Design a Washer Extractor

Design Factor
• Good Washing Characteristics
• Mechanical Action
• Large Load Size for a Small Footprint
• Utilities Consumption
• Cost
• Water Extraction
• High Moisture Removal
• Minimize Fabric Damage
• Reduce Load Imbalance
• Rugged
Mechanical Action
• Lifting and Dropping the Goods
• Rib Size
• Larger is better
• Basket Rotation Speed
• Too Fast—Plastering
• Too Slow—Poor Action and
Rolling around on Bottom of
Basket
• 11 to 5 o’clock drop and 1 to 7
o’clock drop
• 36 RPM
• Proper Load Size
• Too Large and no tumbling
• Too Small and too much action
potentially damaging to fabric
Load Size
• Load Size determined by Basket Volume 44”

• Calculate Basket Volume

• To calculate Cylinder Volume (CV) in ft3
• ((CDI)2 X cd)/2200
42”
• If a 42044 machine, ((42)2 x 44)/2200=35.28 ft3
• Multiply by Load Factor to determine Load Weight
• 6.25 Lb/ft3

• Large Load Size Requires

• Large Basket
• That requires larger and stronger frames if Rigid Mounts
• Can use smaller frames if there is a suspension system
• Why? Forces during Washing are minimal, but we will extract and the forces are large.
Footprint
• Bang for the Buck
• Building Up – bigger diameter washer is a better use of floor space or lbs
per sq ft.
• Larger Baskets wash more lbs per square foot of floor space.
• Do you buy all large washer extractors?
• Load Size dictates Washer Size
Low Utilities Consumption
• Water Costs are Going Up
• What to Do?
• Water Reuse Ability
• 2 Water Drains
• Drain final rinse water into separate tank and use that water for subsequent wash
steps (flush and breaks)
• Residual chemistry concerns.
• Saves Thermal Energy as that water is hotter than water out of your tap

• Electricity
• Inverters for Soft Start and Variable Frequency Control
$$ Cost $$
• Smaller Machines Cost Less
• Less Forces During Extract
• Smaller Frames

• Larger Machines Cost More

• More Forces During Extract
• More Robust Frames
• Suspension Systems to Absorb the Forces
• Automatic Balancing to Minimize the Forces during Extract

• Electronic Controls many options some less expensive!

• Amount of Formulas
• Programming Options
• Data Acquisition
Moisture Removal/Extraction
• Higher Extraction Speeds will remove more Moisture
• Need To generate Higher Extraction Speeds
• To minimize the effect of the load imbalance, make a real heavy mass
in the machine
• Or make the out of balance real small
• Good Load Distribution will minimize load imbalance
• Good Load Distribution?
• Evenly spread around the basket
• Distribution Speed
• What is it?
• Higher Speed to plaster goods to basket wall.
• How to apply it?
• Ramped up slowly so goods will plaster evenly and not in one lump
• When to apply it?
• Prior to Extract before Drain Opens
• Use the water to help distribute the load
• Small Ribs – no ribs would be better. Would be better for extract but
would make a bad washing machine.
Preventing Fabric Damage
• Rib Size
• Large Ribs can cause rips in fabric
• As the goods are spun at higher speeds,
generating higher forces, the goods are
stretched over the ribs.
• The fabric can be ripped as it is stretched over
the rib surface.
Load Imbalance
• Smaller Ribs helps the goods to distribute more
evenly.
• But cause reduced mechanical action.
• Distribution Speed Prior to Extract Speed
• Better the distribution, the lower the load imbalance
• Load Balancing Systems
• Auto Balance Systems
• Different activation points, but involve using water
into the ribs to counter act the load imbalance.
• Safety Systems
• Coast Safety Switch
• Recycle Circuit
• Vibration Switch
Robust Frames
• The more steel, the higher the costs.
• Why is a robust frame necessary?
• Wash Speeds
• NO
• Extract Speeds
• YES, More Forces Applied
• Frames can be reduced through use of Suspension Systems
• Suspension Systems add $$$$$$
Robust Frames

Marshmallow

Shocks

Hydro Cushion
Competing Priorities
• Larger Ribs for more Mechanical Action, yet possible fabric damage,
poorer distribution, more imbalance issues
• Larger Machines, need suspension systems to handle the stresses,
auto balance, or large robust frames, all equals to higher costs
When do you need a suspension system?

• When the forces of extract become unmanageable for the floor.

• How much force is generated when a load is out of balance?
• Ex. If I have 10 pounds of goods spinning at 1G what force is generated?

10 lbf
How Much Force?
• 10 Pounds at 1G creates 10
pounds force in EVERY direction
during extract.
• G force = (diameter in inches) X
(rpm)2 divided by 70471
• As the speed goes up the G force
goes up too.
• As the diameter goes up the G
force goes up.
• So, a 64” machine at 600 rpm will
generate how many G’s in
extract.
This force is reflected
at the outer wall of
the basket. If there
64”
were 6” of goods
52” evenly distributed all
around the basket,
what force would be
at the inner most
part of the goods?
265.6 G’s
327 G’s
Examples in Reality
• A 64040 (approx. 450 pound capacity)
has a load of terry towels in it.
• The out of balance is 40 pounds and
the machine runs at 300G’s in extract.
• How much force is generated?
• 12,000 pounds force!
How Much Force?
• If the machine has no suspension then the 12,000 pound is applied
directly to the foundation!
• What could happen?
• The building may fall down!
Suspension Systems Isolate Force

• The Hydrocushions, Isolators and Marshmallows isolate over 90%

of the force from the floor
• So if 12,000 pounds force is isolated 90%, how much force is
applied to the floor?
• 1,200 pounds
• The force has been reduced by 10,800 pounds
Load Size and G Force
• Why do we say to “Fully Load” a washer?
• The wash speed and drain speed are optimized for a full load.
• The G force is higher at the outside of the basket and “0” and the exact
center of the drum.
• Sometimes we see a piece of linen rolling around in the center of the drum at drain
speed. Why?
• Anything more than 1 G makes goods cling to the basket. So, the smaller the load,
the faster the goods “stick” and the higher the chance that it may be out of balance.
Suspension Systems
• If the machine hits the frame during extract, extreme force is put
on the basket, main shaft, shell, frame and floor.
• Solutions :
• Limit the out of balance
• Check distribution speed (inverter constants)
• Make sure the excursion switch works properly to shut down the extract.
• Re-balance the out of balance
Big Ideas?
• What did you learn here?
Big Ideas?
• Mechanical action cleans goods.
• Forces can take down buildings.
• Process control – control the load control the process.