Where will you find a Rotary Union?

Rotary Unions are used on a variety of machines within many different industries.  Below are some of the industries and types of machines that are likely to use Rotary Unions.  Rotary Unions and Swivel Joints can also be designed for unique applications and our experienced Technical Team can design joints to specific specifications.

 

Packaging and Paper converting

-          Corrugators

-          Printers

Paper is waxed, coated, calendered, embossed, printed and laminated to other material on machinery using many water cooled or steam heated cylinders.

Printing

-          Flexo Printers – Printing on flexible material

-          Book Printer – Paper

A large number of Rotary Unions are used on printing presses and will be found on water cooled cylinders.

Colour magazines are produced on such machines and bank notes on smaller versions.

 

Steel

-          Furnaces to help with roll cooling

 

The best outlet is the cooling of copper conductor rolls on sheet tinning lines, but they are also used extensively in rolling mills, for both cooling the rolls and the bearings. Furnace rolls and rolls adjacent to furnaces are also water cooled. Furnace fans are water cooled to protect the bearings

 

Textiles

-          Steam drying cans

 

Woven Materials go through many different processes before they reach the shops. They may be bleached, dyed or printed, all of which are ‘finishing’ processes. The material is passed over many steam heated cylinders better known as ‘cans’ in the industry.

 

Mechanical and Hydraulic Presses

-          Power Presses (Air Clutch)

 

Rotary Unions are used mainly for the supply of air to operate the clutches, which is also the case for forging presses. They can also be used on drop hammers for supplying cooling water to the brake drum.

 

Plastic Floor Covering

-          Mills

-          Extruders

-          Laminators

 

Our Unions are used by manufacturers of linoleum or plastic floor covering. In some instances, unions are used on super-heated water. Union sizes vary depending on the application.

 

Animal By-products

-          Steam heated Cookers

 

Large cookers, which are stationary jacketed vessels, are charged with the abattoir waste or fish. The jacket is steam heated by means of a horizontal paddle which is also steam heated.

 

Packaging Aids & Surgical Dressings

-          Laminators

-          Coaters

 

All types of packaging such as cellotape, gummed paper, banding tape etc., are produced on machines that require Rotary Unions.

 

Elastoplast type and Sticky Bandages are also produced on machinery that requires Rotary Unions.

 

Food

-          Batch Cookers

-          Tilting Pans

-          Flaking Mills

 

Breakfast Cereals are produced on machines that require Rotary Unions. Applications for both steam heating and water cooling.

 

Chocolate is milled on machines fitted with water cooled rolls. Some machinery producing confectionary uses water below ambient temperature, some applications require stainless steel Rotary Unions.

 

Plastic & Rubber

-          Extruders

-          Laminators

-          Printing

-          Embossers

-          Mills

-          Calenders

 

Rotary Unions are used in many ways within the plastic industry because so much is processed on steam heated and water cooled cylinders.

 

Embossing machines, laminating machines and printing machines are all used in the manufacture of plastic sheeting for wall and floor covering, upholstery, car interiors and packing materials.

 

The plastic is first worked on a mill before it is passed to the calender to be rolled to the required thickness. It can also be embossed with a pattern before several layers are laminated together. Printing of patterns on sheeting is also carried out on similar machinery.

 

Extruders are used for producing such things as tubes, PVC covered wire, expanded polystyrene sheets, plastic coated papers and fabrics.

 

Unions can also be used for the production of plastic films by the blowing process and the moulding of hollow articles, most polythene sheet is now made by this process.

 

If you have any questions you can contact us either by phone on +44 1926 423191 or emailing us on sales@filtonltd.co.uk or technical@filtonltd.co.uk