ABB PFCL201C 20KN Pressductor Pillow Block Load Cell

Description

Product Introduction

The ABB PFCL201C 20KN (3BSE027070R20) is a heavy-duty pillow block load cell designed for continuous web tension measurement in papermaking, steel processing, converting, and textile manufacturing lines. Installed beneath standard roll bearing blocks, it measures the horizontal force component generated by web wrap angles across processing rolls.

Unlike conventional foil strain gauge sensors that suffer from mechanical fatigue and drift under severe cyclic shock loads, the PFCL201C utilizes ABB’s proprietary Pressductor magneto-elastic technology. It operates as a solid steel transducer whose magnetic properties change under physical stress. This eliminates internal moving parts or delicate foil wire grids, allowing the sensor to withstand extreme overload forces without calibration loss or mechanical deformation.

Key Technical Specifications

Application Scenarios & The “Trench” Experience

It is 3:30 AM during a full-capacity production run at a paper mill. A web wrap roll experiences a violent paper snap at 3,000 feet per minute, slinging hundreds of pounds of sudden mechanical impact onto the bearing blocks. Standard foil strain gauges installed on other lines would twist or blow out their bridge calibration from the shock wave. The operator checks the tension trend graph: the robust PFCL201C Pressductor load cell absorbs the shock without a scratch, maintains zero point alignment, and allows the mill crew to re-thread the paper web immediately without re-calibrating the sensor deck.

• Paper & Board Mills – Dryer Section & Reel Tension Control – Provides drift-free horizontal force measurement under continuous thermal cycling and high ambient humidity.
• Metals Processing (Steel/Aluminum) – Continuous Annealing & Pickling Lines – Handles heavy strip tension measurement and severe physical shock loads during coil tailing.
• Converting & Film Extrusion – High-Speed Web Guiding Systems – Delivers rapid response times for microsecond tension adjustments in slitting and coating units.
• Textile & Non-Woven Production – Calendar Roll Tension Tracking – Prevents web stretch or tearing by maintaining micro-gram accuracy on continuous fiber webs.

Transparency SOP: Quality Assurance & Testing

We don’t just ship boxes; we test them on dedicated press equipment.

1. Inbound Visual & Mechanical Audit: Microscopic inspection of stainless steel housing surfaces, mounting thread precision, cable gland seals, and connector pin plating.
2. Excitation & Magnetic Coils Resistance Check: Primary and secondary internal coil resistance measured and logged against OEM factory reference tolerances to verify zero winding degradation.
3. Calibrated Load Bench Testing: Placed under hydraulic press fixtures to verify linear output voltage response across 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% nominal 20 kN load limits.
4. Insulation Resistance (Megger Check): Tested at 500 VDC to confirm insulation resistance (≥ 100 MΩ) between internal coils and the stainless steel body chassis.
5. ESD & Protective Packaging: Cleaned, sealed in heavy static-shielding bags, and shipped in custom-molded shock-proof wooden or dense-foam crates.

PFCL201C 20KN

PFCL201C 20KN

The Veteran’s Tech Trap Guide (Crucial Value-Add)

• ⚠️ Mind the Arrow Direction — Force Sensitivity is Unidirectional!

  The only measures forces acting parallel to its internal measuring direction (indicated by the physical arrow stamped on the housing cover). Mounting the load cell 90 degrees out of alignment or upside down will result in near-zero output readings or inverse control loop logic.

• ❗ Verify Baseplate Flatness and Mounting Torque

  Pillow block load cells require a rigid, machined mounting surface. The mounting plate must be flat within 0.05 mm. If you bolt a onto a twisted or uneven steel beam, the mechanical pre-stress will shift the sensor’s zero offset and skew your tension readings across the entire web width.

• ⚠️ Do NOT Weld Anywhere Near the Installed Sensor!

  If maintenance crews perform arc welding on the machine frame or bearing housings after installation, stray ground currents passing through the will instantly ruin the internal excitation coils or magnetize the core structure permanently.

• ❗ Shielding and Grounding the Excitation Cable

  The cable linking the load cell to the Pressductor electronics cabinet carries millivolt-level signals. Ensure the overall cable shield is grounded at the controller side only. Grounding both ends creates ground loops through machine frames that register as false web tension spikes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ for Conversion)

Q: Can the 20KN measure vertical forces?

A: No. The model is specifically designed to measure horizontal force vectors while remaining completely insensitive to vertical weight loads (such as heavy roll dead-weights). If you need vertical force measurement, you should look at the PFTL series load cells.

Q: Does the require periodic re-calibration?

A: Because Pressductor technology relies on the inherent magnetic properties of solid steel rather than delicate bonded strain gauges, physical calibration drift over time is virtually zero. Recalibration is usually only necessary if mounting geometry or roll dead-weight setups are mechanically modified.

Q: Can I replace a 10kN ( 10KN) module directly with a 20kN model?

A: Mechanically, the outer envelope dimensions across the frame sizes may align, but you must update the nominal capacity parameter inside your Pressductor control electronics (e.g., PFRA101 controller) to re-scale the signal amplification for 20 kN.

Q: Are these load cells original ABB units?

A: Yes. We supply factory-sealed New Surplus units as well as fully bench-tested refurbished original ABB Pressductor load cells sourced from verified industrial plant spares.

Q: What warranty coverage comes with this load cell?

A: Every ABB 20KN sensor includes a full 12-month replacement warranty. If the unit experiences coil degradation, linearity failure, or physical defects within one year of purchase, we replace it directly from our available stock.