Featured Video: Introducing the Corona CleanSpec Electrode which Maximizes Uptime
/Ahlbrandt is well known for state-of-the-art, high-efficiency Corona systems designed for superior surface treatment.
With the new particle free CleanSpec Electrode, you will not only get a safe and clean manufacturing process, but smart and length-adjustable electrodes that are easily installed into your existing Corona system. CleanSpec is secured for food-grade and clean room applications which makes it ideal in food packaging production and printing. Learn more at www.ahlbrandt.com/particlefree-electrodes
Christina:
Hi, I’m Christina Bjorkander, Director Global Marketing & Communications for Baldwin. We're here with an update and the Ahlbrandt CleanSpec Electrode. We're here with Dan Gilman (VP of Sales) to learn what it is about. So for those of us that are new to the CleanSpec Electrode, can you explain what that is.
Dan:
Absolutely. It is a particle-free electrode for corona surface treatment recently developed by our engineering team at Ahlbrandt in Germany.
Christina:
And how does the CleanSpec Electrode differ from what's in the market today?
Dan:
The primary difference to it is that it is particle-free. The challenge with having particles in the electrode is when the electrode fails. Just like a light bulb, they have a life to them and that life ends. And when that life ends, very often the ceramic will break. And in a electrode that's filled with particles, those particles then have nowhere else to go but empty out of the electrode.
Christina:
Can you walk us through some of the key features of the CleanSpec Electrode?
Dan:
Without having particles now in the electrode, it allows the size of the electrode to be field-modified and be able to provide vast deliver of these electrodes. There is also a stainless steel structure inside of the electrode. These electrodes have a lot higher rate of survivability. By design, we don't use glue on the clamps anymore for the electrode. By removing the glue from the clamps, that for one allows this easy quick assembly of the electrodes, but it also takes another potential failure mode away from the electrode. A final benefit is that these are attached through high voltage cables. Again, in a traditional electrode, if you had a cable failure, that's going to require you to change the entire electrode, entire assembly. In the CleanSpec Electrode, those cables are fixed individually. If you had a cable failure, you can just change the cable out.
Christina:
That sounds interesting. So give me some examples of what type of applications that technology would be particularly useful for.
Dan:
Sure. So the main use of corona treatment is in surface tension modification for printing and adhesives and coatings. Where it's really important to have something that is particle-free is in areas like packaging for food processing or in packaging for pharmaceuticals, other areas where you have really high requirements on clean room or clean type standard.
Christina:
So can you explain what benefits a customer would gain with these key features?
Dan:
The primary key benefit to this is downtime reduction. An electrode is not something that every customer thinks to have on hand. They don't fail that often, and by having this where it's flexible, we eliminate a lot of that downtime with this product.
Christina:
Your production is in Germany. How do you make sure to speedily cover all the global demands?
Dan:
You're correct. I would say we produce these products in Germany. We engineer them in Germany, but we have a North American headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. That is where we inventory our parts, that's where our service team is hubbed out of, and that is where we provide these products from.
Christina:
And so the CleanSpec Electrode was announced that the K-Show 2019. How has the product been received so far?
Dan:
It has been received very well, particularly by existing Ahlbrandt customers who are very accustomed to the legendary Ahlbrandt performance, reliability, and quality. Now adding in this massive downtime reduction that they can actually put in even to their existing older Ahlbrandt corona treaters has been received extremely well.
Christina:
Thank you for sharing your information with us today.
Dan:
Thank you, Christina. It was great talking with you today.
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