New Products & Services

The newly released Centum VP R5.04 is an enhanced version of this company’s flagship integrated production control system. This new Centum release features enhanced alarm and batch functions. With the Centum system, a prominently colored tag mark is displayed on the HMI screen next to any measurement reading that falls outside the normal range. With Centum VP R5.04, these colored tag marks now come in a variety of easily recognizable shapes that indicate the importance of a measurement item and the severity of an anomaly (critical, high-risk, medium-risk, low-risk and so on). New audible alarms have also been added to provide information on the severity and equipment location of an anomaly. Through the use of color, shape and sound, operators can quickly and intuitively recognize the significance of a specific alarm, thereby allowing for improved operational safety. — Yokogawa Corp. of America, Newnan, Ga.

www.yokogawa.com/us

From September 30 to October 2, more than 700 exhibitors from over 25 countries will again be coming to the Nuremberg exhibition center to attend Powtech, one of the world’s leading trade fair in its field, showing everything the chemical process industries (CPI) needs to handle powders, granulates and bulk materials — including analysis. What follows is a small sample of some of the new products that will be on display during the exhibition.

One principle, many possibilities with this mixer

This company is demonstrating the versatile application of its horizontal Ploughshare mixer. Both a batch mixer, FKM, and a continuous mixer, KM, are on display. Both machines are available with drum volumes of between 130 and 30,000 L. The company is also presenting the Type N 5 laboratory mixer (photo). With a drum volume of 5 L, the Type N 5 laboratory mixer is available for product and process development, as well as for small-scale production. All mixers operate by the special mixing principle of the mechanically generated fluidized bed developed by the company. The so-called Ploughshare paddles rotate close to the wall of a horizontal cylindrical drum, lifting the mixing components from the drum walls and hurling them from the material bed into the open mixing chamber. The complete product is constantly drawn into the mixing process, ensuring maximum mixing intensity. Hall 5, Stand 222 — Gebr. Lödige Maschinenbau GmbH, Paderborn, Germany

www.loedige.de

 

Preventive fire protection for safer production

Fagus-GreCon Greten

The Spark Extinguishing System BS 7 (photo) is used to protect mills, silos, filters and pneumatic conveying facilities. The wide range of products generally offers a detector with the required sensitivity for each of these applications. Depending on the application, the detectors can be combined with different techniques of spark elimination, such as water, steam, gas or diversion. The Ultrahigh-Speed (UHS) Extinguishing Technology BS 7 UHS reduces the reaction time by a factor of two or three. This allows very short extinguishing distances of less than 2 m. Hall 6, Stand 122 Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH & Co. KG, Alfeld/Hanover, Germany

www.grecon.com

This bagging system ensures accurate filling

The fillpac bagging system (photo) can be incorporated flexibly into existing packaging lines. It is equipped with a calibratable scale. The electronic weighing unit ensures that the fillpac always achieves accurate filling quantities. Special software enables the weigher to communicate continuously with the filling spouts. This enables users to get the best out of their packaging lines, as it is not necessary to reject bags with incorrect weights from the process. Hall 1, Stand 135 — Beumer Group GmbH & Co. KG, Beckum, Germany

www.beumergroup.com

 

The advantages of flameless venting

Rembe

Since its introduction in the 1980s, the Q-Rohr (photo, p. 32I-2) and Q-Box flameless venting solutions have been continuously developed and improved for applications in a whole range of sectors in the CPI. The advantages of flameless venting include the fact that the entire production process remains inside the building and there is no need for expensive, bulky venting ducts that require modifications to be made to existing structures. The integrated bursting disc is fitted with a signaling unit that immediately reports any incidents to the process-control system. The special stainless-steel mesh filter inlet ensures that the pressure rise and increased noise level associated with free vented explosions are massively reduced to negligible levels in the production room. Dust and flames are retained by the mesh filter inlet. The Q-Rohr has a round design, so it is vacuum-resistant and ideal for the protection of pneumatic conveying systems as well as many other applications. Hall 4, Stand 215 Rembe GmbH Safety + Control, Brilon, Germany

www.rembe.de

 

This machine enables filling compact bags for the first time

The new Roto-Packer for small bags (photo) is based on the company’s Adams technology, and fills powder-type bulk products into compact polyethylene (PE) bags for the first time. The packer achieves a rate of up to 600 bags per hour and features a stepless bag-weight selection of 1–10 kg. Filling into bags made from a film tube or pre-made bags is now possible. Using an additional module, the user may also form the bag from a flat film within the Roto-Packer system. The bags are sealed air-tight and are impermeable to the weather. They are clean, compact and provide for an attractive appearance. The user saves costs in packaging and storage, says the company. Hall 1, Stand 533 — Haver & Boecker OHG, Oelde, Germany

www.haverboecker.com

 

Determine concentration and particle size with this unit

Promo (photo) is an aerosol spectrometer for analyzing both particle size (200 nm to 100 µm) and determining concentration (<1 – 10⁶ particles/cm³). All data are displayed on a large touchscreen, and can be analyzed in realtime. Promo has a standard interface and can be controlled by a process-control system or by a simple Labview program, which makes the device suitable for control and monitoring applications. The optical fiber technology enables measurements at locations that are difficult to reach and in hazardous areas. Using fiber-optic cables, the welas sensors can easily be connected to the Promo and exchanged at will. These sensors allow measurements at temperatures between 90 and 470°C and at a pressure range from 300 mbar to 10 bars. Hall 5, Stand 156 — Palas GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany

www.palas.de

 

Tableting with continuous inline weighing

Romaco Group

The KTP 420X (photo) is a versatile, high-speed tablet press that includes the new CWC (Continuous Weight Control) system. Equipped with numerous patented features, this machine compresses up to 360,000 tablets per hour. It is suitable for the production of mono-layer, bi-layer or core tablets (tab-in-tab), and it can also be used to process poorly flowing materials. The patented CWC in-line scale allows the weight of the tablet being produced to be measured continuously at the discharge as the products are pressed, without destroying them. The weighed tablets are placed in the “good” channel using compressed air. As a result of the new process, there is no longer any need to make sample tablets in order to check the weight, and product loss is reduced to zero. Hall 6, Stand 456 Romaco Group, Karlsruhe, Germany

www.romaco.com

 

These blowers are very energy efficient

Kaeser

At Powtech, this compressed-air specialist will be showcasing its EBS Series of high-efficiency screw blowers (photo). Not only are these new screw blowers up to 35% more efficient compared to conventional rotary blower designs, they also offer significant advantages over comparable screw blowers on the market when it comes to energy efficiency. To ensure that the projected savings become actual savings during operation, the company specifies effective overall power consumption data, as well as the usable flowrate, in accordance with ISO 1217 in Appendix C, or E as applicable. The high-efficiency, energy-saving blower ranges now cover air deliveries from 2 to 72 m³/min at up to 1,000 mbar gauge pressure and 500 mbar vacuum. Hall 4.0, Stand 123 Kaeser Kompressoren SE, Coburg, Germany

www.kaeser.com

Frewitt Fabrique des machines

A dedusting filter module for milling machines

The new, patent-pending ProFi-Clean (photo) is a compact de-dusting and filtering device with an automatic blow-back system. The stand-alone dedusting filter can easily be retrofitted to existing sieve mills, and allows the filtering and separation of powder particles in the extracted air. The de-dusting filter is cleaned automatically by pressure impulses. This guarantees that the whole cartridge surface area remains clog-free and the powder is blown-back into the product. The pneumatic control system is built on the filter housing, therefore the filter device works completely independently. The stand-alone de-dusting filter is easily integrated into existing and new process plants. Hall 1, Stand 442 — Frewitt Fabrique des machines SA, Granges-Paccot, Switzerland

www.frewitt.ch

This dryer increases the capacity of spray dryers

Dinnissen

To satisfy the requirements of companies that need to increase the capacity of their expensive spray-drying towers or wish to avoid or delay the need to invest in an additional spray-drying tower, this company has developed a new drying method using its Pegasus Drying Unit (photo, p. 32I-4). Wet-mix products first go through a conventional pre-drying process, after which they undergo a final low-temperature drying stage in the Pegasus Drying Unit. This not only saves a great deal of energy, but also ensures optimum retention of color, aroma, flavor and heat-sensitive components, such as vitamins. During the final drying process, the double-shafted paddle mechanism built into the Drying Unit is used to gently suspend powders, granules, and granulates in the air, creating a fluidized bed. Precisely at the moment that the ingredients are gently suspended, air is injected at a temperature of between 80 and 140°C into the Drying Unit, resulting in a very efficient, fast and even drying process. Hall 4.0, Stand 323 Dinnissen B.V., Sevenum, the Netherlands

www.dinnissen.nl

 

Waiweldai Anlagentechnik

Silo filters for all sectors of the CPI

The Sirius silo filter (photo) has a large diameter, enabling filtration surface areas from 3 to 34.4 m². Filter housings are made of stainless steel (1.4301/304). The system is said to be maintenance-friendly, requiring only one person to perform maintenance. These filters are especially suited for silos and containers that are filled pneumatically with bulk material. Due to the stainless-steel design, the filters can be used in all industries ranging from the construction sector to the pharmaceutical industry. Hall 4, Stand 239 — Waiweldai Anlagentechnik GmbH, Grünsfeld, Germany

www.waiweldai.de

Perform superfine grinding with this ball mill

The CoBall-Mill annular gap bead mill (photo) is an in-line milling system for manufacturing suspensions and other products of almost any viscosity. This mill is the ideal solution for superfine grinding of active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as sterile ophthalmic medications and ointments, as well as numerous cosmetics and chemical applications. The unusually narrow milling chamber is filled between 50 and 80% full of beads made from wear-resistant ceramic materials. The CoBall-Mill boasts a high milling power in relation to its very small chamber and the grinding energy input can be as much as 8 kW/dm³. Users profit from extremely homogeneous results with particle sizes on the nanoscale. Thanks to the distinctive conical geometry of the rotor-stator tool, the mill inputs the milling forces directly into the product. The residence time in the milling chamber — and hence the production process overall — is therefore significantly reduced. Hall 6, Stand 357 — FrymaKoruma GmbH, Neuenburg, Germany

www.frymakoruma.com

UWT

 

This capacitance level switch handles many applications

The RFnivo 3000 (photo, p. 32I-6) is a new capacitive level switch for bulk solids and is used as overfill protection, as well as a demand or empty detector in process or storage containers. The device is a single-rod probe that has been designed to detect bulk solid materials without the use of temperature-limiting components. The RFnivo is available in stainless steel grade 1.4301 (303) to 1.4404 (316L), with PPS or ceramic insulators and optional Teflon seals. While the RFnivo with ceramic insulators can cope with extreme process temperatures up to 500°C, the standard version with PPS insulators can handle temperatures up to 240°C. The RFnivo is suitable for use in containers with overpressure of up to 25 bars as standard. The electronics guarantee a very high sensitivity when used with the correlating length of a single-rod probe. Bulk materials with a dielectric value of 1.5 and more can be detected, which covers most bulk materials. Hall 4A, Stand 123 — UWT GmbH, Betzigau, Germany

www.uwt.de

 

Integrated solutions for process containment

The new Isocharge system (photo) is a low-cost method of both dispensing and charging bags into reactors or receiving systems via the Powder Transfer System (PTS). The Isocharge combines the advantages of isolation and laminar flow technology, providing high containment of < 1μg/m³ per 8 h TWA (time weighted average). The station’s chamber is open to the side allowing easy bag introduction. A simple door only needs to be closed during WIP (wash in place) to prevent splashes. All WIP fluids can be drained from the chamber via the PTS into the reactor, which also cleans the transfer hose and the PTS. The Isocharge will be showcased in combination with the Continuous Liner filling system, equipped with a Dosivalve for accurate filling. Hall 1, Stand 213 — DEC Dietrich Engineering Consultants SA, Ecublens, Switzerland

www.dec-group.net

This analyzer quickly measures particle parameters

The new Analysette 28 ImageSizer is suitable for the analysis of particle shape and size of dry, free-flowing powders and bulk solids in a measuring range from 20 µm to 20 mm. Via the optical analysis of particle shape and particle size, damaged particles, contaminants, agglomerates and oversized or undersized particles are identified accurately and quickly and can be viewed as single images. At the same time, the instrument delivers a fast and efficient particle-size measurement. The measuring time (depending on the sample quantity) is under 5 min, and the result is available immediately. The analyzer is said to be ideal for easy quality control and a fast alternative to sieving. Hall 5, Stand 362 Fritsch GmbH, Idar-Oberstein, Germany

www.fritsch.de