Advantek Engineering Inc.

The 40 mm wide belt Tractor Pull System with 25 kg pulling force is the core system designed by Advantek Engineering Inc. and has become the ‘go to’ design in the glass pulling industry. 

Advantek Engineering Inc. has designed many industry firsts including dual driven belts with two servo motors and gear boxes for extremely smooth operation, concentric opening pass line automatically adjusting to product sizes without changing material position,  finely adjustable low friction pneumatic closure force system, integrated load cell with mass offset for precise tension measurement not dependent on the preform mass decay, and quick release precision square rail slides to provide both positioning and removal of the system from the pass line during Pulling Systemsping of the preform gob (baiting). 

Our systems can be designed to retrofit to nearly any existing tower configurations and we have direct replacement for Heathway Draw Towers which are one of our biggest sellers.  The required draw speed ranges are determined per application.  Our systems have proven themselves over many years in many industries and are drawing submicron fiber tolerances on a daily basis.  For lower budget applications single drive systems can be supplied without tension measurement or pass line slides.

The 80 mm wide belt Tractor Pull System with 50 kg pulling force is similar in design function as our 40 mm system but with much more robust construction, heavy duty bearings and axial supports, 75 mm belt opening, and integrated roller guide system.  Orientation and mounting can be customized per customer needs, just as with any system that Advantek Engineering Inc. designs and builds.

The 100 mm wide belt Tractor Pull System with 100 kg pulling force is similar in design function as our 80 mm system but with additional structural reinforcement, larger linear ball slides, dual row air frame bearings, and Ø75mm planetary gearboxes with higher axial load ratings. 

This configuration is especially qualified for drawing glass ribbon or other flat materials at extremely high tensile loads.  Orientation and mounting can be customized per customer needs including up draw applications; just as with any system that Advantek Engineering Inc. designs and builds.

The 1000 kg Tensile Force Tractor Pull System with Scribe and Break Cutting System is specially designed to pull ribbon glass and or metallic sheet materials at extreme loads with optimum smoothness using high resolution AC servo motors and multiple stage planetary gearboxes. 

The belts are custom designed arc driven, have low friction coated teeth, and are self-aligning.   Our proprietary speed matching scribe and break cutting system is used to cut the ribbons into precise lengths.

In addition to Tractor Pull Systems for standard conventional fiber draw, ribbon draw, wire pulling, and up draw; Advantek Engineering Inc. has designed and built extremely smooth miniature servo driven tractor designs that are small enough to fit 90 mm deep into a Ø20 mm ID tube.  

This concentric opening tractor system uses a modular quick change low friction pressure plate guide along with integrated upper and lower Tungsten Carbide die guides.  The belts can be changed quickly and are tensioned independent of the closing mechanism to provide precise pneumatic closed force adjustment.

The Triple Tractor Pull Mobile System is a specially designed tractor pull system having three pairs of concentric and independently opening tractor belts mounted on three pairs of drive systems that can be moved laterally edge to edge 3 in a row or completely separate. 

The entire assembly of drives can be adjustment front to back and locked on precision square rails and left to right at a preferred position within the pass line.  Once locked the inner and outer belt pairs move concentric about the fixed center pair.  Such a belt arrangement allows numerous pulling possibilities including all three pair, just the center or just the outside pairs to be pulling as the opening and closing of the belts is independent. 

The system has the control panel and operator interface mounted on the same frame with a quick connect cord and includes locking/leveling casters allow the system to be mobile.  Furthermore, the system can be raised 1 meter via the use of constant force counter balance springs allowing single hand raising and locking at the desired elevation.

For pulling single fibers at high speed, the dual AC servo driven Ø150 mm OD concentric opening Pinch Wheel Puller is often a right choice.  Viton coated wheels are used for high temperature resistance and integrated adjustable guides are included; with roller guides being an option. 

A special S-beam load cell with mass offset provides precision tension measurement and low friction pneumatic cylinders provide the finely adjustable normal force.   A pair of precision square rail linear guides allows the assembly to be moved out of the pass line for Pulling Systemsping the preform gob at startup.  The pinch wheels are mounted to precision ground spindles for quick and accurate replacement.  For lower budget applications, single driven systems can be supplied without tension measurement, concentric opening, smaller wheels, and without pass line adjustment. 

The Twin Tractor Pull Tower Mount System is a specially designed tractor pull system having two pairs of concentric opening tractor belts mounted on a pair of drive systems that can be moved in the XY axis and locked for precision pass line alignment. 

The pair of tractor assemblies also moves concentric about a central position for precise adjustment and alignment to the oven center during material edge to edge size changes.  Such a belt arrangement allows edge pulling in application requiring minimal product contact.  The system is designed to be mounted directly on the draw tower and has the control panel and operator interface mounted separately as the application requires. 

In drawing some ribbon glasses or other materials, it is important not to touch the flat optical surface.  For these applications, the Ribbon Glass Edge Puller is a viable option.  The puller is concentric opening and driven by dual AC servo motors with precision planetary gearboxes.

The wheels utilize specially designed radial V grooves with a proprietary coating to maximize friction and heat resistance for pulling.  Cooled rollers are also available in applications requiring pulling glass at elevated temperatures.  Our proprietary speed matching scribe and break cutting system is used to cut the ribbons into precise lengths.  The system is mounted on a mobile cart to allow movement while the oven is being setup and started.

The Ø360 mm OD Winder and Automated layup fiber counting system is used when continuous lengths of fibers are required to be drawn and directly spoiled from a draw tower. 

The winder pictured above is used to coil and layup IR fiber by providing both the draw in closed loop and automatic fiber build up speed compensation.  As the fiber is laid down across the reel, the system accounts for the reduced speed required as the fiber layers build and increase the arc length assuring a more precise fiber diameter and closed loop size control.  This system is in lieu of a fiber pulling system and separate winding systems with a dancers, which are not ideal for delicate fiber.

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