AZO booth at Fakuma 2018

Our highlights at Fakuma 2018

in Friedrichshafen hall B1, booth 1306

AZO, the expert for automatic handling of raw materials in bulk, powdered, granular and liquid form, is exhibiting at  Fakuma 2018 in Friedrichshafen. 

In hall B1, at stand 1306 we will be demonstrating solutions for automatic handling of large and medium components and the integration of small components like additives, pigments, stabilizers etc. in the automated process.

At our trade fair stand you can find out more about the following key themes:

AZODOS® type P … DV dosing unit is used for volumetric metering of powdered products in weighing and finishing processes. The machine can be used in the food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics industries for feeding production processes with a constant mass flow in coarse or fine flow.
 
By adding a weighing device, the machine can be extended to form the AZODOS® type P... DW dosing system for gravimetric feeding of processes. The machine can be used as loss-in-weight scales to dose small quantities into the downstream system with gram accuracy. The AZODOS® P… DW is used with the AZO®CONT dosing controls for feeding continuous gravimetric processes, resulting in a DDW loss-in-weight feeder.
 
Key advantages
  • stainless chrome nickel steel design with various surface finishes
  • high grade dosing screws
  • easy-to-clean system for rapid changeover of components
  • compact design
  • easy to extend thanks to modular design
  • maximum dosing accuracy thanks to coarse/fine dribble feed
  • double screw version for bulk materials with poor flow properties
  • a range of screw geometries, adapted to product properties
 
AZODOS® Type P … DW
  • used as loss-in-weight feeder
  • precise online adjustment control and quick correction in case of any deviations from target values
  • absolute weight registration
  • no falsification due to bulk density fluctuations
  • no intricate calibration work
  • measurement value logging with high resolution
AZODOS® type P 50/1 with dosing screw extracted
Design of AZODOS® types P … DV and DW
The basic machine consists of a housing where, depending on the model, one or two dosing screws are installed. The dosing screws are driven by frequency-controlled gear motors. An upstream discharge agitator serves to ensure that the dosing screws are evenly filled from surge bins. The surge bins are available in a variety of models and sizes and, depending on the model, can be filled under gravity, pneumatically or manually. An extraction device can be used to remove the dosing screws from the back of the housing, which makes cleaning or replacing individual components very simple.
If the basic machine is expanded with a platform load cell or a 3-point weighing frame, this forms an AZODOS® type P … DW dosing system that can be used as loss-in-weight scales. Flexible connections at the supply hopper inlet and screw outlet decouple the system thus preventing force shunts. If the AZODOS P….DW is combined with the AZO®CONT dosing controls, this creates a loss-in-weight feeder. The controls continuously regulate the mass flow in terms of target and actual throughput.
AZODOS P30/1
Operating principle of AZODOS® type P … DV, DW, DDW
The AZODOS® Type P … DV operates in volumetric mode. The powder bulk products flow out of the supply hopper into the dosing screw. An agitator is used to ensure uniform discharge. With a frequency-controlled motor, the dosing screw can be switched from coarse to fine flow for precision dosing in the downstream weighing process.
In the case of dosing scales, the basic machine is mounted on a platform load cell or integrated in a 3-point weighing frame. It can be mounted in a frame structure on the floor or suspended from the ceiling. The dosing screw meters the bulk material in coarse/fine flow to the downstream process. The amount of product that is metered out of the AZODOS® is weighed. The system operates gravimetrically in accordance with the negative weighing principle.
The AZODOS® type P … DW becomes a loss-in-weight feeder if an appropriate control system (e.g. AZO®CONT) is provided. The bulk material is discharged by the dosing screw and the resulting loss in weight per unit of time is registered by the weighing and control system. The actual loss in weight per unit of time (actual throughput) is compared against the required setpoint, which is defined by the downstream process, e.g. extruder. Differences between the actual decrease in weight and the decrease in target weight over time are corrected by adjustments to the batch controller's throughput.
Once the product reaches a predefined level in the AZODOS®, the control process is paused briefly and the surge bin is refilled. During the refill time the dosing screw output is set to a value based on empirical weight and output data gained from previous dosing cycles.
 
Operation and control
Up to 10 dosing stations can be controlled with the central AZO®CONT controller. The system is displayed and its parameters set on an operator control panel. A PC-based visualisation system (Intouch, WinCC, etc.) can be connected corresponding to requirements. An interface for the KASTOR process control system is additionally integrated in the controller. Extensive work flows such as balancing and recipe handling can be implemented with this process control system. The material feed for replenishing the dosing units can be additionally controlled with the AZO®CONT controller. AZO®CONT can control up to four independent collective feeding system with max. 32 receivers.
The most diverse requirements can now be configured with a single AZO®CONT control unit. This is regardless of whether this involves controlling up to 10 AZODOS® dosing units or whether up to an additional four collective feeding systems are to be controlled with a maximum of 32 receivers in total.

Many plastic granulates already contain dust and fibres (angel hair) upon delivery. These contaminants primarily occur through abrasion of products during pneumatic conveying of the granulate. Too high a level of contaminants can cause a number of problems in further processing. In particular accumulated clumps of angel hair have a detrimental effect on the quality of the end product and can lead to a bottleneck of products and production coming to a standstill.
 
In order to prevent dust and angel hair from forming, we recommend slow, careful conveying over as short as possible distances and few pipe bends. However this is not always feasible. Frequently raw materials already contain a high proportion of contaminants when they are supplied.
 
Therefore the goal is to filter out contaminants at the end of conveying and hence immediately prior to further processing of the product.
Operating principle of granulate dust filtration with separation of angel hair
Special advantages
  • Dust is filtered out and angel hair is separated after conveying and immediately prior to processing the granulate.
  • The system can be integrated into an existing plant with little outlay.
  • There is no need to meter feeding of products
System description
Dust filtration and separation of angel hair have been integrated into AZO's vacuum conveying system and do not call for an additional step in production. There is no need to meter feeding of products
 
AZO’s vacuum conveying system or collective feeding normally consists of receivers with angle valves, a conveying and clean air line, a secondary filter and vacuum pump. A ventilation circuit with a separate blower is added to this vacuum conveyor in order to filter out granulate dust.
 
With the increased volume of air, granulate dust is filtered out in special receivers, into which screening plates have been integrated as cascades. Any dust found in the clean air is filtered out in the following secondary filter.
 
A primary filter is also installed in front of the secondary filter to separate fibres and angel hair.

Preferred applications 
The MIXOMAT is particularly well suited to discontinuous, gravimetric loading as well as to mixing and dyeing of granulate exactly as specified in the recipe, with masterbatch, re-work, pigments and additives. It can be used for medium to high throughputs values when loading compounding systems, blowing machines and foil lines. Various designs are available, covering a performance range from 150 kg/h to 2.5 t/h. Combining the process stages of transporting, dosing, weighing and mixing in one device achieves an exemplary level of efficiency. The MIXOMAT can easily be cleaned and has proved to be effective in meeting exacting requirements in terms of quality and reproducibility. With this device, it is possible to register and report on the exact material consumption at any time, even with minor components. It can be used both with individual loading or in collective loading systems with shared blower and secondary filter. The MIXOMAT can be combined excellently with high-precision dosing and weighing units such as FLEXIDOS® and AZODOS®, as well as with continuous gravimetric systems. By working together closely with the manufacturers of extrusion machines, AZO has developed modules that are precisely attuned for the extruders.

Special advantages
  • Transporting, dosing, weighing and mixing in one compact, economical system
  • Simple supply of up to 30 com-ponents via switching valves
  • High repetition accuracy due to accurate weighing and recording of all components
  • Rapid colour change and easy cleaning 
  • Precise throughput registration for each processing machine
  • No need for differential dosing scales
  • Compact, pre-assembled modules for rapid startup
AZO®MIXOMAT
AZO®MIXOMAT
System description
The MIXOMAT consists of a conical housing with a filling and ventilation pipe as well as a large cleaning door with quick-release fasteners and sight glasses. The mixing tool is driven by a geared motor. The discharge valve is operated by compressed air. A support bracket is provided for setup and attachment. Designs in mild steel or stainless steel are possible. It is recommended that the ground and polished finish be used for special requirements, e.g. thorough cleaning when pigment has been used. 

There are three different system variants in all cases:
  • MIXOMAT mixer, 
  • MIXOMAT scale and 
  • MIXOMAT conveying scale.