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Shop Facilities in Lindehurst, NY
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Keith Machinery Corporation, of Lindenhurst, New York, is the largest three-roll mill rebuilding facility in the country. The company occupies more than 100,000 square feet of shop and warehouse space. Keith ships two production mills each week, in addition to roll sets, lab mills, apron blades, and mill parts from their vast stock inventory.
Rich Condon, manager of the roller-mill division, and Tony Lentini, manager emeritus, like to point out that their shop is, first and foremost, a three-roll mill shop. They have been manufacturing and rebuilding roller mills for more than forty years (Tony was production manager of the Kent Machine Works) and their expertise covers every aspect of roller-mill ink grinding. Of course, Keith has roll grinders, gear cutters, and all the other equipment needed for mill repair, but, more important, the staff knows how three-roll mills are used in the field.
On any given day, the facility is bustling with activity. At least six production mills are being completed in the assembly area, new and used lab mills are being assembled in the small-mill assembly area, the roll grinders are running, and the gear machinery is in operation.
In the extensive parts department, a seventh-generation CAD/CAM computer system was recently added. Karim Baksh, the CAD/CAM department head, is very enthusiastic about his new toy. "It has really changed the way we do things here. In the past, we manufactured mill parts in the standard manner. First, a drawing was made of the part, and then one of our machinists turned the drawing into a part.
"Now, with our CAD/CAM system, the drawing is made on the screen of the computer. Once this design has been approved, the system sends instruction to our computer-controlled machine tools, which, in turn, make the parts." Karim is proud that his shop is much more efficient and that all of the parts it turns out are now exactly identical.
The rebuilding process begins when a mill is taken apart in the disassembly area and the first of two inspection reports is prepared. The mill parts are then divided into three categories. The base of the mill and all of the castings are sent to the cleaning area where they are placed in a heated and agitated stripping tank. The motor is sent to the motor shop for testing and rewinding, and the roll set is brought to the rollgrinding area.
The second inspection report is more detailed than the first, and it is prepared when all of the mill parts are completely cleaned down to bare metal. Each part is individually inspected; those parts that must be repaired or replaced are 'toted, and all castings are primed and painted. The rolls are hydrostatically tested, the interiors are descaled, and the water ends cleaned out. The rolls are then ground on the journals to ensure that the surface of the roll is concentric with the bearing surface.
Once the rolls have been ground and crowned, the bevels are machined and the gears are topped off and recut to the new roll diameters. If new gears are required, these arc manufactured to suit. The endplates are then remanufactured and recut to conform with the new bevels and roll diameters.
At this point, all parts are brought to the mill assembly area and the mill is assembled to the specifications of the work order, which may include a number of upgrades, such as hydraulic or electrohydraulic roll set; electrical prewire with starter; motor upgrades to two speed, XP, and plugging; roll temperature monitoring and control system; and can tilters.
Once the mill has been assembled, it is tested with ink to ensure that everything is operating correctly. Rich Condon points out that this is not a five-minute test. Rather, the mill is tested sufficiently to ensure that it meets his many stringent requirements.
The Anthony Division manufactures four size mills including a bench-top model with 2.5-by-5-inch rolls, the standard laboratory model with 4-by8-inch rolls, and two small production models with 6-by-14- and 9-by-24-inch rolls. These small production mills feature a four-point electrohydraulic roll-setting system.
A staff of trained servicemen is available for field repairs; they travel all over the world to service ink manufacturing equipment. There is also a parts department that can fill almost any requirement for mill parts from its on-the-shelf inventory. In addition to parts, they manufacture apron blades, which can be purchased precut or in coils.
All in all, a trip to Keith Machinery is an eye-opening experience. The facilities are open for inspection and guests are always welcome.
AMERICAN INK MAKER/December 1989
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The material on this site is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America and international conventions, and is the exclusive property of Keith Machinery Corp. or any licensee. All rights reserved. © Keith Machinery Corp. 2003-2008.
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