Laser system for monitoring the thickness of rubber sheets during calendering

RIFTEK:The uniformity of the thickness of the rubber sheet used in production of car tires is an important indicator for obtaining a quality end product.

The developed system solves the task of real time rubber thickness monitoring. The system is placed above the calender shaft with a controlled rubber sheet and contains two linear movement modules which carry two triangulation laser sensors. The system also includes a control cabinet based on a panel industrial computer and the appropriate software with a lot of different functions.

Sheet material thickness measurements are carried out as follows: depending on the requirements for the position of the control lines, the sensors are installed in the required positions along the roller.

When moving material, sensors measure the distance to its surface, the resulting values are transmitted to the computer, where the thickness of the material is calculated as the difference between the distances to the material and the roller (calibration values).

A distinctive feature of rubber is its black shiny surface, but our RF603 sensors successfully solve the problem of thickness monitoring. Moreovere, to increase the stability of the sensors in water vapor conditions, we use IR lasers with 808 nm wavelength.