TECHNOLOGY | TEMPERATURE CONTROL


Right: Conair ESE Series central chiller


dramatic savings in the lowest load conditions. It is like being able to roll out a different, properly sized chiller every time the cooling load changes.” (See Figure 1) On larger central chillers (ESE Series air-cooled and water- cooled chiller systems up to 1,440 tons), Conair adds that it uses up to six individual compressors in a single unit and links multiple units together so that, at full load, all compressors are online and under partial load and one or more of the compressors can be shut down as necessary to save energy. It is the same principle as automobile engines that shut down pairs of cylinders when full power is not needed. On air-cooled central chillers, which employ large fans to force air through condenser coils to cool the refrigerant, Conair also uses variable-speed fan motors. Instead of cycling on and off to adapt to load changes, the motor simply slows down automatically as needed. Energy savings can be significant because the relationship between speed and power consumption is cubic. If the fan runs at half speed, for instance, the energy required is not also halved but is actually cut by a factor of six.


Below: The MC5 series of mould temperature controllers has been developed by Matsui


Industry 4.0 Connectivity is another area that Conair has been active in. “The MODBUS open communications protocol and the new Euromap 82.1 standard for temperature control devices are making it much easier for chillers to communicate with other equipment as well as supervisor monitoring and control systems to give moulders easy access to more data about their operations,” Fisher says. “For instance, Conair chillers will soon be able to communicate with the new SmartServices Industry 4.0 platform.”


He continues: “SmartSer- vices combines powerful equipment monitoring and visualisation functions with advanced cloud-based data storage and analytics. In chillers, or any auxiliary equipment for that matter, a wireless adapter or ‘hub’ con- nects the control to a database that automatically collects and


stores process data, such as set-point and


actual temperatures and flow rates, and presents it to users in ways that are tailored to their needs. Key performance indicators can be monitored closely with trends analysed over time for process optimisation purposes. Alarms are also logged for analysis, and the system can alert key personnel via text message or email when they need to attend to a particular problem. This increases efficiency and helps to ensure that a critical alarm is not over- looked.” Matsui America is observing a number of


trends in temperature control in injection moulding presently. “We see a lot of customers moving away from high horsepower in favour of high pressure and turbulent flow,” says Mike Kott, General Marketing Manager. “In addition, we receive more requests than ever for better monitoring of flow and temperature in the process, for which our MC5-G3 model is well equipped. The requirement to maintain higher temperatures than traditionally used currently seems to be a challenge for mould- ers, as well as the need for preventive maintenance to be performed easily. “Process communication and Industry 4.0 are also becoming more of a factor. We can monitor these developments through SPI and MODBUS, and are in the process of developing these technologies to be offered in the near future. From a servicing standpoint, we have moved many maintenance valves to the outside of the machine body, to cut repair times.” Matsui has developed the MC5-G3 model, as an optional upgrade from the standard G1 panel, which now includes programmable set-value switching, programmable weekly operation, and SPI data output or MODBUS communication board. “Our compact MC5 unit achieves its target in less time than previous models by using a more powerful pump and responsive thermocouple, in terms of accuracy,” says Kott. “It can maintain a target temperature within one degree of accuracy, which is sampled four times per second. Future developments will include Internet of Things or


42 INJECTION WORLD | June 2019 www.injectionworld.com


PHOTO: CONAIR


PHOTO: MATSUI


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