PORTABLE CLAMP-ON ULTRASONIC FLOWMETER
VorTek Instruments recently released the SonoPro Portable clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter. This flowmeter offers high-accuracy transit-time ultrasonic technology to deliver accurate and reliable flow metering in a portable design. The innovative design incorporates matched precision transducers and signal processing circuitry to accurately measure the flow of most liquids over a wide range of velocities. Clamp-on transducers create no wear, zero pressure loss and do not require process interruptions to install them since they are attached to the outside of the pipe. With the addition of external temperature inputs, SonoPro Portable can provide a reliable (BTU) energy or mass flow measurement. SonoConfig Instrument Interface Software works in conjunction with SonoPro Portable to provide valuable setup, diagnostic and data-logging tools. SonoConfig is available for free download and works on most Android phones and tablets. It can also be provided preloaded on a tablet from VorTek Instruments.
VorTek Instruments
SANITARY RIBBON BLENDER WITH BAG UNLOADING STATION
ROSS engineers custom blending systems incorporating ergonomic material handling accessories, including bag dump workstations. A new design allows an operator to safely empty bags of powder through a bar grating while a contiguous vibrating tray assembly catches foreign debris and off-spec ingredients. The custom cover arrangement is now available on all ribbon blenders, and the pictured Model 42N-18SS utilizes safety limit switches that prevent operation of the agitator if any access ports are open or if the grating is removed. All interior and exterior surfaces are stainless steel, polished to 150-grit sanitary finish. The blender also features a sanitary 4-inch spherical disc discharge valve with pneumatic actuator. ROSS supplied UL-listed operator controls in a NEMA 4X stainless steel enclosure with 3R fan shrouds, variable frequency drive, digital speed and amperage readouts, dial-type potentiometer, cycle timer and E-Stop.
ROSS Mixers
CERTA PLUS SINUSOIDAL PUMP
Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group announces the launch of its new Certa Plus pump series to provide sustainable, high-quality, versatile fluid management for the pharmaceutical industry. Certa Plus utilizes MasoSine’s considerable experience in sinusoidal pumping technology to meet a broad range of applications. An innovative advancement over conventional lobe pumps, the new sinusoidal Certa Plus technology offers pharmaceutical manufacturers lower shear, lower power consumption, full traceability and ultimate cleanability when transferring syrups, oils, creams and gels. Manufacturing pharmaceuticals presents a range of complex challenges to ensure the medicine is high quality and free from contamination. Certa Plus was developed to guarantee cleanliness, with added capabilities that assure quality across a wide range of pharmaceutical products. The efficient design of the pump not only reduces cleaning time but also saves electricity, minimizing cost and carbon footprint.
Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group
SANITARY ROTARY BATCH MINI MIXER
A new Sanitary Rotary Batch Mini Mixer on a mobile frame can de-agglomerate and blend up to five cubic feet of dry bulk ingredients with or without liquid additions at multiple plant locations. The mixer, model MX-5-S316L, achieves total uniformity in two to three minutes, regardless of disparities in the bulk density, particle size, flow characteristics or ratio of batch ingredients down to one part per million. For dry materials it is equally efficient down to 15% of rated capacity, satisfying varied production requirements, while allowing small-scale testing prior to blending at full capacity or scaling up to high-capacity rotary batch mixers. Proprietary mixing flights within the rotating vessel turn, cut, fold and tumble material onto a rotating intensifier that reduces soft agglomerates into discrete particles. The 1 HP gear-reduced drive of the vessel and 2 HP drive of the intensifier are wash-down rated, and adjusted by variable-frequency controls housed in a NEMA 4X (IP 66) stainless steel wash-down enclosure. The mixer is equipped with a product inlet slide for ease of feeding from bags or boxes, and an inlet-mounted spray line that allows liquid additions to be spread over a wide bed of moving material in large or trace amounts for rapid, uniform distribution. Blended batches are discharged completely through a breech-lock plug gate with no segregation or residual waste.
Munson Machinery Company, Inc.
STEPPER VALVE
Spartan Scientific, a manufacturer of high-quality fluid and pneumatic automation components, recently released its STEP 12, a self-contained media separated electronic proportional flow control valve. The STEP 12 brings an entirely new perspective to controlling liquids and gases. With more than 1,500 different positions (or steps), it precisely regulates flow output and requires minimal power to maintain a desired position, maximizing energy savings. The STEP 12 is self-contained with control circuitry (including an innovative M12 connector) for both the motor and valve embedded into the unit. This eliminates needing to purchase a separate control device, which can compromise performance. In addition, control can be tailored to increase resolution, enhancing reliable and repeatable flows. Additionally, the valve is designed for full flow under maximum pressure conditions with a 1/2 inch NPT version capable of accommodating 30 GPM of water with a maximum pressure of 150 psi. Furthermore, a handy multicolor on-board LED (RGB) ring indicator displays the status of the device for fast troubleshooting. Finally, a separating diaphragm designed with a specialized convolution and elliptical flow tip produces a linear flow versus valve stroke position, maintaining dry mechanical movement for long life and high flow.
Spartan Scientific
MOBILE BAG DUMP STATION WITH COMPACTOR AND CONVEYOR
A new mobile Bag Dump Station with a flexible screw conveyor and bag compactor allows bulk material transfer from handheld sacks, pails and boxes into elevated process equipment and storage vessels throughout a plant. Mounted on a mobile frame with locking casters and fold-down step, the dust-free system features a bag disposal chute through the sidewall of the hopper hood, allowing the operator to pass empty bags directly into the bag compactor. Dust generated from bag dumping, empty bag pass-through and bag compaction is drawn away from the operator, onto the system's two cartridge filters. Automatic reverse-pulse air nozzles release short blasts of compressed air inside the filters at timed intervals causing dust build-up on the outer surfaces to fall into the hopper, conserving useable product. Filters are readily accessed by removing the interior baffle and replaced using quick-disconnect fittings. The compactor employs a pneumatic air cylinder capable of compressing up to 80 bags into a removable bin. The compactor’s main door and flapper door within the bag disposal chute are equipped with safety interlocks that prevent operation of the compactor unless both doors are closed. The hopper discharges into an enclosed flexible screw conveyor, capable of moving free- and non-free-flowing bulk materials from large pellets to sub-micron powders, including products that pack, cake, seize, smear, fluidize, break apart or separate, with no separation of blended products.
Flexicon Corporation
PD BLOWER PACKAGES FOR CONVEYING SYSTEMS
Coperion K-Tron supplies a wide range of positive displacement (PD) continuous vacuum, pressure and vacuum/pressure system blower packages for conveying bulk materials. Packages are available for 2- to 10-inch conveying systems. Each blower package includes a silencer and is supported on a heavy-duty base allowing easy access for cleaning. Built-in braces permit the entire package to be moved into position with a forklift during installation or maintenance. A heavy-duty drive guard totally encloses the drive to protect plant personnel. An expanded metal front allows the operator to visually inspect the belts without removing the guard and lets the heat from the belts dissipate for longer belt life. Routine maintenance is simplified by the drive guard's easy access design. Every Coperion K-Tron blower package incorporates an industry-proven positive displacement blower. The blower is dynamically balanced, and isolation pads are positioned between the blower and the base to reduce vibration and noise. An industry-proven motor that meets all NEMA specifications is standard on every package. Like the blower, it is mounted on isolation pads to reduce vibration
Coperion K-Tron
RAPTOR CHECKWEIGHER SERIES
Fortress Technology recently unveiled its expansion into checkweighing with the launch of its inaugural “smart” weigher series — Raptor. Designed for new-generation manufacturers embracing the digital revolution, Raptor checkweighers include an intelligent conveyor removal system and intuitive digital process monitoring technology to advance inspection efficiency, target operational inefficiencies and slash product giveaway. The Raptor launch range comprises three systems — a single frame standalone checkweigher, a combination metal detector and checkweigher, and a XL caseweighing system for ingredient and big bag applications. All three address North America’s calls for robust, accurate, hygienic and compact food weight control systems incorporating the very latest digital “smart” processing technology. Innovative common features across the range include no-tool maintenance, leading digital software processing and a unique conveyor motor release. Guaranteeing absolute traceability, the Raptor introduces high-end weight control technology. By instantaneously capturing sample readings of individual packs by the millisecond, the Raptor control system provides highly accurate and consistent weighing results. Only possible by using the most advanced ARM processors, this data capture and analytics is a game changer for food processors concerned about product waste and giveaway.
Fortress Technology
