CHICAGO (May 15, 11:45 a.m. EDT) — In a time when materials handling, scrap reduction and parts per minute are affecting the bottom line more than ever, upstream auxiliary equipment manufacturers will be showcasing an array of new products for NPE 2006 in Chicago.
From blenders to feeders to magnetic conveyor systems, the next generation of upstream equipment is designed to help processors save their two most precious resources: time and money.
Acrison Inc./Acrison International (Booth S1191): The Model 270 weigh feeder meters polyethylene and polypropylene granules and powders in an in-line vertical configuration and at feed rates of 50-6,200 cubic feet per hour. Launch of Model 407 “Weight-Loss” weigh feeder, which features a compact design with little space requirements.
Autoload Inc. (Booth S2249): Introducing two new feeder models. Showcasing its Autoload equipment. The AL-1525, geared toward molding machines; loader is less than 28 inches tall. The reinforced version, AL-1525R, has a heavy-duty inlet hopper/filter assembly with a reinforced-steel sleeved accelerator/wand assembly. The AL-1555 loader is designed to load two materials without any layering effect. Also displaying Autoload Jr., just over 4 inches in diameter and less than 14 inches tall. The company's Autodry dryers have no moving parts and are energy-efficient, the company said.
Brevini Riduttori SpA (Booth N5187): Products ranging from planetary gearboxes to speed changers to parallel and right-angle gearboxes.
Brecoflex Co. LLC (Booth N4984): New ARC-Power 15 timing belts and pulleys that reduce vibration and noise level and provide continuous tooth engagement.
Bunting Magnetics Co. (Booth N4609): New feed conveyors catch metal contaminants before they reach the grinder or shredder, helping to maintain product integrity. When coupled with a low-profile SL-Coil or flat S-Coil Detector, metal contaminants as small as a quarter-inch nut can be detected in bulk materials at a 4-inch distance from the coil surface. Firm also offering all-metal, machine-mounted separator that removes all metal from the material directly at the in-feed of molding or extrusion machines, as well as a new drawer magnet. Magnets to remove contaminants from recycled materials.
Burger & Brown Engineering Inc. (Booth N7115): Flow range/size hot-oil flow meter and a liquid-resistant Thinswitch.
Central Machinery & Plastic Products (Booth N5093): Angular blow molding attachments and bottle conveyor systems.
Colortronic North America Inc. (Booth N5026): Auxiliary blending, drying, conveying and granulating equipment including its new C-Flex M flexible wall feeder for use in both continuous and batch processes; and its new, compact, space-saving ECU temperature control unit. Also on display: products from its new business partner, Eriez Magnetics.
Columbian TecTank (Booth S3042): Storage tanks and silos.
Comet Automation Systems Inc. (Booth S3051): Introducing a feeder touted as the first 100 percent stainless-steel color feeder. Accurately meters color concentrates, regrind and other additives.
Conair Group Inc. (Booth S2649): TrueBlend blenders in larger sizes. TrueBlend material-tracking software. Gravimetric feeder. ResinWorks II next-generation central materials-handling and conditioning system. Integrated ControlWorks control and data management system for auxiliary equipment.
CRG Logics Inc. (Booth N6165): New feeder to improve the control of costly additives used in extrusion by containing weight loss to less than 1 pound per hour through a vibratory feeder. Can be used as coextruder as part of an overall line control system, or as a stand-alone starve feeder.
Dekker Vacuum Technologies Inc. (Booth E9326): Vacuum pumps for thermoforming and injection molding. Duravane rotary vane pump and systems ranging from 12-2,100 pounds, Vmax Systems that completely eliminate water use, and a Titan single-stage liquid ring pump.
Doteco srl (Booth N5091): New Grado batch gravimetric blender with yield control. Each ingredient is metered in sequence by gate valves into a weigh bin. Also launching Profit and Profix auto control systems for blown film.
Draiswerke Inc. (Booth N4230): Improved Gelimat thermokinetic mixers, compounders and dispensers.
Dri-Air Industries Inc. (Booth N5561): A portable dryer frame design, a redesigned dual-hopper portable system and a compressed air dryer for small hopper banks.
Dynamic Conveyor Corp. (Booth S985): New split-belt conveyor allows for both top and bottom exposure. An interchangeable cooling fan module. Also launching adjustable side rails for funneling and product stability.
Economizer USA (S3028) Showing the EL1, EL3 and EL7 VP-series hopper loaders.
Eriez Magnetics (Booth S1396, E11205): The EZ Tec 9100 detects metal contaminants to improve product purity. Also showing vibratory feeders and conveyors as well as bin vibrators. Introducing its new PolyMag, which enables the automated separation and recovery of mixed resins to reduce the cost of scrap for molders doing multishot and coinjection, coextrusion and sequential three-dimensional blow molding.
Fluid Automation Inc. (Booth E10864): Various models of new liquid silicone shutoff nozzles. Semco cartridge-fed miniature meter-mix dispensing systems and flow-meter-controlled meter-mix dispensing system.
Foremost Machine Builders (Booth N5054): The FDP-VII-AT blender controller.
Fuji Techno Industies Corp. (Booth E11427): The HY-Series nonpulsating metering pump. Also, a portable model.
Hammertek Corp. (Booth E10413): The Smart Elbow for pneumatic and slurry conveying systems, which the company said eliminates elbow wear, streamers, fines, snake skins, plugging, surging, cross-contamination, noise and turbulence. The Smart Elbow design makes products change direction by deflection rather than impact with the elbow walls and pipe walls.
Harvard Factory Automation Inc. (Booth S962): Plastic and safety-mesh robot and conveyor guarding, both portable and stationary. Custom rotary worktables with aluminum frames and variable speed control. Custom manufactured box-fill systems to accommodate the molder's size and quantity of boxes, totes or bags. They are designed to fill automatically by cycle count, weight or weigh count in several different styles. Portable weigh scales with all-aluminum frames; stainless-steel wash-down enclosure and can count parts and/or weigh in units of grams, kilograms or pounds.
Jacob Tubing LP (Booth E10517): Improved corrosion- and abrasion-resistant linings.
Key Filters Inc. (Booth N5756): New programmable logic control system for its KCN continuous belt screen changer, which allows greater flexibility in the variety of polymers that can be used. Filtration equipment for extrusion applications, screen changes and diverter valves.
Kice Industries Inc. (Booth N4754): Pneumatic conveying and dust-removal equipment.
Kongskilde Industries Inc. (Booth N5071): Pneumatic conveying systems.
K-Tron Process Group (Booth S1158): KCM feeder controls, the new K-Vision operator interface, new additions to the bulk solids pump feeder line. Additions to the feeder line include the BSP-135 and BSP-150P. The feed rate for the BSP-135 can be as high as 155 cubic feet per hour.
Kuriyama of America Inc. (Booth E10229): A new, clear PVC hose the company calls Kuri Tec Polywire. It offers helical wire reinforcement for vacuum and static dissipation and yarn reinforcement for pressure, making it kink resistant.
List USA Inc. (Booth N4694): A high-viscosity kneader, new reactor technology.
LPKF Laser & Electronics Inc. (Booth E10919): The MicroLine 350Ci, using laser technology, features higher cutting speeds than mechanical depaneling systems for printed circuit boards and does not require artwork-related tooling. Noncontact laser cutting eliminates mechanical stress for the board and its components.
Maguire Products Inc. (Booth N5507): The Maguire Weigh Scale Blender has throughput rates as high as 10,000 pounds per hour. The new MaxiBatch HT was developed for wood flour and other bulk powder materials. It can dispense as many as 12 batch ingredients with a corner valve that achieves dispense rates of up to 24¼ pounds per second. It has a batch size of 66 pounds.
Menzel Machine Co. (Booth N8512): Multiple A-frame winding system for extrusion lines can handle product rolls as large as 6½ feet in diameter on portable stands.
Morris Coupling Co. (Booth E10906 ): Pneumatic and industrial vacuum conveying equipment.
Motan Inc. (Booth S1138): The new MoTemp mold-temperature controller and Tria-brand granulators.
Mozart AG (Booth N7314): New blades and knives for various deburring applications.
Mould-Tek Industries Inc. (Booth S1476): The “Herbie” mini-gravimetric weigh scale blender provides blending capacities up to 145 pounds per hour. Can dispense four materials. Has liquid-crystal-display color touch-screen controls.
Novatec Inc. (S2576, N5721): Infrared rotary drum drying system for PET with capacities ranging from 275-8,000 pounds, and larger, custom-engineered systems. Uses a stream of ambient air to reduce moisture content to less than 50 parts per million in eight to 13 minutes, the company said.
Plastore Inc. (Booth N6115): The Plasticolor 2000 GR gravimetric feeder and the Gravibelt, a single gravimetric belt feeder. Also, new networking software called Plastore Flexremote that allows users to control as many as 60 feeders, either in groups or individually, from a central location.
Premier Pneumatics Inc. (Booth S1170): PVC compound receiver.
Process Control Corp. (Booth S2926): X-series continuous gravimetric powder blender and gravimetric blender with liquid feeder. Also, Guardian gravimetric batch blender with powder feeders. Process Control will display an AFV Series additive material feeder, an LC Series self-contained compressed air loader, a PF Series stand-alone powder feeder and new touch-screen control panel for the X-Series and Guardian blenders.
Reimelt Henschel Mixing Systems (Booth N6332): Mixing equipment, batch and continuous ingredient-handling systems.
Schenck AccuRate (Booth E9813): A computer, CP-3 Industrial PC, that runs DG-2000 software for monitoring up to 16 feeders, flow meters and weigh feeders.
Shini Plastics Technologies Inc. (Booth E9829): Hopper loaders, central loading systems, volumetric blenders, gravimetric blenders, metal separators and dust separators.
Stiles Machinery Inc. (Booth E9762): Belotti computer numerically controlled routers and water-jet cutting machines.
Thoreson McCosh Inc. (Booth S2238): New Guardian Loader Series features portable vacuum pump units with throughput capacities of 200-1,500 pounds per hour. Low-temperature desiccant material dryers. New vacuum-loading system controllers.
Triad Sales LLC/Mixaco Maschinenbau (Booth N4106): Mixaco is introducing five new container mixer configurations including: a masterbatch configuration for premixes and mixes with low percentages of sticky additives; a color-concentrate configuration for premixes and mixes with high percentages of sticky additives; and a heating configuration for products like soft and rigid PVC.
TSM Control Systems Inc. (Booth N4017): The new Easy Drain helps shorten down time during a product change. The system can drain the reservoir hoppers completely, because the drain is at the hoppers' base. The system also is designed to reduce material spills.
The company's Sigmabatch gravimetric batch blending systems have throughput rates of 140-6,500 pounds per hour and can mix four, six, eight or 12 components.
Universal Dynamics Inc. (Booth S2249): Models GPG-1536 and GPG-910 AutoGrind grinders for injection molding, blow molding and extrusion. The swing-away material blower and cyclone are standard with stainless-steel tubing. Heavy-duty construction with hardened blades. Other features include: hardened cutting chamber, tilt-back soundproofed hopper, staggered/open rotor design, base sound enclosure, 5-horsepower blower/cyclone package, drop-down screen cradle/reversible screen, high-amp alarm, rotor pulley, safety interlocks, low in-feed heights. Also, water-temperature controls, including a portable model.
Wittmann Inc. (Booth S2549): Low-maintenance FeedMax IMX Series self-contained vacuum motor loaders for low and medium throughputs in resin conveying. DryMax D Series portable drying conveyors for closed-loop, dry-air conveying.
Zecchetti SRL (Booth E10340): Easy Pal line of PET bottle conveyors and palletizing systems.