PROBLEM

The customer had operated our water-cooled brakes on his unwind stands for eight years with very little maintenance. However, some additional demands on his cooling system resulted in some corrosion and capacity concerns.

SOLUTION

We closely reviewed their tension needs and thermal horsepower requirements. Additionally, close attention had to be paid to size — since the roll arms move, every position and process function had to be checked for clearance.

We were able to come up with a unit that will do the work and fit. The new brakes are air-cooled, eliminating the need for cooling water. These units will operate significantly hotter and friction material life will be shorter. However, the customer eliminated the overload on his cooling system and any potential for corrosion problems.

This is a situation where we were able to come up with an alternative which did have a trade off, but one that our customer found more acceptable. Give us a call if you need additional options.