Applies to

• Lotem™ 800 - Local 3, from version 3.61 and higher. Cannot be implemented on Local 2 machines.
• Lotem Quantum, from version 3.51.02 only.

Release date = 03 Dec 2002
Type of change = Next Failure

Component

Conveyor - DC motor

Problem

Plates are unloaded from the Lotem at one speed and are fed into the processor at another, slower speed. Because the DC motor on the conveyor operates at a fixed speed, plates pile up on the conveyor and do not feed properly into the processor.

Solution

Replace the DC motor on the conveyor with a DC motor that has an encoder. This motor enables the conveyor to receive plates as they are unloaded from the Lotem, and to smoothly feed them into the processor at the proper rate.

Time needed to implement

1 hour

Parts needed

Procedure

1. Open the conveyor cover, and remove the DC motor and bracket by drilling out the four rivets that secure the motor bracket to the conveyor floor.
   Note: Leave the DC motor belt on the conveyor.
2. Remove the unload conveyor detector from the conveyor, and unplug the detector connector.
3. From the area where the DC motor was installed, pull the detector cable and remove it from the conveyor.
4. Thread the new unload conveyor detector cable (part number 504L2D883A) through the opening between the floor of the conveyor and the plate directly underneath, and pull the detector connector up through the detector cable hole (shown in step 6). Thread the other end of the cable down through the cable hole where the DC motor was installed.
5. Plug the detector connector into the unload conveyor detector, and reinstall the detector.
   Note: Apply Loctite^® 242 to each screw.
6. Drill holes in the plate underneath the conveyor:
   1. From the inside of the conveyor, drill a 4mm hole through the two smaller DC motor brackets that are securing the holes closest to the end of the conveyor (circled in the picture below), and continue drilling downward into the plate directly underneath (shown in the next picture) to mark it.

      

   2. From underneath the conveyor, use the drill with a 7mm bit to enlarge the 4mm holes you previously drilled in the plate (circled in the picture below). Do not drill through the conveyor floor with the 7mm bit.

      

7. Position the DC motor assembly in place. Notice that the outside end of the bracket fits under the lip in the conveyor floor, as shown below.

   

8. From underneath the conveyor, secure the DC motor assembly in place, using the four small screws supplied with the kit and the lock washers (three are circled in the picture below). Insert two of the screws through the 7mm holes you previously drilled in the plate.
   Note: Apply Loctite 242 to each screw.

   

9. Press the motor toward the end of the conveyor, and slip the belt over the motor sprocket.
10. Press the motor toward the Lotem until the belt is under tension. Hold the motor in place, and tighten the four DC motor bracket securing screws.
11. Place the DC motor assembly cover on the motor assembly. Notice that the cover has a tab on the inside that must be inserted into the motor bracket, as shown below.

    

12. Secure the cover to the bracket using the two supplied screws with washers, and lock the washers in the holes circled below.

    

13. Manually rotate the conveyor bar, and visually inspect the DC motor sprocket and belt to verify that they do not come into contact with the cover. If they do:
    1. Loosen the two screws that secure the cover in place, and adjust the height of the cover.
    2. Repeat this step until the sprocket and belt do not come into contact with the cover.
14. Plug the cable connector into the DC motor with encoder.
15. Plug the D14 connector on the new cable into the conveyor connector (labeled conv).
    Tip: The conveyor connector can be accessed from the rear of the machine by removing the rear, lower panel, or from the right side of the machine.
16. If the supplied Service Pack Floppy disk is not available, you will need to download the service pack (UnloadConveyorWithEncoder-Quantum-3.51.02.exe) and save it to a floppy disk. If you have the floppy, skip this step and go to step 17.
    When the download is complete, verify that the following files have been saved to the floppy disk:
    • INSTALL.BAT
    • servicePack1.REG
    • ConfigLoadingSystem.Script
    • UnloadPlateFromTray.Script
    • VersionInfo.txt
17. Install the service pack on the machine:
    1. Insert the floppy disk in the floppy drive in the E-box.
    2. In the PC controller, open Windows Explorer and browse to the floppy drive.
    3. Double-click INSTALL.BAT to install the pack. When the pack is installed, a message appears indicating that information in servicePack1.REG has been successfully entered into the registry.
18. Close the DOS window and verify that the pack was successfully installed by clicking Utilities >Machine Info. The PC controller version is displayed along with the service pack version. If the service pack version is:
    • 1, it was successfully installed.
    • 0, it was not successfully installed. Repeat steps 16 through 18.
19. Close the conveyor cover. Load and unload several plates to verify that the conveyor speed matches the speed of the plate while exiting the Lotem. After the plate has cleared the Lotem, adjust the values for the following parameters:
    • To change the speed at which the plates are transported from the Lotem, adjust the value for the First Conveyor Motor Speed parameter (default=5).
    • To change the speed at which the plates are fed to the pre-heater or processor, adjust the value for the Second Conveyor Motor Speed parameter (default=.5—the value was changed to 2 when the service pack was installed).
20. Repeat step 19.

Logistics

Approved quantities:

Schedule supplies for first lots:

Lead Time: 2 months

Technical contact

Dennis Kaliser

Product Support Manager: Yaron Soffer
Approval Date:

Date submitted

719-00044