processing feature | Materials handling
Motan’s Metro P hopper
loaders are designed for the clean and continuous handling of powders
Schenck has also introduced the Intecont Tersus
feeder control system, which is compatible with its long-established predecessor, the Intecont Plus feeder. The new system has a user-friendly display and is available in several operating languages, including Chinese and Russian. Conair introduced improvements to its materials-
handling control systems and ControlWorks plant-wide management system at NPE 2012 earlier this month. It has switched its Intelligent Loading System (ILS) materials handling control platform completely to Ether- net distribution, which simplifies wiring and reduces installation costs, while increasing control capabilities to handle as many as 500 loaders and vacuum pumps. The FLX material handling system is an entry-level system designed for smaller plants. It can control as few as eight loaders and two pumps and now has increased capacity for as many as 128 loaders and 40 pumps. Conair’s ControlWorks, which enables users to
Gomez explains that a current problem is feeding additives with very low melting points. “These additives become sticky just from holding them in your hand. Inside the feeding equipment, which is generating heat from friction, they are going to become like glue. I asked my team, ‘How can we design an intelligent feeder that can compensate for all these factors?’” Although a solution for this problem is still pending,
Schenck’s
MoveMaster Vac loading
stations and vacuum
receivers
gently convey powders and pellets
Gomez says it is important to keep thinking about the future. “Compounders can’t afford to have their lab come back and tell them colour or something else is off. Energy, materials, and even time are too expensive. We need to design the system to produce a constant output and run at 3 or 4 Sigma rather than the current 2 Sigma,” he proposes. In 2011, K-Tron refocused its company on providing
systems engineering, and re-branded all past acquisi- tions under one K-Tron brandname. “K-Tron is not just feeders, but about putting the whole system together,” explains Gomez, who says K-Tron can now offer turn- key plant design. K-Tron offers streamlined processes for its customers. For example, the company now supplies one K-Tron Control Module (KCM) to run both the feeder refiller and feeder itself, while in the past two separate controllers were used. Schenck has added to its range of ProFlex C continu-
ous feeding equipment with the ProFlex C3000, designed as a medium-sized machine to complement the C500 and C6000. All are available as either loss-in-weight or volumetric feeders. Schenck notes that the series has a space-saving, asymmetric design that allows the feeders to be arranged in pairs with the discharge pipes fitted close to one another. The system can be quickly disas- sembled for cleaning and product changes.
42 COMPOUNDING WORLD | April 2012
www.compoundingworld.com
monitor the operation of their auxiliary equipment and make changes to primary process set points from a single interface, is now available on a commonly available control platform. This change creates a more user-friendly system that is modular and open-ended so that users can adapt it to their specific plant requirements, says the company. A new material selection station routes resin from one place to another based on instructions typed into the control system. Conair’s new TrueWeigh continuous blender uses
cascade mixing technology to create a more homogene- ous blend even with small additive quantities or dissimi- lar materials. The new blenders can be configured to
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