OMS Group is helping sandwich panel manufacturers save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year by installing more energy- and chemical-efficient technology, the company’s distributor claims.

Manufacturers of flexible-faced, insulated roofing panels report a 10 per cent reduction in chemical costs and significant maintenance and energy savings after upgrading existing production lines to new high-speed OMS laminators, said Mark Clark, general manager of Polyurethane Process Industries (PPI), the exclusive distributor of OMS equipment in the US.

“Several US and European panel manufactures replaced their old mix heads and chain-driven laminators with new OMS high-pressure mix heads, high-pressure heat exchangers and gear-driven double-belt conveyors,” Clark said. “The whole OMS laminator is fully enclosed to inhibit heat loss during the curing process. The conveyor is also chainless, which means significantly lower maintenance cost and less friction.”

Upgrades

Clark said other manufacturers of continuous flexible- and rigid-faced sandwich panels should realise similar savings with the same OMS mix head and laminator upgrades, which include:

• A lay-down area where three self-cleaning, recirculating mix heads distribute multiple streams of reacting foam onto a flexible or rigid substrate. These high-pressure mix heads have pneumatically controlled nozzles that automatically adjust to maintain a setpoint pressure. The mix heads improve chemical utilisation by delivering better control over chemical temperature; pouring pressure; dynamic blending of variable amounts of polyol, catalyst, blowing agent and other additives; impingement mixing; and foam distribution.

• High-pressure heat exchangers near the mix heads to more accurately control chemical temperature where it is needed.

• A double-belt conveyor that precisely maintains the required dimension of the finished panel as it transports the substrate and foam core through the curing process. Automatic adjustment of the upper belt position precisely maintains or varies panel thickness without shutting down the line to insert calibration spacers. Hot air circulates within the conveyor and conserves heat and energy.

Lynn Haas of JL Haas Consulting says OMS panel production technology offers significant opportunities for cost savings over equipment supplied by other manufacturers.

“To maximise yield, the expanding chemicals should be distributed evenly over as much of the surface as possible,” Haas said.