Material handling using effective and efficient system solutions that are tailored to the processes during the injection moulding of free-flowing plastics are at the focus of MANN+HUMMEL ProTec’s trade fair presentation at this year’s Fakuma in Friedrichshafen.
In Hall B3, Stand 3119, MANN+HUMMEL ProTec presents comprehensive solution concepts for flexible material handling designed for operational efficiency during injection moulding: innovative technology for small to large throughputs, cold and hot, hygroscopic and non-hygroscopic material. The product spectrum presented at the trade fair includes equipment and complete processing solutions for everything from the drying, conveying, dosing and colouring of granulates and mill base to the cutting mill for plastics recycling. The newly developed visualisation software for stationary modular drying systems and a colouring system featuring a programmable controller that is easy and comfortable to operate will be presented to the public for the first time at Fakuma.
Centrally monitor and administer drying systems while using up to ten modular dryers
For the new generation of stationary material drying facilities a new microprocessor-controlled visualisation software is available. With it, the the energy-efficient SOMOS® D dry air dryer and the therewith supplied drying hoppers with various volumes adjusted to the corresponding moulding process can be centrally monitored and administered. If, for example, the processing parameters change, then the operator can easily access and accordingly align all individual controls – the drying controls and the controls of each individual drying hopper – from a central location.
This software has been designed for the monitoring of a modular hopper installation consisting of up to ten drying hoppers whose controls can each additionally operate two conveyor machines – one for the filling of the drying hopper itself and one on the processing machine. So up to 31 individual machines are registered: the D-dryer with its control, the ten dryer moduls and up to 20 conveyors. The new central visualisation software offers considerable facilitation in the machine’s operation; this especially applies if the processor, for example, gradually expands their drying facility over time with additional drying hoppers. The on-site operation of each unit of a drying facility and the corresponding conveying machines would not only be far more time consuming, but also prone to significantly more errors.
Colouring machine with new, menu-operated controller
The self-colouring direct on the processing machine is a popular practice with injection moulding companies, especially when the frequent changing of the recipes defines the daily manufacturing operations. The colouring machines tried and tested for this commercial process are SOMOS® EFG von MANN+HUMMEL ProTec. The machines will be presented at Fakuma in a reworked version. The machine presented at the trade fair has been fitted with a new menu-operated and programmable controller (the S7 from Siemens). This ensures the very comfortable operation of the continually operating, volumetric dosing and mixing systems for granulate and powdery bulk goods. One control can operate up to four dosing stations simultaneously.
The menu guidance simplifies the programming of all required parameters such as the material to be processed, the planned machine throughputs as well as the mixture relationship of the main and secondary components. The operator can access already processed and stored recipes, and can display the current material usage and display the additional process-relevant parameters. If problems occur, the control displays clearly understandable information that shows exactly what error occurred during the process sequence and where it happened. The colouring machines can be mounted directly on the processing machine. They are available in three installation sizes: as EFG 100 for throughputs of 5 to 300 kg/h; as EFG 150 for 300 to 750 and as EFG 200 for 750 to 1200 kg/h material throughputs.
| With the new visualisation software, all installation groups of a SOMOS® D dryer system can be centrally monitored and regulated: the D-dryer and up to ten hopper moduls with up to 20 conveyors. |
| The continuously operating dosing and mixing machines SOMOS® EFG for the commercial direct colouring on the processing machine – pictured is the installation size EFG 100 for material throughputs of 5 to 300 kg/h – now have a new menu-operated and programmable controller that can simultaneously monitor and regulate up to four dosing stations. |
| Grit Feistkorn Telefon: +49 62 51 77061-150 Telefax: +49 62 51 77061-81-150 grit.feistkorn(at)mh-protec.com |
