Summer is here and all that goes with it: long days, short nights and unrelenting heat. If you are fortunate enough to live in a climate that experiences typical weather variations, the temperate change is usually a welcome relief to the prior period. But in the manufacturing world, wide temperature swings generate problems, especially in molding composite parts.

Oribi Manufacturing is a Denver-based producer of specialized, reinforced thermoplastic parts for use in a variety of markets, including aerospace, military and sporting goods. Their high volume, automated process utilizes lots of heat to form the parts. In turn, this heat needs to be moderated to get consistent, quality parts.

“Consistent temperature control is critical to maintaining the highest level of quality” said Charles Yach, Oribi’s Quality Control Manager. “Without this temperature control, we would not be able to maintain mass production and still meet our customer’s expectations.”

Earlier this year, Oribi deployed a special Wilfley A9 Low-Flow pump. The need was for a pressure-biased, low flow pump and the Barske-type design of the 2×1-10 A9LF fit the bill perfectly. In addition, the wet end was directly mated to a c-face motor for the ultimate in compactness, reliability and simplicity.

Wilfley Centrifugal Pumps A9 Low Flow Close-Coupled

Cannon Orlowski agrees. As Production Manager, he has to keep up with scheduling demands. “The new Wilfley pump has allowed us to consolidate three pumps into one. This allowed us to streamline cooling setups to multiple machines. Loss of prime and cooling line changeovers are a thing of the past – it’s a set it and forget it system.”

Charles adds, “It’s quiet as well. There’s no vibration and runs very smooth”.

This close-coupled design may seem like a departure for Wilfley’s typical heavy-duty, frame-mounted centrifugal pumps. However, the ground-breaking Model AB chemical pump (launched in 1933) was also a close-coupled design.

Wilfley Centrifugal Pumps A9 Low Flow Close-Coupled
Model AB Chemical Pump

Just another example of how Wilfley adds value to your process.

Download this post