PVC flooring major Beaulieu filters out downtime

London – Flooring manufacturer Beaulieu International Group has increased productivity following a switch in the filter technology used in the production of one of its Cushion Vinyl product lines.

The production process involves coating different layers onto a fibre glass film. Firstly, two layers of a PVC base paste are coated onto a fibre glass film. The design and a wear-resistant layer are then applied.

Finally, an additional PVC coat is put on the back of the fibre glass film, before a pattern is pressed into the vinyl and a coat of varnish applied.

Before coating the paste onto the fibre glass film, filters with statics baskets were being used to filter out contamination larger than 0.05mm - the film is very fragile, so a contamination larger than 0.05 mm, could damage it.

The company had used static basket filters on the process but these were letting some contamination through. This was halting the production line, until the filters were cleaned, thus increasing downtime.

“[The] static basket filters were easily damaged and had to be cleaned eight times a day, resulting in production breaks and a loss in revenue,” said Dieter Van Overbeke, product manager.

After replacing these filters with four new self-cleaning Russell Eco Filters, from Russell Finex, Van Overbeke noted: “The Russell filters take less than half of the space of the previous filters, but still have a large capacity of 1500kg/hour.

“In addition, the filter media doesn’t get damaged easily and is reusable … It is more robust and wears less than other filters.”

As a result, the company has reduced production downtime and product wastage. The self cleaning design requires no stoppages to change filter elements, enabling the company to conduct a visual inspection of the machine twice a week without the need for a weekly clean.

Beaulieu International is a major European producer of floor coverings and fabrics, operating 30 sites spread over eight countries.