Focus

Harry F Bader

Process control -
spaced at 15 cm, thist.convcrts.;
to a line speed of 6.3 metres/
minute.
If the process requires 20 min
utes to dry the gloves after lea
ching, the drying oven would
1-
in latex. be 126 metres in length.
Each segment of the process is
put through a similar calcula
tion to establish what space is

operations required for that segment of

the process.
* The process parameters of
temperature, air flow rate, and
dwell time go hand In hand
n process control in latex operations it is

I important to have minimal control on

temperatures, air flow rate, dwell time,
relative humidity and line speed
with Line speed.
Temperature:
* Each tank and each oven must
be held at the temperature es
tablislied by the process. How
much variation that can be
In the last issue of Rubber Asia, permitted Is also established
I outlined material control as the by the process.
initial section of a quality/process * Controls must be placed on
control overview. the heat source or the cooling
Material control covered mini source to ensure temperatures
mal control on raw materials; la are maintained.
tex or compounded latex, disper * With today’s technology, these
sions, solutions and slurries; and temperatures can be automati
latex compounding. A latex dip catty controlled, monitored
ping operation that makes proper and recorded. However, it is
use of these minimal controls essential that the machine op
should be able to have the neces erator checks these tempera
sary latex compound, coagulant tures on a regular schedule to
solution, and powder slurry ready ensure that the technology is
for transfer to the dip line tanks. operating correctly.
Each latex dipping operation * If the latex temperature be
should also have proper control in comes too high, dipping will
the process. In the process con be affected, If leach tempera
trol it is important to have mini tures become too low, protein
mal control on tern peratures, air content and chemical residues
flow rate, dwell time relative will Increase. If oven tempera
humidity and line speed. tures become too low, drying
Process control or curing will be incomplete.
* The design of the dip line is Air flow rate:
based on a process provided * Air flow rate is at least as im
to the dip line fabricator and a
portant as temperature in dry
production rate established by
the purchaser. ing and curing. Increased flow
lor example; aross the surface of the latex
- Assume a production rate of film will dry it more quickly
25,00,000 gloves per month at and the film will get tip to tem
95% quality is established by perature more quickly.
the purchaser. * As a rule of thumb", air flow
- With a 5-day, 24 hours/day rate across the surface of the
work week, this converts to latex film should be no less
5064 gloves/hour, or 84 than 75 metres/minute.

L>:
The writer is Vice-President. Latex gloves/minute. Relative humidity
Services, Akron Rubber - With a double chain arrange * The critical place for concern
Development Laboratory, USA ment and dipping mandrels about high relative humidity

gil
68 RubberAsia January-February 1999
r
h conditions is in the drying ov
ens. Ovenrshould have a pro
vision for the introduction of
fresh make-up air to ensure
that the relative humidity
within the oven does not get
cannot be allowed to adversely
affect quality.
Tank agitation and flow
direction
* Latex tanks should have agita
so high that drying is inhib tion for several reasons:
ited. Air must be sufficiently - To prevent compounding In
dry so that it can remove wa gredients from settling to the
ter from the latex film. bottom.
* Today’s technology provides - To keep the surface of the la
automatic equipment to read tex moving to prevent forma
relative humidity and to use tion of surface "skin".
that information to automati
- To reduce the relative move
cally channel fresh air into the
ment of mandrels passing
oven circulation system. Peri
through the tank and the la
odic checks should be made to
tex.
ensure the equipment is oper
ating properly. - To move the latex through a
screen to eliminate coagulum
Dwell time
and foreign matter.
* Dwell time is a function of
- To equalise latex temperature.
The process parameters equipment design and line
speed. Therefore, only small The flow should be in the direc
of temperature, variations of dwell time are tion of dipping mandrel move
possible. If line speed is varied ment and the surface speed of the
air flow rate, and by adjustments to improve latex should be approximately the
drying, vulcanization, or leach same as the line speed.
dwell time go ing, then dwell time will be * Coagulant tanks should also
affected. have agitation to maintain in
hand in hand with * If the line speed is producing termixing of all ingredients
proper drying, curing, and particularly when powder is
line speed leaching, and the thickness is present in the coagulant.
more or less than required, - Agitation also equalises the
coagulant concentration or la temperature within the tank.
tex 96 total solids should be
- As with the latex tanks, the
used for thickness control.
flow direction in the coagulant
Changing line speed to in
tank should be the same as
crease or decrease dwell time
dipping mandrel travel,
will adversely affect other criti
cal process times. * Slurry tanks should have agita
tion to keep the powder from
Line speed
settling to the bottom, Flow
* Line speed is tied to equip direction is not important.
ment design. There are defi * Leach tanks should have agita
nite limits, to which line speed
tion to improve the leaching.
can be increased beyond the
Turbulent flow increases ex
original design parameters.
traction efficiency. The direc
* An increase in line speed will tion of water flow must be in
reduce the time in other criti the opposite direction to the
cal operations. If drying time is dipping mandrel travel. Fresh
shortened to such an extent water should be fed into the
that gloves have a high mois exit end of the tank with the
ture content when stripped, overflow at the entrance end.
quality will suffer. This means that the dipping
* Other process parameters can mandrels encounter fresher
be adjusted to allow increases and fresher water as they pass
or decreases in line speed. through the leach tank. *
However, these adjustments To be continued

RubberAsia S January-February 1999 69