Pilkington Automotive is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive glazing products and operates 39 facilities in 17 countries worldwide.

A recent HPC compressed air installation at Pilkington Automotive Ltd in Kings Norton, Birmingham, England, not only supplies compressed air at two widely differing pressures to different manufacturing applications, but also enables the high pressure system to back up the low-pressure system in the event of pressure drop. Designed by HPC and its Authorised Distributor Compressed Air Services Ltd of Birmingham, the new system is saving over £25,000 per year on energy and maintenance costs.

The new system replaced two ageing reciprocating compressors and a high-pressure (35 Bar) compressor, when the implications of the Climate Change Levy came sharply into focus. According to Kevan Shephard of Compressed Air Services, the old system was unpredictable and expensive to maintain. For the new system a five-year fixed price HPC service agreement provides transparent costs and simplifies Pilkington's budget considerations.

Project Management Is The Key

The HPC team carried out an Air Demand Analysis which made it possible to design a new system to maximise energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. Ted Deakin, Improvements Co-ordinator for Pilkington Automotive, explained "Re-organisation within the company has actually meant that air usage on the Kings Norton site has been reduced. Initially, we thought one screw compressor on each system could provide for all our needs, but the investigation, report and recommendation by HPC & Compressed Air Services determined that this was not the most cost-effective solution. We were looking for the best possible system for the future of the business".

Energy-Saving 1:1 Drive

HPC proposed the use of energy-efficient 1:1 direct drive DSD compressors which consume considerably less energy compared with compressors using small high-speed gear-driven airends. The airend is driven without transmission loss at speeds of up to 1,500 rpm via a maintenance-free coupling. The quieter than quiet HPC direct drive screw compressors feature low air discharge temperatures and a wide pressure range from just 3.5 Bar up to 15 Bar. "A key factor in our decision was the fact that HPC could supply compressors that deliver 15 Bar as standard," explained Ted Deakin. "The other potential suppliers were not able to offer that".

High Pressure System

The two high-pressure compressors running at 15 Bar pressurise three autoclaves that complete the windscreen lamination process. "The autoclave is like a giant pressure cooker," explained Ted Deakin. "The product is made up of three components, the inner glass, a PVB interlayer and the outer glass. The autoclave is used to apply pressure and heat to the product, removing any air remaining in the assembly and bonding the three components together." Infact one compressor could operate all three autoclaves, but this would lead to longer cycle times than with two machines running.

The two high pressure compressors are also equipped with a large refrigerant compressed air dryer and two stages of filtration to remove all risk of suspended oil vapour or particulate in the compressed air. "Clean air is vital to us," said Ted Deakin. "Any oil contamination, moisture or dirt in the compressed air supply to the autoclaves would adversely affect the quality of the windscreen lamination carried out in the autoclaves."

Safeguard For General Factory Air

Compressed Air Services and HPC also introduced a pressure reducing valve (PRV) into the high-pressure system high in the pipework above the low-pressure system. Safeguarding the general factory air supply, the system consists of a regulator set which receives air at 15Bar and provides an output at 7.5 Bar. This is passed to a motorised valve, controlled by the standard fitted Sigma control, and opens automatically if either of the two smaller HPC compressors which make up the low-pressure system is taken out of service for any reason.

Co-operation And Cost Savings

Ted Deakin concluded by saying: "We handed this project over to the HPC team as a turn-key project. They have responded to all our concerns and have co-operated in every way to make the system right for us. They have been very keen on the housekeeping and cost-saving aspects of the installation - and that's good for us and the future of our business."

For further information, please visit http://www.hpccompressors.co.uk


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