The first project of van Wees in the Far East is a spray laminating machine for solvent-based adhesive. The machine is used for the production of foam-fabric laminates, which are processed to shoulder pads and bra cups by means of hot moulding.
On the spray laminator the solvent-based adhesive is sprayed on the foam layer, which runs through the ventilated booth. In this spray booth, the solvent evaporates and is removed through an exhaust. By means of a belt the coated foam is transported to a nip roller set. At this nip roller the foam is joined to the fabric and after passing an anti-static bar, the material is wound on a cardboard core.
Solvent spray laminating is a proven technique that is widely used for relatively short production runs. Van Wees has re-designed the machine based on an old concept, which is no longer on the market. The design work is done in our engineering department using the latest 3D designing software (AutoCAD Inventor®).
In the drawing you can see that it is possible to make three-dimensional views of the machine. By generating solid models of the units that are mounted on the machine we can place them at the correct position on the machine and check whether they will fit. Especially in narrow spaces this is of great help to avoid interference with other parts.
Many of the parts we purchase from well known, world wide based, suppliers are drawn in formats that we can use in AutoCAD Inventor®.
The three-dimensional drawings help van Wees enormously to explain designs to our customers. The expertise of our customer can be implemented much easier; since the layout and working of the machine are much more obvious then they would be when using a conventional, two-dimensional, technical drawing (that is not always clear to a customer). Top of the bill is the feature that allows us to make an animation of the machine. The machine and the material to be processed can be shown in full motion. These movies make a machine that is yet to be constructed really come alive for our customers.