Conax provided in-process RTD sensors which increased efficiency and reduced delamination.

Industry: Wood Manufacture
Application: Monitor steam feed heater plates on a plywood press.

Customer Requirement: The customer was using hand-held infra-red sensors to monitor the 31 heater plates on a plywood press. The need to perform periodic manual temperature checks caused substantial down time. They wanted to replace the hand-held sensors with a more accurate, efficient and continuous method to monitor the temperature of the press plates used in the bonding of the plywood.

Conax Design Solution:  A Conax RTD34W3-SS25-B3-PG2BV-3.00″ with a 0.25″ x 0.50″ NPT hex bushing was installed in the steam line that feeds into the press plates. Each RTD is connected to an operator alarm and data logger for quality control of the process.

The use of the in-process RTD sensors significantly reduced the delamination caused by insufficient heating of the plywood during the press cycle. If the plywood sheet is found to have delaminated areas, it is sold as a lower grade plywood at a reduced market value. Each press handles 30 sheets of plywood per two-minute press cycle, so the reduction in delamination has significant economic impact.