ACS Group business brands AEC (Booth W3226), Sterling (Booth W3127) and Cumberland (Booth S20205) are returning to NPE in 2015 and showing a variety of new products.
Essential auxiliary functions across the ACS plastics-focused spectrum include blending, conveying, drying, heating-cooling and size reduction.
AEC introduces the Trident GS series modular central chiller. Sterling has the VP series vacuum pump. And Cumberland touts the new Combi inline shredder and granulator system.
With the organization's extensive range of auxiliary equipment and supplies, “we are dedicated to the plastics industry,” said Paul Grekowicz, ACS Group vice president of marketing and product development.
The businesses focus primarily on the North American market and also offer products for customers in Asia, Europe and South America.
Internally, ACS has underscored the importance of process discipline in an initiative that started in mid-2014.
“We had a space-saving review, we prioritized key projects and we invested in people and equipment,” Grekowicz said. “As we changed our own processes, why not do the same with our equipment for customers? The goal is to solve our customers' problems.”
Until NPE 2015, ACS most recently exhibited at the triennial trade show in 2006.
“The leadership team at ACS Group is fully committed to the plastics industry and extremely excited to be a part of NPE 2015, including picking up additional booth space in the Zero Waste Zone to highlight our commitment to plastics sustainability,” Grekowicz said.
Schaumburg, Ill.-based ACS has product line manufacturing operations in New Berlin, Wis.; Wabash, Ind.; Warsaw, Poland; and Suzhou, China.
ACS is an operation in the plastic processing equipment group of diversified privately held Harbour Group of Clayton, Mo. In assembling the ACS businesses, Harbour Group acquired AEC Inc., Sterling Products Inc. and Wabash Metal Products Inc. in 1995; Cumberland Engineering LLC in 1999; the Colortronic North America product and brand rights in 2003 and Walton/Stout Inc. in 2009.
AEC displaying 28 products
The 28 product lines of AEC material handling systems at NPE include blenders, chillers, controls, sensors, cooling equipment and towers, dryers, feeders, hoppers, silos, vacuum pumps and weigh scales.
Trident-brand GS Series modular central chiller: This addition to a legacy product line integrates advancements and reflects an effort to improve the efficiency of certain fundamental chilling process technologies.
The chiller incorporates changes in the refrigerant technology, tighter and more intuitive electronic controls with digital readouts and a modular capability for expansion, Grekowicz said.
Individual circuits range from 50-120 tons of chilling capacity. A user can parallel up to five circuits for a maximum of 600 tons of chilling capacity. Each circuit has dual-screw compressor technology and an advanced operator panel.
The TS Tech integrated tool-less strainer technology allows for rapid maintenance while maximizing chiller-circuit uptime.
Integrated Schrader valves allow for simple service connection and refrigerant recharging.
Pump tanks can be integrated into the system.
Monitoring of chiller conditions includes an adaptive control feature allowing an operator to adjust the settings of certain components when the chiller approaches an alarm condition. The aim is to keep the chiller running with minimal to no downtime.
GS Series chillers are available in remote air- and packaged water-cooled models and offer a coolant temperature range of 30-65° F.
Effective in November 2013, AEC began directly supporting many of the broad range of products and systems that Colortronic North America had supplied and, under the AEC brand, moved to supply new systems including volumetric and loss-in-weight feeding equipment. Motan-Colortronic GmbH of Friedrichsdorf, Germany, retains rights to the Colortronic brand. Among the many former Colortronic product lines that AEC supports now:
• Colorblend additive feeders: The current A250 control system continues on this product.
• AccuMeter loss-in-weight feeding applications: Allen-Bradley control systems come with this product.
Sterling showing 29 lines
The 29 lines of Sterling material handling systems at NPE particularly emphasize mold temperature control, process heating and cooling and size-reduction equipment.
VP series vacuum pumps: Available in an open or closed-loop design, the complete conveying system in an ultra-compact unit has more than five filter types that can be used to convey pellets, pellet and dusty regrind or pellets and regrind over short to medium distances.
“We wanted to provide more of a space-saving solution for customers,” Grekowicz said. “Some people have portable pumps, but the controls were fixed. By integrating functions, the system provides more flexibility on the production floor.”
Sterling aimed to change old thinking. “Customers don't have to have monuments with a big control stand,” Grekowicz said. “Our customers are getting into lean manufacturing, and we have given them a more flexible product.”
Standard features include compressed air filter cleaning for most filter types, availability with single, four- or nine-station controls and conveyance continuously using an atmospheric relief valve to provide high conveying rates over long distances.
The system is suitable for most virgin resin, powder and regrind applications, offers a remote proportioning valve and has purge conveying capability. Models are available with 1.0-11.5 horsepower (0.75-8.5 kilowatts).
Development occurred over two years.
Sterling will display a newly designed medium density polyethylene pump tank for use in conjunction with a process cooling system.
“Customers wanted a more cost effective solution for pumping needs,” Grekowicz said. “Traditionally, the only offering was a stainless steel tank.”
Product developers sought a way to avoid “a big steel vessel” and, since late 2013, have designed a rotational molded pump tank, he noted.
“We were able to partner with a key plastics processing customer in the U.S. to bring a cool product to market together,” Grekowicz said. The collaborative effort continues with purchase of the tank from the unidentified rotomolder.
Cumberland showing granulators
Product lines of Cumberland include 70 models of granulators and granulator knives, pulverizers, recycling and scrap-reclaim systems and shredders.
Combi inline shredder and granulator system: A compact footprint, advanced control system and various size and configuration models mark this new line, which was developed over three years.
“The beauty of this system is that the shredder is directly inline with the granulator, reducing the need for conveyors between machines,” Grekowicz said. “Having all of the controls in a single package makes it easier to operate.”
The integrated four-shaft shredder with sharp-corner discs or hooks drive the material toward the cutters resulting in sharp cuts. As needed, bigger pieces may go through additional shredding with final sizes reaching 4 to 8 millimeters.
The Combi can shred plastics including strips, films and PET bottles, wood, paper, cardboard. waxed sheets, shells and packaging.
While the Combi display is at the Cumberland booth, size-reduction equipment is also available under the AEC and Sterling brands.