Seven SILVERLUBE Compressors for an Optical Cover-Glass Plant

A leading optical company launched mass production of a new generation of ultra-thin cover glass for high-end smartphones. The investment was substantial: more than 700 CNC and grinding machines were installed. Daily output was planned to rise from 70,000 to 120,000 pieces, for an annual capacity of 36 million pieces.

At machining tolerances measured in microns, compressed air for spindles, fixtures and grinding must be extremely clean, dry and stable. A pressure dip or contamination event can stop dozens of machines or scrap product. The plant needed a compressed air system with built-in redundancy and tight control of air quality.

Equipment: Seven SIND SILVERLUBE series screw compressors rated at 200 kW and 250 kW, mainly supplying the CNC machining and grinding of cover glass:

• 3 + 3 + 1 configuration. Three duty units, three standby units and one emergency unit. A group controller switches the 200 kW and 250 kW machines between roles as demand changes, so the most suitable combination is always running.
• Three-stage precision filtration. SIND PurePart PF filters remove fine particles, including the 0.3 µm fraction that the previous purification system let through.
• Real-time monitoring. Dew point and filter condition are monitored continuously, so filter changes can be planned before air quality is affected.
• Remote diagnostics. Equipment status is tracked remotely, with early warnings of developing faults.

Seven-unit, fully redundant supply for more than 700 precision machines.

3 duty + 3 standby + 1 emergency layout, protecting continuous production.

Three-stage filtration with predictive filter-life monitoring.

Load-based role switching between 200 kW and 250 kW units, minimising unnecessary running.