Cooling water control panels

Cooling water control panels are widely used in the automotive industry to ensure optimal cooling of the highly automated robot spot welding units. During the welding process, it is essential to cool the tips of the electrode clamps commonly known as electrode caps. Worn caps or leaks in the cooling system must be detected quickly and accurately in order to avoid damage to the bodyshell and prevent downtimes.
In the event of a defect at an electrode cap, the cooling systems must quickly interrupt the coolant flow. This is ensured by the cooling water control panels from ifm.
A cooling water control panel consists of a filter, a flow meter and a water stop valve in the feed line. The return line contains a pressure sensor, a non-return valve and, optionally, a regulator valve.
The filter removes solids to prevent clogging of the cooling system.
The flow meter monitors the cooling water quantity in the system. Excess flow caused by leaks, burst pipes or worn caps and low flow caused by clogged or damaged pipes will be safely detected.
In the event of a failure, the water stop valve in the feed line interrupts the water flow to the system and prevents any loss of cooling water, while the non-return valve ensures that no cooling water can escape through the return pipe in the event of a loss of an electrode cap or a burst pipe.
The pressure sensor monitors the operating pressure in the return pipe of the cooling system. Thanks to its very short response time, it ensures rapid shut-down of the system in case of a sudden pressure drop due to a lost cap.
ifm also offers customised cooling water control panels to suit your specific application.