Modern Plastics Worldwide - July/August 2009 - dae uptlax

PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
PRODUCT WATCH
AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT
Accurate dispensing is in the name
New from Process Control Corp. is AccuDispense, a single-dose, gravimetric
dispensing system for automated material weighing and loading. It delivers a
pre-selected weight of free-flowing material (powder, flake, granulate, or pellets)
directly to the process. AccuDispense is used when it is necessary to obtain preweighed
doses of material that do not need to be blended, but require an accurate
dispense. The AccuDispense design is based on the company’s Guardian Batch
Blenders, where it shares the same mechanics, controls, and software.
The supply hopper and feed gate are mounted above the weigh hopper. When
the dispense sequence is initiated by a manual start button or automated signal,
a programmable controller activates the pneumatic gate feeder to begin loading
material into the weigh hopper at a maximum feed rate. The single-point load cell
transmits weight-gain information to the controller, which steps down the feed
rate prior to reaching the target weight, for greater accuracy. The gate feeds the
weigh hopper with material until the desired material amount is achieved. Once the
desired weight is dispensed, the slide gate opens and dumps the measured ingredient
into a container, mixer, or a downstream process.
Process Control Corp., Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.;
+1 770-449-8810; www.process-control.com
TESTING EQUIPMENT
Vehicle components’ quality assured with special
analyzer
Injection molder of plastics automotive
components Karl Küfner
(Albstadt-Tailfingen, Germany) has
incorporated Mettler Toledo’s HR83
halogen moisture analyzer into its
manufacturing process for analysis
and control of moisture content in
plastics granules and components.
Hans Lang, head of quality management
at the processor says, “moisture
in plastics is a very important factor
influencing product quality, so we
routinely monitor moisture content
both before and during production
to ensure quality and consistency
standards across our range of products.”
He says they decided on the
HR83 device because it is easy and
quick to use and is suitable in production
environments. It provides
reproducible results. The processor
performs up to five tests/24 hr and
due to the results it has optimized
the company’s washing and injection
processes, he says.
Processor Karl Kufner sees the Mettler Toledo’s HR83
halogen moisture analyzer as an essential part of
production.
Mettler Toledo AG, Greifensee, Switzerland; +41 44-944-2211; www.mt.com
Innovation & Optimization Place
SOFTWARE
Online forum gives
users a voice in
software’s direction
IQMS is asking the experts, its users,
how its EnterpriseIQ ERP software can
be improved, launching a Community
Server that acts as an online user
group where IQMS licensees can submit
changes to the program that are voted
on by other users. If the modifications
are accepted they are then implemented
by the company. Randall Flamm, IQMS
president, told MPW that in the past,
the company has offered multiday user
groups where IQMS customers would
travel and, in a conference setting, submit
potential changes for the system. Flamm
says the new “agile software” approach
allows for an “ongoing user group that
can be active all year long” for changes
that occur at “the speed of light, instead
of the speed of an airplane.”
If a current customer doesn’t want to
accept the change that has been pushed
forward by the group, they can opt out
of it, and Flamm said that before any
modifications are implemented, IQMS
verifies they will not have a deleterious
effect on upstream or downstream
systems. Glenn Nowak, VP of IQMS,
said the Community Server, which has
undergone a soft launch before being
pushed out to its 500-plus customers, has
already generated interest from existing
clients. “[Community Server] is solving
the everyday business issues of our customers,”
Nowak said, adding the community
of users has put forward tweaks
to the program that IQMS had not anticipated
but are of value.
Flamm said business continues to grow
in the downturn, if at a slower rate, with
around 25 software implementations currently
underway. In 2007, anticipating a
downturn but not its depth, Flamm paid
off all the company’s debt, including
purchasing its buildings. In December
of that year, the company beefed up its
professional services group, hiring four
to boost that team to 16 individuals.
IQMS, Paso Robles, CA, U.S.A.;
+1 805-227-1122; www.iqms.com
28 JULY/AUGUST 2009 • MODERN PLASTICS WORLDWIDE mpw.plasticstoday.com