitable suction/capture/collection system for the dust and chips produced, in conjunction with an appropriate filtration system to avoid powdery emissions in the working environment;
• need for periodic replacement/resharpening of the cutting/chamfer tools as they are subject to natural and progressive wear by abrasion;
• need to shield the internal mechanical parts of the cutting unit (pulleys, belts, bearings, ...) as susceptible to the dust/chips produced;
• need to install a monitoring system to check the efficiency condition of the suction devices (indispensable to ensure the continuous operation of the machine);
• need by the user to implement the appropriate internal measures for the collection, storage and disposal of the dust/chips produced during the cutting/chamfer process.

Sica W type cutter are instead completely free of such inconveniences, as the pipe cut is performed by a simple separation and the chamfer by hot plastic deformation of the material. The related advantages are many, such as:

• complete absence of waste material deriving from the cutting/chamfer process which results in a considerable saving of raw material (which accounts for 80% of the cost of the pipe);
• complete absence of contaminating and polluting dust/chips (extremely favorable condition for the preservation of the degree of cleanliness of the environment and of the saw machine and/or of the following belling machine);
• reduced overall maintenance required by the machine;
• use of a universal and almost nonperishable chamfering tool: the total operating costs are thus drastically reduced due to the absence of worn cutters and to be reground;
• lower noise level of the machine (thanks to the total absence of fans and milling tools in operation);
• superior quality of the machining performed both in terms of surface roughness and regularity;
• complete absence of any problematic related to suction systems of chips/powders such as collection, storage and subsequent disposal.

All models are equipped with electrical synchronization and double belt movement for high dynamics and equipped with cutting on the fly and CNC which ensures in every operating condition the necessary precision of the cut pipe length (± 1 mm). This system in fact allows perfect synchronization of the cutting/chamfering unit with the pipe speed and its consequent accurate positioning at the exact point to be cut/chamfered. The possibility of making "cuts on the fly" (Sica patent EP129515), optimizes the useful stroke provided to the cutting unit, increasing its potential in terms of cuts/chamfers performed.
All models of the range are fitted with touch-screen color operator panel with clear and legible icons, and the remote service option for diagnostics and real-time service on the machine. With this solution Sica gave a clean cut to the issue of chips, powders and plastic filaments providing an "ecological" saw and reducing the production costs for the tubes extrusion.

In recent years Sica has developed applications with anthropomorphic robots for the end of line of extrusion lines with the aim of showing up on the target market even as a "solution provider". By adopting this technology, in fact, depending on the type of problem to be solved, Sica today is able to be very flexible in identifying the best solution for the customer in terms of cost and performance.

Always counting on a large range of automatic machines for the most varied pipe packaging and handling requirements at the end of the line, and thanks to the use of robots, where necessary, Sica has already delivered installations capable of solving problems that once would have required long delivery times and brought significant difficulties in reaching the productivity and reliability levels that this sector requires today. In particular, the company has gained a specific technical know-how in designing the most appropriate gripper to the particular manipulation need and type of pipe.

The reasons that motivated Sica to complete its commercial offer with the anthropomorphic robots technology, beyond the positive aspects highlighted earlier, is the series of obvious advantages listed below:

• flexibility: the anthropomorphic robot allows the handling of pipes of different length, placing them on two separate logistic units, while ensuring a high productivity rate and a high degree of customization according to the operating requirements and space available;
• efficiency: the anthropomorphic handler is characterized by highly efficient electric drive units and minimal maintenance requirements, which, combined with an energy-saving vacuum generator available among Sica's solutions, ensures low operating and maintenance costs, and thus high economic returns;
• compactness: limited dimensions if compared to "traditional" units which would perform the same function;
• simple size changeover: only a small number of size change components required, if compared with traditional automations;
• versatility: possibility of implementing additional functions during the system's life, simply, programming it to perform additonal movements and operations;
• ease of integration: the integration of the robot operation inside of the line, both from the software and safety point of view, is simple and immediate and open to changes during the implementation of the initial project, which commonly occurs.

Especially in the field of pipe packaging and packing at the end of line, the use of robot cells has thus simplified the layout of the lines in many cases, allowing both significant savings in terms of space and an increase in the overall reliability of the system totally for the customer's benefit.

Ultimately, today Sica can design and implement systems that include the use of robots, even of manufacturers that the end customer prefers, relying on a team of engineers and technicians which have an adequate know-how and able to implement these installations all over the world.

Within the sector of automatic systems for pipe coil packaging, also Sica, a company known for its automatic downstream equipment for pipe extrusion lines, produces coilers sold worldwide. In this sector, Sica proposes two main types:

The need for innovative green technology in the plastic pipe production industry capable of guaranteeing high performance, process flexibility and ease of use while allowing reduced energy consumption, has become increasingly pressing and has had a marked influence on the design of the various types of extrusion line machinery, including belling machines.

Sica, a specialized manufacturer of downstream equipment in pipe extrusion lines and keenly aware of the factors outlined above, was the first manufacturer to offer belling machines with an electromechanically operated socket forming unit in place of the conventional hydraulic and pneumatic solutions. The decision to use electrical technology produced several benefits: highly dynamic operation, low noise levels, exceptional precision and repeatability of positioning, total real-time control of process parameters in terms of working strokes and speeds, which is important especially for belling machines that were originally pneumatically operated.

It is very important to notice that no more hydraulic system means a complete transformation and improvement of the production process, thanks to:

• elimination of the functional problems associated with oil, as the temperature-related viscosity variations can affect the response of the regulating system;
• elimination of problems associated with the physical presence of oil which, in the event of leaks, the machine and the surrounding work area become dirty and unsafe for operators, producing a slipping and falling hazard;
• elimination of the environmental problems associated with hydraulic technology, by achieving lower noise levels typically associated with electrical technology and dispensing with the need to dispose of waste hydraulic fluid;
• significantly lower energy consumption, strictly related to the socket forming cycle.

The market responded positively to Sica's newly introduced “Unibell” electric belling machines for PVC-U pipe diameters up to 200 mm and 250 mm. The Unibell belling machines heat the pipe by means of short wave IR heating elements (called IR-SW ovens, or simply “short wave ovens”) that maximize heating efficiency thanks to accurately defined oven geometry, precise distribution of the heating elements, and structural and electrical configuration of each heating element in relation to the specific plastic material to be heated. The many benefits of this system include lower effective energy consumption, compared to the one of the conventional heating systems, because the heating elements operate exclusively during the heating stage and for the time strictly necessary for the pipe to reach the required final thermal conditions. Instead, in conventional ovens, only a minimal part of the energy consumed is used to actually heating the pipe, while the remainder is used to keep the oven at its working temperature or it is simply lost in the environment. With sales of around sixty Unibell models in the past two years, the positive response from the market led SICA to proceed in this line of development and devote more and more resources both to the optimization of electrical technology applied to plastic pipe thermoforming operations and to the increasing of efficiency and reliability of the process.

Electrically powered thermoforming solutions have also been extended to our Unibell 400 range (for PVC-U pipes up to 400 mm in diameter), to belling machines for PP pipes up to 200 mm in diameter (Everbell) and to Multibell 110 Rieber belling machines, designed for Rieber system multisocketing on PVC-U pipes of up to 110 mm in diameter.

Sica's decision to invest in these new technologies encourages not only a regard for the environment, it also leads to a reduction of pipe production costs, thus allowing faster returns on capital expenditure.

Sica has patented an innovative method for cutting plastic pipes that makes it possible to reach very high production rates (patent EP2008749). The machines are designed to cut and chamfer PP, HDPE and PVC-UP pipes, performing simultaneous double cutting cycles automatically.

For example, the Duet125 automatic cut-off saw can reach hourly production rates of around 2000 pipes of 150 mm in length + sockets and more than 2300 pipes/hour of 500 mm length + sockets. At the same time, the system also guarantees the necessary cut length precision (tolerance of ± 1 mm) thanks to the machine's CNC control system. This system allows perfect synchronization of the cutting unit with the pipe extrusion speed and consequent exact positioning of the unit at the required cutting dimension. Moreover, the machines are equipped with specific anti-wear tools to guarantee exceptionally high and enduring quality of the cutting/chamfering process.

The logical control system also offers ‘on the fly’ cutting capabilities (Sica patent EP129515), optimizing the use of the effective stroke to further increase output in terms of the number of cuts/hour. Equipped with an intuitive icon-based graphic interface and a classic production system for preset sequences of lengths, the machine also features a new length sequences management system. Specifically, having entered the basic production parameters (extrusion speed, pipe diameter, capacity of downstream machines) the user can define the required production batches, automatically optimized by the system in order to exploit the machine's potential to the full. Intelligent planning of production sequences in addition to the availability of libraries in which process parameters and user product dimensions can be stored, determines the definition of a new state of the art field in terms of versatility and ease of control.

Given the large number of cuts that can be performed per unit of time, the machine has been equipped with an extra-powerful cyclone-type dust exhausting system.

The range of automatic in-line planetary saws in the Duet series (available in the Duet 125, Duet 160 and Duet 200 versions) includes the Duet/K (cutting with knife without material removal for HDPE and PPR) and Duet/C (cutting with chamfering unit and knife without producing chips inside the pipe) versions, in addition to the standard model for PVC. Duet/C is particularly suitable for PP lines equipped also for the production of double-joint pipes.

The machines are entirely based on electro-pneumatic design eliminating all possible problems linked to the use of hydraulic actuators and hydraulic power packs, and are configured in order to optimize total energy consumption.

With this range of saws Sica responds to market demands for cutting at high extrusion speeds with reduced energy consumption, ease of use and control.

Energy, material and resource efficiency

Sica, an Italian machine manufacturer, implements energy, material and cost-savings solutions for each of its newest machines. Flash 450 film coilers are no exception.

In fact, the packaging method chosen reduces the quantity of film used with respect to traditional systems available on the market (up to -30%).

It is an automatic coiler for packing corrugated PVC, PE and PP pipes from 16 to 25 mm diameter, in short length coils covered with stretch film. The coiler has 3 reels with centralized adjustment controls, a film dispenser with electronic tension control, universal film cutting systems and variable-geometry reel unloading device. The machine is equipped with a wireless communication system for control of the main reel functions.

Flash 450 has a modern designed to reduce to a minimum any operator intervention and parts substitution for diameter change. It is safe, and easy to run and feed with pipe, film and stickers. It produces beautiful, compact and firm coils.

Multiple strand extrusion lines for plastic pipes are growing. Lately, the market demand seems to be moving from double extrusion lines to quadruple extrusion lines. So Sica, Italian machine manufacturer, produced the first belling machine of this kind, Multibell 75Q. This is a very fast automatic belling machine specifically designed to receive PVC-U pipes coming from four-strand extrusion lines at independent speeds. It handles high production extrusion lines and can socket up to 1200 pipes/hour. Multibell 75Q can socket pipes with output diameter ranging from 16 to 75 mm and of length from 1 to 6 m plus socket.

The pipes coming from each strand are moved to a buffer by means of a high-speed handling system to form a group of 2, 3 or 4 pipes, depending on the diameter. The group of pipes is moved to the hot air-recirculation oven, which warms with high precision the required pipe length to be socketed, thanks to the double automatic aligning system integrated in the oven. When the heating stage is finished, the group of pipes is moved to the multi-forming station and socketed.

Solvent cement cycle or air-blowing cycle are both available, and sockets are cooled externally by precooled compressed air and internally by cold water circulating through the mandrels. For producers who want to bundle the socketed pipes, an available bagging or strapping machine can be placed in-line contributing to a complete process automation.
If we compare a four-strand to a two-strand extrusion line having the same output rate, we can highlight the following advantages:

• High quality of the end product: by extruding at a lower speed, the quality of the pipe is higher and constant during production;
• Short payback period: the four-strand extrusion line ensures achievement of very high machine availability at the maximum pipe output rate possible, therefore attaining a shorter payback period of the investment;
• Small footprint: four-strand extrusion line footprint is practically the same as a two-strand extrusion line, but with a higher achievable output rate;
• Low maintenance costs: a four-strand extrusion line needs less maintenance than a two-strand extrusion line thanks to the lower extrusion speed of each strand;
• User-friendly: the higher the line speed, the more difficult it is to control the line. Thanks to the lower extrusion speed of each strand, a four-strand extrusion line is easier to set than a two-strand extrusion line.

Multibell 75Q is a low energy consumption modern belling machine capable of satisfying the most demanding customers who look for value, consistent high output and fast return on investment.

Bi-oriented PVC pipes are recognized for their considerable savings of raw materials while maintaining the same mechanical resistance and application in comparison to standard PVC-U pipes. The number of PVC-O pipe extrusion lines is increasing in several areas of the world, but especially in the Americas and Australia.

Like PVC-U pipes, the most suitable joint system for PVC-O pipes is a socket Sica, manufacturer of plastic pipe machinery, in 1998 patented (EP0930148) and developed a unique socket thermoforming process for PVC-O pipes. Sica’s patented system is characterized by forming and internal calibration of the socket on a metal mandrel. The heated pipe end is inserted onto the metal forming mandrel when the final thermal state of wall-thickness is uniform but varies longitudinally along the pipe. The precise final thermal state is attained through conductive heat transmission, without variation of the pipe end diameter. In addition to the process, the equipment is also protected by patent, in particular the constructive configuration of the contact oven, which achieves a stable and repeatable final heating. The sockets obtained have precise internal dimensions and a perfectly flat edge, shaped by a sliding flange on the mandrel. Thus, no further processing of the edge is required after the socket forming.

Sica belling machines, called STARBELL, are particularly suitable for direct installation in extrusion lines. To date, Sica has sold 19 Starbell machines and over 100 forming mandrels, thus achieving vast experience in the field.

There are three models of STARBELL belling machines:

• STARBELL 250 for pipes up to a maximum diameter of 250 mm,
• STARBELL 500 for pipes up to a maximum diameter of 500 mm,
• STARBELL 630 for pipes up to a maximum diameter of 630 mm.

The machines are also suitable for stand-alone installation in PVC-O lines.

The technical and commercial success of the STARBELL machines surely lies in their reliable and repetitive working process, in their user-friendliness and in their strong and robust design configuration.

 

Plastics no. 7 (158) 2016

 

Extrusion 2/2016

 

Extrusion 1/2016 [PDF]

A fare la differenza è il servizio ai clienti

Il Sole 24 Ore (29.09.2015 - n. 268), p. 39

 Video - Plast 2015 Recap

Sica has plenty of successful installations of flexible pipe coilers and rigid pipe packaging machines all over the world. The number of coilers ordered are growing, and so are the models we can offer:

Flash 450 NEW, Flash 700, Flash 700HS. Automatic coilers for packing smooth and corrugated PVC, PE and PP pipes. Individual coils are wrapped along their diameter with bands of stretch film. Patent on film wrapping.

Multilega 700, Multilega 1300. Automatic coilers for smooth and corrugated PVC, PE and PP pipes. Packaging with heat-sealed PP straps.

Technocoil 2200. Automatic coilers with two-reel structure for flexible smooth and corrugated PVC, PE and PP pipes. Packaging with heat-sealed PP straps.

Flash 450 was recently presented at Plast 2015 in Milan. The machine processes diameters from 8 to 25 mm, in short length coils covered with stretch film. The coiler has 3 reels with centralized adjustment controls, a film dispenser with electronic tension control, universal film cutting systems and variable-geometry reel unloading device. The machine is equipped with a wireless communication system for control of the main reel functions.

This lastest machine is now on display in Sica together with our NEW RoboJack 250 – Robotic pipe palletizer. Automatic palletizing station for PVC, PE and PP pipes, with or without sockets, OD 32-250, 1 m to 6 m in length, for the simultaneous palletizing of two different pipe lengths on carts with wooden frames. The station is equipped with a pipe magazine and an anthropomorphic robot serving as the pipe handling unit, capable of alternating the position of the sockets in the pallet layers even with minimal area available for rotation of the pipe. This system can be custom-made to your specific needs.

Make an appointment to come see them, it is worth the trip!

Please click on the following link to see a short video about our Open House on 11 July 2014.

In the field of automatic machines, used in various sectors, the trend that is currently achieving the highest success is electromechanical technology. This is because the technology is able to ensure various advantages such as greater product quality, a higher percentage of products that tolerate a predefined model, reduced production waste and reduced cost of consumable materials and energy costs. By now, this technology is developed enough to be adapted to the plastic pipe sector.

But what exactly is electromechanics for handling automatic machines? Parts of automatic machines can be handled in various ways. Traditionally, in the field of plastic pipe production, the predominant technologies used were hydraulics for high power and pneumatic for low power. The current development of the electronics has uprooted this paradigm For example, a simple electromechanical operation involves an electric motor, controlled by an electronic device called an inverter, and coupled to a dedicated mechanical component. There are multiple benefits to this type of application.

The first benefit is greater precision and dynamism in handling. This characteristic has a positive impact on products managed, translating into higher quality, greater repeatability and reduced production waste. The increased dynamism of handling can also easily increase productivity with a higher number of products produced per hour.

The second benefit in this type of application is the cost-efficiency in terms of power consumption. In a world where raw materials run out, machinery such as electromechanical machinery, able to ensure low consumption of energy and materials, offers a sure step forward.

Another milestone in electromechanical handling is its tolerance to variations in production conditions, its versatility and its ease of handling.

All of these aspects indicate a trend in which electromechanical technology will always make inroads in the plastic pipe sector as, equal to the investment, they ensure greater productivity and better products.

Sica strongly believes in this trend. As further proof of this technology's worth, today moulding of the new Unibell E&P is available for carriage handling. As already evidenced, the precision and repeatability of handling is also clear in the socket product which appears better in terms of quality and produces notably less waste. The dynamism of the carriage and the flexibility of the application also guarantee increased productivity and practicality of use.

The company Sica, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, organized an Open House in mid-July, opening again the doors to its factory to extruder and corrugator manufacturers, and pipe producers from all over the world.

Among the 15 machines on display there were: swarfless cutting machine for PE pipes up to 2500 mm; cutting machine for cutting and chamfering without removal of material for PVC, PP and PE pipes up to 160 mm; electric belling machine for PVC pipes up to 200 mm; and multi-belling machine for PP sewage pipes up to 200 mm.

The first (TRK/C 2500) works in an extrusion line, and it cuts up to 180 mm without material removal. Sica’s solution completely avoids all the problems and the major inconveniences that result from cutting with production of chips and dust and from their subsequent collection and management.

The second (TRS 160W) has been specifically designed and assembled for cutting and chamfering PP and PVC pipes without material removal. This model cuts pipes from OD 32 mm to OD 160 mm in extrusion lines. The system can also be realized for saws up to OD 500 mm. The bigger the pipe, the higher the cost savings due to material savings. The new system does not need a vacuuming system or material recycling operations, provides superior chamfer quality, requires less maintenance, and maintains a clean environment. Furthermore, the pipe is clean to be heated again in case of socketing.

The third (Unibell1 200 JRE) has an IR-SW short-waves oven and is characterized by the electromechanical movement of the forming carriage and the complete elimination of hydraulic drives, also for the Rieber System (fully pneumatic). A screw jack, connected to a latest generation brushless motor with resolver, allows a quick and precise mandrel positioning in a closed loop with high mechanical efficiency (up to 70%) and very low noise level. Without the need for oil cooling, this solution also allows a considerable reduction of water use. Moreover, with the elimination of hydraulic movements any possible oil leakage into the environment are avoided and ordinary maintenance is reduced. Both the heating system (IR-SW oven) and the implemented forming carriage drive lead to a high level of process energy efficiency: the machine uses energy only when strictly required, during the pipe heating phase and for the duration of the carriage movement. The consequences are: faster return on investment, greater market competitiveness and greater respect for the environment.

The fourth (Everbell4 200 PSP) has been completely rethought and modernized. It presents innovative features such as: pipe heating in a single IR-SW oven, and both mandrel and flange electromechanical movement. This assures high speed with accurate positioning of the belling tools, easy process parameters setting from operating panel, high energy efficiency, very low noise level, and high system reliability. Since it sockets PP pipes, it is equipped with the Permanent Socket Profile feature. It assures the repetitiveness of the process and the shape of the socket over time.

The 15 machines on show remained on display from the 11th to the 16th of July for everybody to experience Sica’s new technologies for saving money and respecting the environment.

The most innovative electronic technologies and new broadband ADSL lines have made it possible to remotely maintain machines on the production line. This remote access allows specialists and Sica software developers to monitor, check, provide technical support for and modify the operation of installed machines without the need to enter the factory.

The remote maintenance KIT is installed inside the control panel of the machine. Alternatively, a bundle can be provided which includes all of the material needed to temporarily or permanently install the remote maintenance device in machines that do not yet possess them.

To allow Sica specialists to reach the remote maintenance device, the device must be connected to the factory's LAN network via the ethernet port and allow this port to connect to the internet.  The use of high safety standards such as the VPN RELAY and the AES 256 bit data code guarantee a safe connection. The integrated firewall also separates the traffic of automated data from the factory's network data.

As an alternative to the ethernet connection, a UMTS mobile phone network can be used by inserting a USB modem (in key format), complete with an enabled data SIM, into the remote maintenance device.

The benefits that this provides compared with the previous system that used a telephone line are: faster data transmission (and therefore better diagnostic capacity), elimination of frequent interruptions on the line which was a problem with the telephone, the ability (when using a UMTS system) to intervene in areas where it is difficult to pass wires for the internet line.

Today, through this technology, end customers and Sica specialists are even more in step with each other, even if they are located at opposite ends of the globe.

Sica's new machines equipped with an Operator Interface allow you to integrate a PDF reader with which it is possible to view technical documentation such as User Manuals, Electrical Diagrams, Pneumatic Circuit Diagrams and other documents to make it easier to refer to them when necessary, therefore improving production management.

The integrated PDF reader is available as an option on newly constructed machines fitted with 10-inch operator panels. The reader is presented as a normal PDF file reader installed on the operating system of the device. Via the powerful Touch Screen (therefore without the use of a mouse and keyboard), you can access and view Electrical Diagrams, Operating Guides and other documents.

Developments to come will also allow you to generate PDF files of certain important documents such as the generated recipes list, the daily production report, the list of alarms active in the machine and other important diagnostic information. This further improves production management and makes it easier to check this directly online on the machine. All of these documents will be accessible via a USB port that operators can easily reach.

Through this function, combined without countless others, Sica aimed to give its machines a brand and appearance in keeping with the times, using the clear benefits of implementing new technologies whilst maintaining the traditional and consolidated reliability at international level.

Sica's new machines equipped with a touch screen Operator Interface offer the option of reproducing the man-machine interface on any Personal Computer or Personal Digital Assistent (PDA) using a normal network connection. This allows you to remotely control, manage and supervise the machine functions as though you were on board the machine yourself.

The purpose of this is to provide Sica customers with the ability to control the operator panel, and therefore the machine, from any commercial remote control device such as a personal computer, tablet or PDA (an iPhone for example).

To achieve this, the device must have a TCP/IP (ethernet, internet or wifi) connection. The control monitor of the Sica machine can then be accessed via a VNC client. Given that TCP/IP networks and VNC clients are very widely used, this significantly extends the field of application of the system and the possible devices that can be connected.

The contents of the screen are transferred by the PLC machine to the remote device. Therefore, all information that is visible on the machine display is shown and visible on the remote display. This gives you remote control of the machine, allowing you to send controls and actions via a mouse, as though you were using your finger to press on the touch display.

A further benefit of this technology is that the remote panel can also be created as a copy of the main one, in various sizes and resolutions. This allows you to use monitors much larger than standard ones and get the best out of them. Another great advantage is that, in the event that the screen of the operator panel breaks (which often happens through dropping or impacts), you can quickly connect a remote monitor and continue to work with the machine in exactly the same way as you did with the original panel. This minimises the length of time that the machine is out operation and ensures immediate restarting with the same functionality of the original system. The remote device can also be used to easily move around the machine, allowing you to operate in various locations, with greater visibility and comfort for the operator compared with the standard panel fixed to the electrical control box.

Safety is guaranteed as access to the control panel of the machine from external devices is always password protected. This means that only specified users and operators may perform operations remotely.

This new remote control is available for all new Sica machines equipped with touch screen display and can also be implemented in most previous machines with touch screen display.

Sica presents a wide-ranging innovation at the K-exhibition in Dusseldorf: three "green" plastic pipe machines designed to save energy, materials and costs. The surprise will be great and welcomed.

We can speak directly of a revolution for TRS 160 W cutting machine, because finally it can cut and chamfer without removing material. Yes, you read that correctly: without removing material.

This manages to save a considerable quantity of raw material that affects the 80% of the pipe cost, but also to avoid problems of scrap suctioning and recycling. In traditional cutting machines, also in those with knife or tool, chips and dust end up partially between saw mechanisms despite suctioning; for this reason, the necessity of maintenance increases.

In contrast, the new TRS 160 W removes the problem with an innovative system (Patent Pending) that guarantees not only a clean and perfectly perpendicular cut with knife but also a precise and well-defined chamfer, maintaining the same productivity and a satisfactory speed; these are requirements for modern extrusion lines.

Sica's saw can cut any PVC, PP and PE plastic material. The one at the exhibition processes PVC pipes from 25 to 160 mm of diameter.

The second important innovative product is the new Multibell 200M belling machine for PVC sewage pipe. Compared to the previous Everbell model, well known on the market, this new machine has been completely revised and optimized, maintaining an important productivity per hour that reaches 900 sockets/hour with the flagship version. Maintaining unchanged the quality standards and product reliability, the new machine introduces numerous technical features in view of a greatly reduced price both of machine and equipment and a lot of new advantages compared to the previous version such as more compact dimensions with equal productivity, revolutionary system for multi-socketing pipes, ease of use and quick format change. In fact, with the innovative and functional technical solutions, there's a decrease of more than the 60% of the machine tools compared to the previous model, with a significant savings for the costumer in terms of investment and time required for retooling. The machine is still completely pneumatic, with the inevitable advantages related to the higher cleanliness and the superior ease of management thanks to the absence of the hydraulic unit. New important accessibility standards have been achieved with the introduction of a completely movable machine bench: the solution allows complete and safe access to the main areas required for set-up in order to facilitate and accelerate the format change phases.

New easy-to-read large format control displays complete and enrich the potential of this new range of belling machines. These displays have, in fact, new interesting and useful features (for example, the integrated viewer for electric and pneumatic diagrams and for the User's Manual in digital format).

Joining the Multibell 200M for PVC is the new Everbell socketing machine for processing PP pipes. The Everbell, which maintains only the name of the previous model, has been completely rethought and modernized like the Multibell. In fact, apart from specific technical solutions for socketing polypropylene pipes, the same innovative characteristics of the new Multibell 200M are present in the Everbell. The machine inherits compact dimensions, extremely rapid setup, elimination of hydraulics, low power consumption, competitive price but high productivity, ease of use and reduced maintenance requirements.

Another Sica endeavor always to produce new technologies and innovative products is the Unibell 200 E&P belling machine distinguished by the electromechanical movement of the forming carriage. With this solution the hydraulic movements are eliminated from the machine, bringing many advantages from both functional and environmental points of view. The kinematic chain composed by a brushless motor with resolver and a jackscrew with ball recirculation allows the quick and silent mandrel positioning in a closed loop with high mechanical efficiency (up to 70%). Without the need for oil cooling, this solution also allows a considerable reduction of water use. By buying the version with air cooling (Sica patent) and by integrating it with an external refrigeration system (supplied by Sica), the water is completely recirculated. Moreover, with the elimination of hydraulic movements any possible oil leakage into the environment are avoided and ordinary maintenance is reduced. The energy necessary for the forming positioning is used just for the duration of the carriage movement. Moreover, the total absence of hydraulic units brings a significant energy saving, because hydraulic units have a clearly lower total efficiency than this new device. The obvious consequences are: faster return on investment, greater market competitiveness and greater respect for the environment.

With the launch of these machines, we can speak of Sica's "green" turning point. Along with functionality, productivity and quality at the right price, more attention is paid to the environment, and energy and material savings for an sustainable economy. Environmental conservation and savings for a better world!

Sica is aware of its technological know-how and its thirty-year experience in the field of the automatic cutting process of plastic pipes. The company has increased its range of planetary saws for HD-PE pipes with big diameters and high thickened walls that haul pressure fluids, introducing the new TRK/C 2500, completing the other model range with high dimensions such as TRK/C 2000 and TRK/D 2000 (specific for corrugated pipes); these are long since installed in extrusion lines and work full time.

The new machine has been specifically designed and assembled for cutting PE pipes from OD 710mm to OD 2540 mm (100’’), in extrusion line, without material removal, that is typical of the classic cutting system with toothed disc; in this way, it completely avoids all the problems and the heavy inconveniences that depend on the production of chips and dust and on their consequent collection and management.

In facts, TRK/C 2500 cuts with circular idler blade and has got specific tools that modify the operative conditions of the working process, without penalizing the energy consumption or the overall dimensions.

The new system that controls the cutting process makes the action of the machine more indifferent to the status of the pipe (ovality, thickness inconstancy, working temperature, etc.) and grants a superior cutting quality, even if the pipe has shape anomalies.

The machine is equipped with universal pipe clamps that do not need reductions or ancillary units when the working diameter changes, but which automatically adapt to different diameters, granting a constant grip of the pipe and, consequently, a high quality of the realized cut.

The cutting action is hydraulically realized so that the pipe can be easily penetrated, while the cutting unit movement is electric with automatic synchronization with the extrusion speed, configurable in accordance with the most updated and widespread wiring specifications.

Strong electomechanic supports - with automatic positioning depending on the working diameter, both incoming and exiting the machine - sustain in a rigid and constant way the entire range of pipes that the saw can manage.

The machine is characterized by high safety standard and easiness: perimetral protections with interlocked doors and anti-access systems with laser barriers and an advanced control system in PLC logic with graphic interface on a touch-screen display, for a rapid and intuitive management of the entire cutting process.

The new TRK/C 2500 represents the best technologic answer to the new exigencies in the market of HD-PE pipes with high thickness and very big diameters, mixing high performances and low energy consumptions, user-friendly process and versatility, operative safeness and attention to the environment that today are fundamental factors and that, for this reason, are present in all new Sica’s products.

The BMS 63 is Sica's automatic machine for bending and socketing with exceptional rapidity PVC pipes common in electronic and telephonic systems. In particular, this machine can process pipes with a diameter from 16 to 63 mm, with possible final length from 140 to 650 mm. The machine is equipped with a versatile multi-bender and multi-belling system that can bend with a variable angle between 90 and 0° (so, it can also avoid bending) and with bend radius from 1 to 5 times larger than the diameter of the pipe itself.

At every end of each bend/pipe, the machine can also socket (through suitable thermoforming process) both solvent cement and O-Ring type (optional) in every desired configuration, such as:

• simple bend
• bend with single socket end
• bend with sockets on both ends (double socket)
• straight unbent pipe with single or double socket

In this way, every possible production need can be satisfied.

The bending is hydraulic/pneumatic, and it is controlled through specific proportional valves and linear encoder that guarantees absolute precision and repeatability of the process. Every setting is automatically adjusted from the operational panel with the machine in operation, which prevents interruptions, manual changes or dangerous access into the unit.

Large glass panels on each side of the machine allow full visibility but contextual security of the
process, allowing the operator to follow the repositioning of the pipe through
the different units within the machine, which is composed by:

• 1 transport and sorting unit for pipes entering the machine
• 2 ceramic material heating units
• 2 multi-thermoforming units
• 1 multi-bending unit with logic control
• 1 ejection unit of final bent/belled parts.

 

Plastics no. 9 (149) 2015

 

Extrusion 5/2015 [PDF]

 

Extrusion Russia 4/2015 [PDF]

 

Plastics no. 6 (146) 2015

 

Pipe and Profile Extrusion - 7-8/2014 [PDF]

 

Macplas n. 341 - 6-7/2014 [PDF]

 

Impianti Building n. 106 - 5/2014 [PDF]

 


Plast Courier Russia - 3/2014 [PDF]

 

Pipe and Profile Extrusion 10/2013 [PDF]

Tube News n.6/2013 [PDF]

AutoMotion n.9/2013 [PDF]

From: Impianti Building n.102 May 2013

Impianti Building n.102 [PDF]

From: Plastic n.9 - 2013

Plastic n.9 2013 [PDF]

From: Plastics n.5 2013

Plastic n.5 2013 [PDF]

From: Industrias Plasticas n.198/2012

Industrias Plasticas n.198/2012 [PDF]

From: Plastic n.9 2012

Plastic n.9 2012 [PDF]

From: Industrias Plasticas n.196/2011

Industrias Plasticas n.196/2011 [PDF]

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