Length of machine
8.000 - 12.000 mm
Maximum foil width
350 mm
What are the challenges of the lamination process?
The foil lamination of PVC and aluminium profiles seems to be a simple industrial manufacturing process in which decorative foils are bonded to the visible surface of the profile using a polyurethane hot-melt adhesive. Due to the different material properties of the PVC and the adhesive, the profiles have to go through a multi-stage process. Each process phase requires specific working parameters in order to guarantee a successful and durable bond. This makes the laminating process complex and difficult to monitor in the end.
What do you expect from a profile wrapping machine?
A professional foiling line must ensure consistently high quality at all times. After all, the satisfaction of your customers depends directly on the quality of the foiled products and so does ultimately the reputation of your brand. At the same time, an industrial profile wrapping machine must offer high productivity with the lowest possible operating costs, because only those who produce competitively will survive on the market in the long term. Ultimately, a profile lamination machine should be able to process the widest possible range of profile shapes, whereby the set-up times for profile changes must be as short as possible. This also means that the machine should be easy to operate and even inexperienced operators should be able to produce to your quality standard without any problems. Have we forgotten anything else? Of course, profile lamination machinery should be low-maintenance and have a long service life.
Thanks to years of experience in profile lamination and close dialogue with our customers, WPR had set the task of designing a profile wrapping machine to meet your exact requirements. The aim was to integrate all the technologies developed and tested to date to offer laminating companies a machine that makes a real difference.
The result keeps exceeding even the highest expectations. Not only those of WPR, but also those of our customers. Since its market launch, the STRATO series has quickly become the best-selling profile wrapping machine. But what is the secret of its success?
STRATO is currently the most advanced profile lamination technology on the market and represents the state of the art in profile wrapping.
Controlled quality
STRATO is the first foiling system to be equipped with automatic process control as standard. A sophisticated sensor system monitors all important lamination parameters, in particular the process temperatures but also, for example, the air humidity. The process parameters recommended by the Gütegemeinschaft Kunststoff-Fensterprofilsysteme, which must also be monitored and archived as part of the RAL 716 quality mark for laminating operations, can be monitored automatically and read out digitally if required. In the event of any temperature deviations, the machine automatically regulates the installed heating elements to maintain the programmed target values.
Thanks to this integrated process control, you not only have an overview of all process parameters at all times, but it also makes it much easier for the system operators to concentrate on production. Manual temperature control is no longer necessary; instead, all temperatures are displayed on integrated screens in real time.
Controlled quality means guaranteed quality for your customers. But not only do they benefit from your high-quality products, but your own production will also notice significant cost savings:
Cost-efficient production
During the development of the STRATO series, WPR paid particular attention to the cost efficiency of the system during operation. As a result, this machinery series offers particular cost savings compared to conventional lamination lines.
Energy efficiency: The energy consumption of profile wrapping lines is quite high due to the various heating elements. Thanks to the STRATO machine’s integrated process control, the IR lamps and heat guns are only activated when necessary and to maintain the specified process parameters. In contrast to conventional wrapping machines, on which all heating elements heat continuously, this saves a considerable amount of energy.
Material savings: On the one hand, there are major material savings due to the reliability of the lamination process, resulting in fewer rejects and production waste. However, WPR has integrated further intelligent systems that enable further savings. During production breaks or stops, for example during changeovers, both the primer application system and the hot glue melter can be switched to eco mode. In the case of the primer system, only a minimal amount of primer is dispensed into the felts. This means that they do not dry out and can continue to be used, while at the same time no primer is wasted. The Eco mode of the hot melter lowers the temperature in the melter to around 80°C. This protects the PUR hot melt adhesive from overheating, which could lead to an increase in viscosity or even render the adhesive unusable in the long term. This also leads to material savings and prevents avoidable adhesive problems.
Automatic film cut at the end of work: As an option, you can equip the STRATO profile wrapping machine with an automatic film cutter. This recognises the last incoming profile bar of a production batch and cuts the unwinding decorative film immediately after the last bar. System operators often allow too much time to pass after the last bar before cutting the foil under the glue head. This results in a metre-long ‘foil tail’. This excess film is thrown away and represents an avoidable waste of material and costs.
Short set-up times: The STRATO system is a versatile profile laminating machine on which a wide variety of profile shapes and sizes can be laminated: from small profiles such as Georgian bars or glazing beads to all standard window profiles, façade panels and windowsills. It is therefore important that the profile wrapper can be converted quickly when changing profiles. For this purpose, we offer you transport wheels with manual quick adjustment, profile guides at the machine entrance, optional set-up kits or pressing roller holders with quick-release fasteners.
New technical developments
During the development phase of the STRATO series, further new technical developments were made which were immediately integrated into the system:
ROTOR – automatic primer dosing system
Precise dosing is an essential aspect, especially when using low-VOC primers for the foil lamination of PVC profiles. Too little primer on the profile results in insufficient adhesion. Overdosing the primer makes it impossible for the primer to dry off and results in delamination and bubbles forming under the film.
WPR has therefore developed a revolutionary primer dosing system that doses the primer with medical precision using hose squeeze pumps, as used in the healthcare sector. The primer coverage of the profile is safely transmitted to a monitor on top of the machine via webcams inside the primer cabin under UV light. This contributes to the safety of the operators at work and at the same time reduces the time and effort required for manual application control.
Lightning-fast profile separation
WPR has completely redesigned the profile separation system at the machine exit. The new system offers lightning-fast positioning of the guillotine over the gap between the profiles and a clean foil cut. Thanks to the new motorisation, the system cuts the film between the profiles cleanly and reliably, even at high working speeds. At the same time, the travel distance of the carriage has been significantly reduced, thus optimising the use of the machine bench.
Ready for Industry 4.0
As mentioned above, the automatic control of the laminating process continuously monitors and regulates the temperatures. This data can be read out digitally and archived for production tracking purposes. You can also link your ERP system directly to the system in order to import the required data directly into the system. All relevant data, such as the batch numbers of foil, profile, adhesive and primer, as well as run times, process temperatures, etc. are available for you to analyse.
The system itself also has stored user manuals and spare parts lists, which you can display via the integrated monitors. If you connect your STRATO system to a network, you also have access to special services such as remote maintenance and fault analysis via internet from WPR.
Are you looking for a modern profile wrapping machine or a way to bring your machinery up to date? The technology of tomorrow is available to you today. Simply write to us using the contact form below and we will help you configure your very own STRATO lamination line.
