Ningbo Fangli Technology Co., Ltd. is a mechanical equipment manufacturer with over 30 years’ experiences of plastic pipe extrusion equipment, new environmental protection and new materials equipment. Since its establishment Fangli has been developed based on user’s demands. Through continuous improvement, independent R&D on the core technology and digestion & absorption of advanced technology and other means, we have developed PVC pipe extrusion line, PP-R pipe extrusion line, PE water supply / gas pipe extrusion line, which was recommended by the Chinese Ministry of Construction to replace imported products. We have gained the title of “First-class Brand in Zhejiang Province”.
During the construction of a plastic pipe production workshop, the installation of the PVC pipe extrusion production line is a key stage that affects subsequent production efficiency and product stability. Many personnel who are new to such projects fail to exercise proper control over the checkpoints throughout the entire installation process, which can easily lead to equipment operating deviations and failure to meet production capacity expectations at a later stage. Drawing on hands-on experience from past projects, this article summarizes the key points of the entire process, from preliminary preparation to final commissioning, for the reference of practitioners in the industry.
1. Basic Preparation Work Before Installation
Before installation work begins, the suitability of the site conditions must first be verified. An extrusion production line is heavy in its own right and also requires auxiliary systems such as material feeding and cooling. The load-bearing capacity of the workshop floor must therefore match the total weight of the equipment, so as to prevent equipment misalignment caused by floor settlement at a later stage.
Second, the reserved connection points for utilities — water, electricity, and compressed air — should be verified in advance. Against the equipment layout drawing, confirm that parameters such as the rated power supply capacity of the extruder, the inlet and outlet pipe diameters of the cooling water, and the supply pressure of the compressed air are all compatible, so as to reduce schedule losses caused by temporary re-routing at a later stage. According to statistics from actual industry projects, approximately 30% of installation delays can be traced to oversights in point verification during the preliminary preparation stage.
Finally, the transport routes for equipment delivery should be inspected. Confirm that the widths and heights of the workshop entrance and internal aisles can accommodate the transport of the largest equipment components, so as to avoid the situation where equipment cannot be brought into the workshop after arriving on site.
2. Positioning and Leveling of the Main Equipment
Following the arrangement sequence specified in the process layout drawing, place the core components in order, including the main extruder, the die head, the cooling and sizing water tank, the haul-off unit, the cutting device, and the receiving rack. During installation, ensure that the centerlines of the various equipment sections remain aligned on a single straight line and avoid lateral offsets, so as to prevent problems such as uneven wall thickness and surface scratches in the pipes extruded at a later stage.
After the initial positioning is completed, leveling should be carried out for each equipment section. Use adjustable leveling pads to adjust the height of the equipment bases, and use a spirit level to confirm the levelness of the equipment mounting surfaces. During the work, do not use easily deformable materials such as bricks or wooden blocks as leveling supports, so as to prevent the equipment from settling at a later stage and causing operational inaccuracies.
3. Piping and Wiring Connections of the Auxiliary Systems
Once the main equipment is secured in place, connect the pipelines and cables of each auxiliary system in sequence. These include the conveying pipelines of the material feeding system, the heating and cooling circuits of the main machine barrel, the circulating water pipelines of the sizing water tank, and the electrical control cables of the haul-off and cutting equipment.
After the water pipe connections are completed, sealing tests must be carried out to avoid the problem of water leaking and dripping onto electrical wiring at a later stage. Electrical wiring should be performed strictly in accordance with the wire number markings, so as to avoid component damage caused by incorrect connections. All exposed pipelines and cables should be properly secured and organized rather than left scattered on the floor, so as to reduce the risks of abrasion and tripping during operations.
4. No-Load Joint Commissioning Test After Installation
After all pipeline and cable connections are completed, do not start production with material directly. Instead, a no-load operation test should be carried out first. Start each equipment component individually and in sequence, checking whether the motor rotation direction and operating condition are normal, whether the heating rate of the heating sections meets the design requirements, and whether the travel of each moving component is smooth.
After the individual component tests show no abnormalities, conduct a joint no-load run of the entire production line to check the speed matching between each stage and the normal operation of signal interlocking — for example, whether the trigger signal of the cutting device can accurately respond to speed changes in the haul-off operation. It is recommended that the entire no-load test last no less than two hours, which is sufficient to expose minor problems not detected during the installation, such as loose bolts and misaligned connections.
Overall, the installation of a PVC pipe extrusion production line does not involve excessively complex technical requirements, but it demands meticulous attention to detail. From the preliminary site preparation to the final joint commissioning test, verifying and confirming each step against its checkpoints can shorten the installation cycle as much as possible and bring the equipment into stable production at the earliest opportunity. If detailed problems arise during the installation, targeted adjustments can also be made with reference to the actual equipment operation manual; do not blindly modify the equipment structure based on experience alone.