INLINE MEASUREMENT | PROCESS CONTROL
Quality control and process optimisation continues to move
from the laboratory to the factory floor. Mark Holmes reports on new developments in inline measurement and inspection
Measuring up in real-time
Growing demand for real-time product quality and process characterisation, as well as the ongoing shortage of skilled compounding plant operators, continue to drive interest in and deployment of inline measurement and inspection systems. Having lab-standard data available online can speed up decision making, reducing the risk of off-spec production. Following the introduction of the RecyColor
automated colour control system last year for recycling applications, Germany-based ColVisTec says it is continuing to explore the use and applica- tion of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in its inline measurement and inspection systems. “We are currently working with the South German Plastics Institute SKZ on innovative measuring probes for near infrared (NIR) measurements for applications directly in the polymer melt. With an increased emphasis on recycling, we see the detection of impurities and avoidance of contami- nation as crucial,” says Fuat Eker, Director of Sales, Marketing and Customisation. “In addition, we see the market for inline technologies continuing to grow. Customers
www.compoundingworld.com
demand the highest quality, both in compounding virgin material and in recycling. We have also been seeing a shortage of skilled labour for some time now,” he says. “Decision making towards techno- logical solutions is now mature. Inline monitoring with real-time material quality information directly from the process is one key element of that technological solution. This also addresses seam- lessly the loss of experienced employees in the coming years as they retire.” ColVisTec says that an inline measurement and inspection system for plastics compounding provides the process manager or operator with continuous information about the status of their production progress without having to wait for results from samples tested in the laboratory. “The InSpectro X records the raw spectrum of the polymer in the melt. From this, a lot of addi- tional information can be obtained, such as homogeneity, dispersion and distribution of the formulation components in the polymer matrix, and yellowing/degradation. In addition, any process variations, drifts or single events including feeding errors, vacuum, melt filter problems such as
Main image: Inline technolo- gies such as Sikora’s Purity Scanner Advanced pellet inspec- tion system raise quality and can cut the time between detection to rectification of process issues
November 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 43
IMAGE: SIKORA
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