Scale Operation "Semi" Automation ???

[Mark Buskell]

Quote:
The only downfall is not knowing if the operator weighed the right ingredient.


I guess, I should have phrased that better.
The only downfall is not knowing if the operator selected the right ingredient for weighing.

I been thinking about JPCompounds problem a little.
A cheap solution might just involve being able to store and print the recipes from a database. Give the printout to the operator, have him initial and write down the scale total for each ingredient as he weighs them for the various steps.
Another thing to look at is currently how are the compounds placed near the operator. Are there 20 or 30 barrels in from of him arranged in a haphazard way? There may be simple steps as for as placement that may be of help.

 

[elevmike]

Re-Reading the org. post:

Many more compounds 10-15, each with unique raw ingredients. We have a total of around 35-40 unique materials. This doesn't lend itself to an automated "pre"weigh system as one could imagine.

So we rely heavily on labor to hand weigh each of our batches. This can be difficult as sometimes wrong materials may be weighed or even left out.

We are looking for a system to automate the scale function but not eliminate the labor. If there is a system that can step through each formulation and check/scale each ingredient before moving forward.

It seems that there should be a static hopper & scale for each ingredient. Each hopper/scale would have a separate bin also. The operator would select the compound to be mixed from an HMI, and the appropriate hoppers would dump the appropriately measured materials into it's own bin. Then the operator would retrieve and dump each bin into the mixer. This would assure that they have the right amount of each ingredient for the selected compound. If this is correct as far as what JP want's to do, then Ron's right and JP will need 40 scales and a bigger PLC then I suggested.

However I think the cost of such a system would be about the same or even more then it would be to fully automate the line, and have the ingredients dumped directly into the mixer from the hopper chute.

Again. There is scant information on the type, volume, and weight of the ingredients & compounds, so it's all supposition at this point. As always..the devil's in the details...which are totally missing.

 

[msinclair]

It sounds to me like Bernie's original suggestion is closest to what JPCompounds has asked for . . .

That said - if you want to go further with automating the process, then Ron's link to Schenck AccuRate is a good one to follow up with - their flexwall dosers handle lots of tricky powders very well. Techweigh Tecnetics used to make a lower cost knock off of the flexwall feeder - I assume that they still do.

K-Tron (solids and liquids) also makes pretty decent equipment though they can be pricey.

I used to do compounding equipment (mostly continuous though some batch as well) where we were automatically dosing ingredients from between 2 and 15 automatic dosers to make many different products (the dosers were cleaned between runs/batches to accommodate more raw materials when necessary).

As others have indicated, there are many ways to accomplish what you want - the real question is "How far do you want to go?"

Marc

 

[JPCompounds]

Looks like lots of good ideas. We are not looking to fully automate like some suggested. That would be the most fool proof way to eliminate error but costly.

I think a data base the prompts the next raw ingredient may be the best alternative. Then a tied in scale to measure the weighment and move on to the next ingredient only if the tolerance is met. This ofcourse requires that the "correct" material is selected. Perhaps integrating barcoding.

We are looking for a cost effective way to make the product consitantly with some degree of confidence.

Lots of very good ideas for us to explore.

Thanks

JP

 

[elevmike]

JP,

What do you have now? Does the operator scoop from a barrel and manually measure? Do you have hoppers with automatic valves? What's the current setup?

 

[dash]

I would seriously look at Rockwell's RSBatch software. It has an excellent batching engine and a specific interface to prompt the operators for manual operations which can be intermingled with the automatic operations. You can also set the recipe up to then request the actual amount the operators added. There is also support for digital signatures, etc.

Darren

Looks like lots of good ideas. We are not looking to fully automate like some suggested. That would be the most fool proof way to eliminate error but costly.

I think a data base the prompts the next raw ingredient may be the best alternative. Then a tied in scale to measure the weighment and move on to the next ingredient only if the tolerance is met. This ofcourse requires that the "correct" material is selected. Perhaps integrating barcoding.

We are looking for a cost effective way to make the product consitantly with some degree of confidence.

Lots of very good ideas for us to explore.

Thanks

JP

 

[SNK]

RSBatch is designed for just this scenario. USed in the Pharm industry everywhere, and is CFR compliant. FDA, and HPB love it too. It actually steps through the process, ingredient by ingredient, using a MODBUS/PROFIBUS/ETH weigh-scaled system. Talks to a central PC running STD RS software, plus the AB RSlogix or softlogix.

(Allen Bradley/Rockwell Software)

 

[SNK]

Sorry, Dash got to you first...