Materials handling.

If you've so far resisted bulk materials handling, gas-heated drying, and gravimetric blending, these new entries may change your mind.

What may be the first of a new generation of "distributed-intelligence" control systems for multistation loadings is bound to attract attention among materials-handling exhibits at NPE. You'll also find several new hopper loaders--especially "just-in-time" sight-glass micro-loaders--as well as gravimetric blenders and metal detectors. In dryers, economical gas heating will be the big draw, along with some super-high-efficiency units and new energy-saving features. Also, don't miss a new liquid-color pump that promises two-minute color changes, and some new parts separators, bottle orienters, and feeders in the parts-handling department.

SIMPLER MATERIALS CONVEYING

Universal Dynamics Inc., Woodbridge, Va., is unveiling what it says is an attractive new concept in distributive control of pneumatic conveying systems. Typically a conveying system uses a central processor, which sends and receives signals to and from individual loading stations. The new "Echo" system has control intelligence distributed throughout the entire system. Unlike systems controlled by a central PLC, the distributed system is no longer vulnerable to failure if a single electronic "brain" were to fail. It is also no longer necessary--though still possible--to have a central station to supervise the whole system. Newly developed software and hardware technology can monitor and control the entire system from any individual module or station on the system. What's more, a simple two-wire cable is all that's required to link devices, drastically cutting the cost of electrical installation. "Daisy-chain" linking of one station to the next provides allows flexibility to add new nodes (e.g., a vacuum pump or loading chamber) without complete rewiring back to a central processing unit.

Other suppliers are also showing new systems or components for multi-station materials conveying. For example, Motan Inc., Plainwell, Mich., will display its new "Pathfinder" valve system for automated material selection from multiple resin-storage sources for delivery to multiple destinations.

Premier Pneumatics Inc., Salina, Kan., is introducing ProHost communication software for its ProController, which monitors automated feeding and mixing operations. The new software was developed to control up to 10 ProController blending stations from a host PC. It allows the operator to select or change the run recipe, download calibration information, and redefine operating parameters.

Buss America Inc., Bloomingdale, Ill., will show new products from Waeschle Maschinenfabrik of Germany. These include the Rotorconveyor RCG, which performs gentle, continuous, slow-motion conveying of pellets and granules without wasteful friction that generates fines. Also new is an energy-efficient UGS elutriator/separator, which uses airflow to separate dust and fines from pellets and granules to within 30 ppm. Also new is a 45 |degrees^-angle diverter valve designed specifically for U.S. applications.

New Swedish vacuum conveyors from Piab Vacuum Products, Hingham, Mass., will demonstrate multi-stage, compressed-air-driven pumps. The company aims to replace heavy electric-motor-driven pneumatic conveyors with these lightweight units (33 lb) that have virtually no moving parts. The newest model, VC 200, conveys 1000-4000 lb/hr. VC systems' modular construction is upgradable, providing flexibility for custom systems. Piab offers a line of accessories with its vacuum conveyors, including fluidization cones, feed nozzles, and level detectors.

Comet Automation Systems, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, will show its new CL-1 stainless-steel hopper loader for small- to medium-size injection molding machines. It has "swing-open" lid for quick cleaning.

Conair Franklin, Franklin, Pa., is exhibiting redesigned, modular lines of DustBeater and MicroLine self-contained hopper loaders. The company says the new designs provide a range of operating options, such as ratio loading, remote controls, positive discharge, and convertibility to central vacuum systems.

Conair Franklin also has a new CAML compressed-air loader series, which uses plant compressed air to convey up to 200 lb/hr of pellets or regrind from containers beside the machine. A small cyclone receiver and sight glass mounts directly on the machine throat. An adjustable external level sensor on the sight glass signals when to begin loading. A regrind/virgin ratio kit is available.

Minimum-inventory sight-glass loaders are also a new product from Whitlock/AEC, Inc., Wood Dale, Ill. They come in sizes of 0.1-0.7 cu ft and include integral conveying with Turbo Vac power units.

Kistler-Morse Corp., Redmond, Wash., will show the Load Stand II, a new system for weighing outdoor storage vessels of 25,000 to 1 million lb or more. A new bolt-on sensor is said to eliminate weighing errors from temperature changes.

WHAT'S NEW IN BLENDERS

Almost all the new blenders at NPE will be of the gravimetric type. For example, Novatec Inc., Baltimore, plans to bring out new models of its BBS weigh blenders. And Conair Franklin is bringing its new BG900 Series of Autoweigh blenders, for weighing and blending up to eight different materials to 0.1% accuracy.

HydReclaim Corp., Fenton, Mich., will bring out three new gravimetric blenders in its Model 400 HC line. The Micro batch unit is designed for up to 100 lb/hr, while the Magnum model is geared for central blending of up to six ingredients at rates up to 4000 lb/hr. There will also be a Mini version of HydReclaim's 470 Ulti-Meter continuous blender. It's suitable for up to 250 lb/hr and comes with a new touchscreen CRT interface, which replaces the remote-control panel on all 470 Series blenders.

Thoreson-McCosh Inc., Troy, Mich., will introduce a loss-in-weight gravimetric blender for up to four materials. The controller can store up to 99 blend recipes and its LCD display can show accumulated throughput in total--by ingredient and by percentage.

Comet Automation Systems is rolling out its new WB 50 weigh blender, which utilizes Comet's patented metering disc. The first version is for up to 200 lb/hr; larger models will arrive later in the year. Also new is the Series 52 volumetric blender for small injection molding machines. This unit also utilizes Comet's metering disc and quick-clean mix hopper. The hopper and mixer arm are both of stainless steel.

K-Tron North America, Pitman, N.J., will launch two new products under its Colortronic banner. The first item is the Graviblend Plus, which the company claims is the first all-digital continuous gravimetric blender for extrusion. The unit also features an integrated conveying system for greater throughput with less headroom. The second is its Colorblend continuous disk blender for injection molding. The unit automatically synchronizes the blending operation to the machine recovery time, providing fast start up with consistent color from shot to shot.

MORE GAS-HEATED DRYERS DEBUT

Look for more gas-fired dryer options at this year's NPE, with two suppliers making their debut and one expanding its current options.

Both Novatec and Bry-Air Systems, Sunbury, Ohio, will unveil indirect-fired, natural-gas process heaters. The combustion module of Novatec's new G-Series dryer is made by Eclipse, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial process-air heating systems. Key features of this fully modulating, sealed burner include a wide temperature range, accommodating a variety of resins, and "on-ratio" mixing of air and gas at the nozzle to provide continuous proportioning under all conditions. The system includes a heavyduty stainless-steel heat exchanger, which reportedly provides efficiency over 90% and isolates combustion products from the process-air stream, keeping the exhaust-stack temperature cooler. It also comes with two-year unconditional warranty and reportedly meets all state and national codes for safety and emissions. Novatec now also offers a retrofit package to convert any standard electric heater to a G-Series gas unit.

Bry-Air's new modular GPH (gas process heater) unit can be used to provide process heat on drying systems of 600 cfm or larger. The unit is designed for retrofit to existing dryers with electric process heating. (Bry-Air already offers a gas-heated regeneration option for its larger dryers.)

At press time, Walton/Stout, Inc., Lithonia, Ga., confirmed plans to unveil a gas-fired retrofit kit for W/S dryers.

Others who will display gas-fired dryers include Conair Franklin and Universal Dynamics, both of which have been leaders in this trend.

MORE DRYER UPDATES

Dry-Air Industries, Inc., Vernon, Conn., will introduce a series of high-performance desiccant drying systems designed for environments with very high humidity or for materials requiring extremely low dewpoint (i.e., liquid-crystal polymers). These units produce a -80 F dewpoint, as compared with -40 to -50 F on standard desiccant dryers.

Dry-Air will also roll out a new three-component, off-the-press drying/blending/conveying system with a new higher-performance desiccant drying capability. The system is designed for quick changeovers. It's designed to eliminate storage problems and waste of pre-mixed material.

Matsui America, Inc., Elk Grove, Ill., will feature its new Optical DMZ drying and loading system--a complete, closed-loop conveying unit designed for drying optical-grade polycarbonate for CD or other optical-disk molding. The company recommends one Optical DMZ unit to serve two disk-molding machines and says its new unit will dry opticalgrade PC down to between 0.002-0.005% moisture content in under 1.5 hr. Matsui will also have on hand another of its DMZ dehumidifying dryers upgraded with new features, including autotuning microprocessor temperature control.

A new machine-mounted, lightweight desiccant dryer that has its own hopper will be featured by Thoreson-McCosh, Inc. Dri-Pak 12/24 has microprocessor temperature control, digital display, and an unusual single-blower, single-desiccant-bed arrangement. This compact unit also has closed-loop process-air flow.

Motan will show the new MDM-100 drying and conveying system, which is capable of drying two materials simultaneously and then conveying the materials to both the drying bins and the processing machine.

Universal Dynamics will introduce a new energy-saving dual-desiccant-bed dryer design, which is now standard on all its dryers. Thanks to new high-precision manufacturing processes (e.g., new valves are made with laser equipment), the company says the new equipment will reduce wasteful losses of air and heat and will cut regeneration air requirements by 30%.

Whitlock/AEC has expanded its WD Series of dehumidifying dryers with nine new models in 75-300 cfm capacities. Processors can choose from three levels of fully automatic drying control. These include two fully automatic microprocessor-based systems and a Smart PLC control with energy-saving features like "dewpoint extend."

PORTABLE & CENTRAL DRYERS

Whitlock/AEC will unveil a series of new portable drying systems with integral conveying via sight-glass loaders and Turbo Vac blower. These mini-dehumidifying dryers are designed for small molding machines of 25-100 tons. Nine new models include 10-50 cfm capacities in machine-mount or free-standing configurations. Compact standard units feature electrically operated valves and fully automated microprocessor controls.

New central drying systems will be featured by at least three suppliers. Bry-Air will demonstrate a system that can be configured with up to 16 hoppers, all of which can be fed from a single dryer. Walton/Stout plans to unveil a series of mini-central drying systems. And Whitlock/AEC will show a new system in a new stand configured with two to six drying hoppers and dry-air conveying option. This compact system is designed for easy hook-up to a central vacuum-conveying and dry-air source, allowing flexible drying of multiple materials.

NEWS IN DRYER CONTROLS

A new Omron autotuning temperature controller is now standard on all Superdryers from Cactus Machinery, Inc., Markham, Ont. And Motan will launch a new Allen-Bradley dryer control for up to 20 drying stations operating from a single central dehumidifying unit. Motan will also show its new ATN control system, which automatically modulates the temperature in a drying bin according to the amount of material present, thus eliminating the chance of overdrying and maximizing energy efficiency.

Bry-Air offers a new option on all of its dryers--the BAS-1000 diagnostic system--which includes an RS-232 or RS-485 serial port for remote monitoring of drying parameters.

METAL-DETECTION SYSTEMS

Safeline Inc., Tampa, Fla., will demonstrate its new metal-detection system for in-line inspection of bulk-plastic material flows at 400 to 75,000 lb/hr. It's designed to reject all forms of metal contamination, even non-magnetic metals, at particle sizes down to 0.012 in. The company also offers a new SafeNet computer networking system to link multiple metal detectors to a central PC running "Windows" software. The PC provides continuous monitoring and quality-assurance reports.

Bunting Magnetics Co., Newton, Kan., will exhibit its new "Just-in-Time" magnetic drawer filters for hoppers on injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding machines. The two-drawer, grate-style magnets are designed for small-volume, closed-loop materials handling.

PARTS-HANDLING ENTRIES

Custom Systems Integration Co. (CSIC) Inc., Vista, Calif., a systems integrator for automated parts handling, will show the new FL-100 bottle unscrambler from Hoppmann Corp., Chantilly, Va. This low-profile unit is said to have simple tooling that permits quick and easy job changeovers, in contrast to more cumbersome unscramblers that require belts, hooks, mechanical devices, and overhead orientation.

TEC Engineering Corp., Oxford, Mass., will demonstrate a new fully automated, integrated system for separating and conveying molded parts and runners. The system incorporates an electric-guidance vehicle (EGV) to carry parts away from the molding machine.

And LaRos Equipment Co., Portage, Mich., is showing three new pieces of parts-handling equipment: the BMVS 1700 vibration separator for extrusion blow molding bottle scrap; RTS-24 mini rotary-tumbler part/runner separator; and S-520 Water-Veyor for cooling hot parts.

O/K International Corp., Sudbury, Mass., will show new equipment from Alliance Equipment Co., Sterling, Mass. The new Sortmaster is a variable-frequency vibratory parts separator and the Countmaster is an optical parts-counting system that's offered as an alternative to cycle counting or count-by-weight box-filling systems.

What to Look for

* Automated multi-station loading system has distributed intelligence, simplified wiring.

* High-capacity vacuum-conveying pumps have no moving parts, run off compressed air.

* Gas-fired dryer process heaters debut from three more suppliers.

* High-performance desiccant unit dries LCP at -80 F dewpoint.

* Network links metal detectors to PC monitor.