PROCESS CONTROL | MANAGEMENT
Taking control of the compounding process
Compounding extruders are now equipped with a wide range of monitoring and communication tools to deliver data to improve productivity and quality. Mark Holmes reports
Collection of data during the compounding process is vitally important for monitoring the performance of the production line and to provide quality control information. Meanwhile, as the compounding process becomes increasingly automated, predic- tive maintenance can be used to keep downtime of extrusion lines to the absolute minimum. Manufac- turers of compounding extruders and associated equipment are incorporating ever more sophisti- cated levels of process control and “Industry 4.0” features to make these goals reality. A general demand for process data integration and automation, driven both by requirements for compliance with wider industry standards as well as the growing scarcity of skilled workers, can be seen as a trend right across the compounding sector, according to Maag. “We expect the degree of automation to increase further, along the learning curves for condition monitoring and its interpretation by machine learning models,” says Michael Stadler, Director BU Digitalization.
www.compoundingworld.com
“Compounding faces similar issues to any other plastics industry these days, with additional challenges regarding high variation within a product and material mix, requiring specific know-how regarding processes and operational control. Our automation and data integration solutions are tailored to support the compounding industry address these topics. Further trends include total resource consumption, process automation and adherence to requirements from a variety of regulative backgrounds,” Stadler says. The company’s latest development for en- hanced process control includes the Maag Integra- tion Platform, which is intended to keep track of all data relevant for process analysis and predictive maintenance purposes. It is said to allow integra- tion of procedural data within an existing IoT landscape via the use of industry-standard inter- faces. Taken together with the Maag Remote mobile app, the system provides mobile access and full data visualisation.
Main image: Improved line control
together with system to predict
maintenance are helping compounders lift quality and uptime
� August 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 31
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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