Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Middle East Foam & Polyurethane
  • UTECH Asia/PU China
  • UTECH Europe
  • UTECH Las Americas
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Coronavirus
  • News
    • Asia
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • M & A
    • Financial results
    • Automotive
    • Introducing UTECH Southeast Asia 2022
      PU for rechargeable electrostatic face masks
      Stellar Q4 performance saves Wanhua 2020 earnings
      2020 proved fruitful for Vitafoam Nigeria
    • Mlily to increase US market share following anti-dumping duties
      US footwear imports up 25% in November 2020
      Introducing UTECH Southeast Asia 2022
      PPG buys polyurea company Versaflex
    • Bosnian producer to invest in new PU panel factory
      Covestro wins ISCC Plus certificate for Krefeld MDI
      Car sales down 25% in Western Europe in 2020
      Plixxent joins PU Europe
    • PPG buys polyurea company Versaflex
      Recticel buys FoamPartner
      Recticel upgrades Q3 outlook despite raw material tightness
      Covestro broadens PU portfolio with DSM purchase
    • Mlily to increase US market share following anti-dumping duties
      Stellar Q4 performance saves Wanhua 2020 earnings
      2020 proved fruitful for Vitafoam Nigeria
      Perstorp granted new credit facility
    • Car sales down 25% in Western Europe in 2020
      Patchy coronavirus effects hit global car sales in November
      November continues fall in Western Europe's car sales
      Antolin's business improved in Q3 2020
  • Data
  • Information
    • Country Overview
    • Market Sector overviews
    • Technical articles
    • Company profiles and strategies
    • China’s PU industry on the path to recovery; plans for technology upgrades
      Chinese cold chains grow bigger
      Flexible foam rises to challenges in the Middle East and Africa
      Life at the cross-roads: what does the GCC offer PU?
    • Europe's flexible foam makers face rising prices as outages hit markets
      Western European car registrations rebound slowed in September
      Western European car registrations regained some ground in August
      Western European Car registrations rebound continued in July
    • Take out the VOC with hybrid release agents
      Batteries give pultrusions power
      Seeing a way through VOC and FOG
      Aromatic polyols for simpler rigid PU formulations
    • Hennecke and Frimo: an automotive partnership
      Pushing ahead: AutoRIM drives KM’s UK growth
      BASF opens it first ‘Creation Center’ in Mumbai with a PU twist
      Persistence pays off for CTM
  • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Conferences
    • Webinars / Livestreams
    • Become a Speaker
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Issues
  • Subscribe
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Information
April 28, 2019 11:00 PM

Keeping cool with Cannon

Simon Robinson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    On a visit in October 2018, Urethanes Technology International was lucky enough to see the inside of  aCannon facility in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. Simon Robinson reports.

    Most of Cannon’s heavy work in the US is carried out at its plant Zelienople, located in the state’s old steel belt. Cannon said it finds it advantageous to have both light and heavy engineering on the same continent.

    The Zelienople site is large and spacious. It covers 47,000 sq ft (4,366m2) and the building is 24 ft (8m) high. It features two 15-ton overhead cranes, welding tables and laser-cutting equipment, plus several machining centres. This makes it suitable for heavy jobs, according to Bob Pierce, who works in the company’s sales department.

    Cavernous Cannon: Inside the Zelienople factory

    Plug in, turn on

    There was plenty of room for the two Cannon projects that were under construction at the time of our visit. The first was an eight-station refrigerator production system, which was being built for a US appliance manufacturer. This was a repeat customer, whose operations have become more sophisticated with time. Initially, the customer ordered equipment suitable for HFC-245fa as the blowing agent, but moved to pentane-blown formulations. This led to design modifications.

    Initially, the machine in Zelienople was designed with six RotoPlug fixtures, and two further fixtures were to be fitted later. In addition to the framework and mix-heads, Cannon will supply 16 tools, as two different models are to be made on the machine.

    The moulds, which are for pentane-blown refrigerators, feature rear inlets, while the machinery system had a normal Cannon RotoPlug layout. The owner’s maintenance team will be able to swap the tools on from the top of the mould when necessary. Once they are removed, the tools will rest on a mezzanine floor until they are craned into or out of the machine.

    Two levels

    Below the mezzanine, the fridge cores are placed into the machine using conveyors. The parts enter the rear of the foaming station, and leave via the front four minutes later.

    The cabinets consist of a thermoformed liner, and the metal box as a hollow section. The cabinet components are indexed into position, and then pause before entering an IR oven, where the parts are warmed before the polyurethane is dispensed. While the parts are in the oven, they are centred so they are ready for the fixture.

    When the parts reach the fixture, the bottom rises up, the side walls collapse together and the plug inserts. Each of the eight fixtures was equipped with Cannon FPL SR mix-heads, which engage with the cabinet. They move forward and pour polyurethane into the gap between the liner and the cabinet; it is dispensed from the bottom of the box and fills upwards avoiding voids. Each mix-head is held in place until the polyurethane has cured.

    Cannon said these are self-cleaning mixing heads, and the internal design reduces friction compared to other models. This can give longer life and lower maintenance. The moulding fixture features water heating to warm the sidewalls of the refrigerator mould.

    This is for dummies

    While the refrigerator machine was the highlight of the visit , a smaller, turntable-based, machine for a very niche application also caught the eye. This featured a spray and a pour robot, built at the company’s nearby Cranberry, Pennsylvania site. This is Cannon USA’s main factory, and is home to lighter equipment assembly, R&D, spares, tech service and testing facilities.

    The machine was for a customer in Wisconsin making CPR mannequins. These devices are integrally skinned, and contain sensors so that when CPR is being taught, the force students apply to the mannequin can be measured.

    Mould release is first sprayed onto the inside of the mould and dried. A robot then pours urethane into the mould, which is cured. As it is curing, the turntable rotates about a central hub and, when it reaches the right part of the cycle, the pneumatically operated mould carriers open and the mannequin is extracted for further processing.

    Recommended for You
    Making the case for TPUs
    Making the case for TPUs
    From cell to slope
    From cell to slope
    China’s PU industry on the path to recovery; plans for technology upgrades
    China’s PU industry on the path to recovery; plans for technology upgrades
    Latest Issue
    Click HERE for Free Download
    View All Archives
    Get our newsletters

    Breaking news and in-depth coverage of essential topics delivered straight to your inbox.

    Subscribe today

    Register to access our archive of leading information on the polyurethanes industry.

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Youtube

    Follow us on social media for the latest polyurethanes industry news and event updates.

    Logo
    Contact Us

    Office 127,
    61, Willow Walk,
    London
    SE1 5SF
    E-mail us
    +44 (0) 203 287 5979

    Customer Service:
    +1 313 446 0450

    Resources
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Staff
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • Coronavirus
    • News
      • Asia
      • Americas
      • Europe
      • M & A
      • Financial results
      • Automotive
    • Data
    • Information
      • Country Overview
      • Market Sector overviews
      • Technical articles
      • Company profiles and strategies
    • Events
      • Exhibitions
      • Conferences
      • Webinars / Livestreams
      • Become a Speaker
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Issues
    • Subscribe