Software
Digital Manufacturing Platform Now Incorporates Health Monitoring for Personnel
The Shiftconnector platform enables efficient coordination of work between machines and personnel, including the smooth transfer of operational information during shift changes. Digital shift handovers enable seamless 24/7 operation to increase safety, quality, and overall production performance. Process upsets, routine activities, and compliance-critical tasks can all be reported and communicated. The platform increases cross-departmental collaboration and can integrate with existing systems, including process historians, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), maintenance management, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. In addition to these features, the platform now incorporates CLEARED4 health monitoring to support healthy, safe, and reliable production at manufacturing plants. This feature provides a health management dashboard that includes text messaging, health-centric technologies, and onsite kiosks to obtain health clearance data and optimize safety. It enables contact tracing, provides access to COVID-19 test results for personnel, and integrates influenza and COVID-19 vaccination status. The digital platform can be deployed onsite or in the cloud, and it is compatible with desktop and mobile devices.
Eschbach
Data Management Platform Is User-Friendly
IOhub is an industrial internet of things (IIoT) open platform for control and management of data from industrial machines. It helps companies simplify the transition to Industry 4.0 and implement new IIoT technology. System integrators and machine builders can deploy preconfigured applications via the simple and user-friendly interface, eliminating the need to write complex custom software or codes. However, users also have the freedom to develop custom and private applications using their preferred technologies, frameworks, and/or languages.
EZ VPN, Inc.
Environmental, Health, and Safety
Flare Stack Monitoring System Captures Reliable Thermal Images
This flare stack monitoring system accurately and reliably monitors flare stack emissions to help ensure that plants meet environmental requirements. The system is equipped with an infrared camera that produces high-resolution thermal images, enabling visualization of the flame in any weather. The camera can be positioned at a safe distance from the flame for ease of installation and maintenance. The system uses IMAGEPro software to simultaneously monitor, capture, and display data from multiple thermal imaging cameras for real-time analysis. Users are able to set alarms to warn if action needs to be taken. The system can detect a wide range of temperatures from 100°C to 1,000°C (212°F to 1,832°F).
AMETEK, Inc.
Fluids and Solids Handling
Twin Bulk Bag Unloader Streamlines Dry Material Handling
This twin bulk bag unloader simplifies transfer of dry materials, such as powders, granules, pellets, and loading powders to pneumatic vacuum conveying systems. It integrates two bulk bag unloading stations into one unit that discharges into a single hopper. Both bags can be discharged simultaneously for fast emptying, or bags can be discharged sequentially to allow an empty bag to be removed and reloaded while the second bag is discharged without stopping the operation. The modular and compact bulk bag station can be customized to suit most spaces. Versions are available that are constructed completely of stainless steel or a combination of carbon steel and stainless steel.
Volkmann USA
Tumble Blender Gently Mixes Solids
The Model DCB double-cone tumble blender is designed for large-scale blending of free-flowing solids in a wide range of laboratory, pilot, and production applications. The blender heats and dries products during blending and thoroughly distributes materials throughout the batch, without damaging fragile or sensitive components. The Model DCB-75 blender has a 75-ft3 capacity and is rated for vacuum up to 29.5 inHg. This model features gas purging capability, a 16-in. discharge valve, a five-passage rotary union, an explosionproof brake motor, and a programmable logic controller (PLC). Additional models and sizes are available.
Charles Ross & Sons Co.
Vibrating Screen Exciters Handle High Capacities
These vibrating screen exciters provide reliable, consistent performance and require minimal downtime. Users can adjust the required stroke, frequency, and exact static moment to customize operation for each application. The screen exciters are available in several weight configurations to improve screening performance. They also feature several static moment options for minimal maintenance, long service life, and the ability to handle high capacities. The four models (HB-25, HB-55, HB-85, and HB-115) can be adjusted to provide eight different weight configurations.
Haver & Boecker Niagara
Double-Shaft Mixer Achieves High Throughputs of Small Volumes
The double-shaft Multiflux mixer quickly and uniformly distributes multiple liquid and powdered materials in small batch volumes. The mixing system directs the materials into a fluidized zone that facilitates fast exchange of materials, creating a homogeneous mixture even when mixing materials in small quantities. The mixer offers fast cycle times of less than 30 sec to deliver high overall throughput rates. In addition, the stainless steel mixer has continuously welded seams and surface finishes that prevent contamination and meet U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements. The mixer also has a full-size door and cantilevered drive that allow access to the mixing rotors, mixing chamber, and entire interior for cleaning.
Gericke USA
Dust-Free Drum Dumper Is Available with Safety Cage
The mobile TIP-TITE drum dumper is now available with a safety cage. This allows hands-free, automated dumping of bulk solid materials drums with no dusting or danger associated with sudden shifting of contents. The three-sided carbon steel cage with safety interlocked doors is mounted on a mobile frame with quick-acting jack screws for stability. A platform raises the drum hydraulically, creating a dust-tight seal between the rim of the drum and the underside of a discharge cone. The device can handle drums with volumes of 30–55 gal (115–200 L).
Flexicon
Materials and Chemicals
Polypropylene Additive Offers High Transparency
The Hyperform HPN 909ei is a high-performance additive for polypropylene homopolymers. It offers a balance of strong physical properties and clear aesthetics to suit various polypropylene applications, including food packaging. The additive improves product stiffness while maintaining impact performance. It also has a unique isotropic shrinkage (i.e., similar shrinkage in both directions) property to ensure designs do not warp, and it has a high heat-deflection temperature to improve heat resistance.
Milliken Chemical Co.
Structural Thermoplastic Offers Expanded Resin Formulations
The KyronMAX structural thermoplastic materials are available with new resin formulations to accommodate polypropylene, nylon, and polycarbonate. The thermoplastic materials incorporate the company’s short carbon fiber technology. The moldable polymers achieve tensile strengths up to 60,000 psi (414 MPa), making them suitable for metal replacement applications. These compounds exhibit much higher mechanical strength than conventional glass and carbon-filled systems at the same fiber percentage loadings. In addition, these materials are 75% lighter than steel and 50% lighter than aluminum.
Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials
Adsorbent Material Captures Volatile Organic Compounds
The DESVOCANT adsorbent helps to control and eliminate the accumulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) due to off-gassing of enclosed manufactured goods. This adsorbent is a dried granulate made from sustainable, nontoxic bentonite clay with a unique surface structure. It is available in various sizes of adsorbent sachets, bags, and hanger strips to suit a variety of different applications.
Clariant
Compound Improves Resin Foaming Processes
The LNP COLORCOMP compound incorporates advanced nanotechnology that facilitates efficient production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foams for core materials in sandwich structures. The compound helps to control nucleation and cell growth to achieve small cell sizes and uniform cell-size distribution. Small and consistent cell sizes minimize uptake of resin in sandwich structures, which reduces the weight of foams. The compound can improve shear strength properties for better fatigue performance. It serves as an effective nucleating agent for foaming processes such as extrusion foaming, injection foaming, and bead foaming, and it can also act as a rheological modifier to improve melt strength and thermoformability.
SABIC
Material Protects Polymers from Microorganisms
The BroadTect material protects polymers against a wide variety of microorganisms, including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, mold and mildew, yeasts, and algae. The antimicrobial protection is durable and remains effective even with ongoing washing and weathering. The material has high temperature resistance and is suitable for thermoplastic processing methods such as extrusion processes or injection molding. It is compatible with most thermoplastic polymers, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), ethyl-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and other materials and commonly used additives.
Sanitized AG
Polyisobutene Chips Simplify Processing
OPPANOL C is a small, chipped form of high-molecular-weight polyisobutene. The 1-in. chips facilitate simple and fast processing to reduce product development time and minimize manufacturing steps. The small chip form of nonhazardous, high-purity polyisobutene also offers convenient handling size for precise formulation tailoring. The polyisobutene chips provide the same benefits as other high-molecular-weight polyisobutene products, including excellent barrier properties, adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces, clean peel, and flexibility at low temperatures.
BASF Chemical
Operations and Maintenance
Injection System Streamlines Scale-Up
The UltraShot injection system features advanced injection control technology that provides process condition consistency with cavitation scaling. It maintains a predictable process from pilot to high cavitation — up to 128 cavities — to streamline and accelerate scale-up. Fewer high-pressure injection cycles than conventional hot runners help to preserve the original resin properties. The resulting molded parts have better mechanical and optical properties. The system features the Altanium mold controller, which provides advanced process monitoring and control during injection molding to ensure consistent part dimensions.
Husky Injection Molding Systems
Instrumentation
Pressure Transducers Operate in Harsh Environments
These pressure transducers are available in models that withstand radiation, fatigue, and high pressures in harsh environments. The SST-14X is a general industrial pressure transducer that can handle pressures up to 25,000 psi and features wetted material alternatives and extended thermals. The SST-144 is a high-pressure, fatigue-rated model that can handle pressures in excess of 100,000 psi. The SST-64X-RT is suitable for harsh environments with risk of radiation exposure. Each model has a wide operating temperature range of –65°F to 250°F.
Sigma-Netics, Inc.
Laboratory Equipment
Laboratory Chiller Controls Temperature without Refrigerant
The Piccolo chiller uses state-of-the-art thermoelectric Peltier technology to rapidly heat or cool without refrigerant. It has a working temperature range of 4°C to 70°C and offers cooling capacities up to 280 W at 20°C. The chiller operates quietly and has a compact design, making it suitable for analysis, quality control, and research in laboratory settings. It features an OLED display with USB and RS232 connectivity. The device does not require routine maintenance.
Huber
Copyright Permissions
Would you like to reuse content from CEP Magazine? It’s easy to request permission to reuse content. Simply click here to connect instantly to licensing services, where you can choose from a list of options regarding how you would like to reuse the desired content and complete the transaction.