Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a well-known and well used term in today’s competitive marketplace, but Total Cost of Corona Ownership (TCCO), while less often calculated, is no less important.
Like most investments in production equipment, it is essential to calculate the TCO, because the purchase price is only a part of the overall cost, and this is a trap that many converters and extruders fall into. They look only at the bottom line of the quote to see how much it’s going to cost to buy and completely forget to factor in the on-costs that occur with any machine or item of technology.
The calculation needs to begin with the installation. It’s no good buying the cheapest equipment if you or someone else needs to spend time and money assembling and installing it once it arrives. That’s why Vetaphone ships all its corona technology for a turn-key installation. All parts are completely pre-assembled and pre-wired so that it’s easy and quick to integrate into the production line with minimal disruption and cost. All our customers need to do is to mechanically install an air/ozone outlet and ensure there is an electrical connection.
The next factor to consider is working-life expectancy. Bearing in mind how harsh some working environments are, it’s essential that the corona equipment is built from the best materials for continuous production in any working environment. Crucially, all parts are ozone resistant. Vetaphone designs have been continually refined over the years using experience drawn from many worldwide installations. These include climates from well below freezing to hot and humid. What’s needed is the quality that guarantees 24-hour production and a long working life.
Poor quality components and poor build quality cause major problems in any production line – it’s not just an issue with surface treatment. But you don’t want your corona unit to be the weak link in the chain. Cheaper units break down causing a loss of production and they don’t last as long, which will mean further investment and more disruption when a replacement is installed and commissioned. According to first-hand reports from our OEMs Vetaphone corona units last up to five times as long as many competitors.
A major concern for all manufacturers is downtime, because it’s expensive and disruptive. One of the reasons for lost production is non-uniform surface treatment across the width and along the full length of the web. This doesn’t happen with a Vetaphone corona unit because of its Automatic Power Density device. This allows the generator to raise or lower the power setting automatically according to the line speed, ensuring the same treatment is applied per square foot/metre throughout the run. The generator automatically starts and stops with the production line and will ‘flag’ situations that are outside its capability.
One of the key factors in today’s competitive production environment is seamless integration of all ancillary processes. This includes surface treatment and another Vetaphone advantage is the interface between the corona unit and production line, whether it’s a printing press, laminator or extruder. This allows the operator to make adjustments, read data and see any ‘flagged’ issue. Our latest iCorona generators also feature the unique iCC8 control panel.
This latest control panel is designed to make the technology easy to understand and intuitive to use. It collates and utilises feedback from those using the technology in a commercial environment on an everyday basis. The front page of the iCC8 display is kept simple, with optional in-depth sophistication that allows the operator to explore more detailed information as required. It logs function and maintenance requirements, with remote analysis via a download tool and USB port.
All technology has downtime but to assure high production security, Vetaphone’s design and modular construction make it accessible to reduce any downtime related to maintenance, repair, or upgrade. The entire encapsulated generator module can be easily accessed and quickly exchanged from Vetaphone’s worldwide support centres, if necessary. The corona treater station is built with an electrode system in a removable pull-out/push-in quick change cartridge for easy maintenance and cleaning. This offers minimum downtime and increases productivity. On larger corona stations, the electrode assemblies are pneumatically activated and pivot away for easy access.
One crucial thing to remember is the importance of using original spare parts, not cheaper copies. This ensures sustained performance and a longer working life. All Vetaphone equipment is well documented, which makes wearing parts and easy to identify and order. Spare parts are typically available for 20 years after the original installation, and the company has global technical support and a hotline to solve problems instantly.
Keeping ongoing costs down, especially in an era of rising energy rates and the ever-present environmental issues means Vetaphone is constantly on the lookout for ways to become ‘greener’. Maximum performance with minimum impact is a company mantra, which is the reason Vetaphone generators use a patented resonance circuit. This ensures maximum energy reaches the electrodes and less of it is lost in heat. This allows Vetaphone equipment to provide more dyne/kW.
So, when the time comes to evaluate your next investment in surface treatment technology, make sure you consider more than just the price on the quote because that won’t begin to tell the whole story. No corona manufacturer has more experience than Vetaphone because our founder invented the process and we have spent 75 years developing and refining it.
If purchase price is the only consideration, your corona treater will be the weakest link in your production chain. That’s why understanding the TCCO is so important!
