550 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[July 1, 1914. 



A CALENDER ROOM LAYOUT. 



By U\ J. Bittcrtich. 



IN looking over some back numbers of The India Rudbkr 

 WoRiD the writer came across an article written by Morris 

 .\. Pearson, describing a model calender room, which embodied 

 certain mechanical features. 



The writer submits a modilication of tliis layout, embodying 

 several features not shown by Mr. Pearson, and considered 

 from an operating point of view for the most economical produc- 

 tion. It should, however, be borne in mind that this layout 

 would not hold good for all classes of rubber mills, since the 

 sizes of calenders and mills and the processes of manufacture 

 vary. 



The first essential to the general arrangement of machinery 

 is the routine diagram, which is simply the enumeration, in 

 tabular form, of the several operations. 



It should be kept 

 clearly in view that 

 materials in process of 



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manufacture shall flow 

 in one direction to and 

 from the machines in an 

 orderly manner, a n d 

 without waste of time 

 and energy. 

 The successful layout of a department involving a sequential 



arrangement of machinery requires considerable forethought 



and care, and in many cases much tactful discussion with the 



foreman of the proposed department. 

 The routine diagram for tliis calender room comprises the 



following ; 



day has to travel from the warmer to the calender, it can 

 readily be seen that the saving in labor accomplished by 

 minimizing this distance is quite important. 



In the minimizing of this distance it is necessary to lengthen 

 the distance of travel for fabric and finished product. These, 

 however, arc delivered in larger quantities than the rubber 

 liatchcs, and therefore have a less number of journeys to travel. 



3. The central portion of the room is devoted to the storage 

 of mi.xed gum. This allows piling the gum as high as practica- 

 ble, without obstructing the light, and since rubber is afifected 

 by light it should be stored in the darkest part of the room. 



With the storage at the sides of the room the light from the 

 side windows would be obstructed when the gum is piled 

 high. While some light may be available from a sawtooth roof 

 with a single story building, it is desirable to obtain all the 

 daylight possible at the calenders from sides and above. 



4. .Since Mr. Pearson has covered the mechanical features so 

 well, there is little to add. The writer, however, suggests that 

 the building should be of one story, aliout 20 feet high, eciuipped 

 with a roof of sawtooth construction, and be spanned by a 

 crane the entire width of the building. 



This latter feature would allow for quick removal of rolls, 

 frames, and all other heavy parts requiring renewal and repairs. 

 With the mills in the center the shafting should, of course, be 

 below the floor, otherwise passageway and valuable space would 

 be lost. This can be arranged by building a tunnel; or, better 

 still, a basement, and carrying the foundations of the machinery 

 to the floor below. Then all steam and water pipes would be 

 located in this basement. 



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The essential features of this layout are as follows : 



1. The calenders are located near the windows, and the 

 mills nearer the center of the room. 



The reason for this arrangement is that the process of 

 calendering, dealing with the product in a more finished stage, 

 demands the best light that the calender room can afford. 

 The function of the mill is merely to warm and soften the 

 gum for the calender. 



2. The mill rolls and feed side of the calender rolls arc 

 placed as near to each other as is practicable; this with the 

 object of reducing to a minimum the distance traveled by the 

 operator in delivering the batch of gum to the calender. 



When one considers that every batch warmed during the 



THE INCREASING USE OF AIR-PRESSURE GAGES. 



Evidence that motorists generallv 

 realize that inflation is a decidedly im- 

 portant element in tire service is 

 found in the increasing use of the 

 air pressure gage. Campaigns of edu- 

 cation carried on by tire manufactur- 

 ers are bearing fruit. Experience also 

 has been a good, though perhaps an 

 expensive teacher. The man who pays 

 the bills has found out that if he ex- 

 pects his tires to render good service 

 he must keep plenty of air in them. 

 Under-inflation is the most pernicious 

 abuse to which tires are subjected, ac- 

 cording to Mr. J. D. .\nderson, of the 

 United States Tire Co. He observes : 

 "Running tires so soft that they will 

 not remain round under load paves the 

 way for a large percentage of the in- 

 juries which decrease mileage and in- 

 crease tire maintenance expense. 



"The sidewalls of a tire are its thin- 

 nest part, and here most of the bending 

 -■ action takes place when the wheel is 



turning. If the tire is not given enough air to keep it perfectly 

 round the action of the rim on the sidewalls becomes violent and 

 in a short time the carcass is broken down. We recommend," he 

 continues, "twenty pounds of air to the inch. A four inch tire 

 should be inflated to 80 pounds, a five inch tire to 100 pounds, 

 and so on through the various sizes. It is absolutely impossible 

 to tell whether a tire has sufficient air in it by any amount of 

 feeling or kicking, and here is where many motorists make a 

 big mistake. A tire may appear round and feel hard when as a 

 matter of fact it has only half enough pressure on the inside. 

 "More air pressure gages are being used this season than 

 ever before and car owners are certain to save a vast amount 

 of good money through this channel." 



