Case Studies

Issue

Chesterton was challenged by a large global tire manufacturer to help reduce downtime, eliminate scrapped product and improve production of their Banbury® mixers.

OEM rubber rod stacked set and piston-cup were leaking prematurely, causing unplanned downtime and slowing down production in the making of one batch.

• Average cycle time for one batch = 130 seconds
• 8 hour shift produced 221 Batches
• Pressure: 7 BAR / 100 psi
• Temperature: 65° C / 150° F

Close up view of Banbury mixer main hopper cylinder (558 mm / 22 inch dia.) while in operation.

Recommendation

Chesterton recommended a complete sealing solution during cylinder rebuild which included replacement of the wiper, rod seal, and piston seal.

• Chesterton® K Piston-cup – Rugged construction with a supporting brass disc, molded into the base to maximize performance
• Chesterton® 8K Stacked Set – Pressure sensitive, custom molded stacked set
• Chesterton® 5K Wiper – Custom wiper blocks contaminants from entering system
• Chesterton® AWC 800 – Thermoset wear resistant material is able to offset equipment scoring

Damaged rubber OEM piston-cup seal replaced by Chesterton’s 7K piston-cup in AWC 800.

Improved Performance & Reliability

The Chesterton sealing solution had a significant impact on production. The customer recorded the following:

• Average cycle time improvement = 121 sec.
• Cycle time saving = 9 sec. / batch
• Production after upgrade = 238 batches
• Gained 17 batches per 8-hour shift
• 21 shifts per week
• 357 batches per week gained
• Tonnage of rubber = 91.3 (182,600 lb) per/wk

All 6 Banbury mixers at this plant have since been upgraded to the Chesterton sealing solution.

MTBR increased: 10X

Rebuilt Banbury in operation with the Chesterton sealing solution.