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Haver delivers 5,000th weigher
During a ceremonious event in Oelde
on 18 December 2007, the 5000th
Haver & Boecker MEC III electronic
weigher system was delivered to
Dyckerhoff Cement GmbH. This
jubilee electronic weigher system is part
of a 2-spout Integra packing machine.
The machine will go into operation in
Neuwied, Germany and will be used for
filling special binders for worldwide
application in drilling technology.
The MEC III electronic weigher has
been a real success story. 5000 units have
been sold since its approval in January
2003 and its subsequent phased market
introduction - 2,125 units in 2007 alone.
The company claims that the MEC
III is a milestone in the development of
electronic weighing: the MEC III electronic
weigher system is not only about
weighing, but also about control. It has
two primary functions: first for recording
of weight and the weight-dependent
control of the material flow through the
filling spout, and secondly it takes over
the control functions that are remote
from the weighing system, such as the
closing of filled bags and discharge from
the packing machine. The MEC III is
the first automatic weigher with a
European-wide design approval, awarded
to Haver & Boecker in 2007. In addition
to operation in almost every language
via graphic display terminal, the
filling spouts may also be remote-controlled
because of their network
(Ethernet) capability. Its user-friendly
concept allows the MEC III to be accessible
for remote diagnostics and software
downloads via the internet. A qualityconforming
collection of operational
data via the MEC III network is also
possible. This is not possible with conventional
manual control and recording
systems. The MEC III measurement
system provides a maximum resolution
of 6000 increments, which makes it
highly competitive and successful in the
segment of automatic weighing systems.
The decision to build weighing systems
for packing machines in-house at
Haver & Boecker was already made way
back in 1925 when the first valve-bag
packing machine was produced. Then
the design specifications and requirements
for the weighing system, which
were constrained by the design of the
packing machine, were very specific, thus
making self-made units the most feasible.
The weighing technology was developed
parallel with the filling technology.
Initially weighing systems were mechanical,
using a 1:1 beam scale: Then came
the 1:10 scale, followed by the moving
weight scale balance with variable weight
ratios for the different specified weights.
In 1974, in partnership with BASF in
Ludwigshafen, Haver & Boecker developed
the first electronic weighing system.
It was an analogue, electromechanical
system with a resolution of
up to 2500 increments. Just four years
later, the
managers at
Haver &
Boecker
opted to
develop
their own
weighing
electronics.
The first
developed
Company News
electronic weighing system had no official
design approval. It operated in combination
with a downstream check
weigher that could be calibrated; a
process that worked extremely well and
that today still finds wide use with the
MEC III. Next the first electronic
weigher using micro-processor technology
was developed. This development
occurred in multiple phases before
reaching the current MEC III version,
now on the market for 5 years.
With the European wide MID
approval and many other national
approvals from countries outside of
Europe, Haver & Boecker with the
MEC III has become an ambitious specialist
in electronic weighing systems
technology.
PC supported operating and service
tools which greatly simplify handling
during operation and start-ups have been
developed for the MEC III. "With a lot
of hard work and sweat we've overcome
the biggest obstacles", explain Peter
Gerdhenrich, Director of the Electrical
Engineering + Automation Department,
and Gerhard Feldhans, Director of
Weighing Systems Development. We
are proud that Haver & Boecker is
among the few packing machine manufacturers
that have their own development
departments for electronic weighing
systems. There are more than 20,000
H&B electronic weighing systems in
operation worldwide.
Photo: MEC III electronic weighing system no.
5000 produced by Haver & Boecker is installed
on a 2-spout INTEGRA packing machine. Shortly
before Christmas it was delivered to Dyckerhoff
Zement GmbH in Neuwied Germany, represented
by Lutz Steinhauer, Plant Group Leader
of Plant Group West.
CEE Packaging, www.ceepackaging.com Tel.: +48 22 2195466, +48 502 159080
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