Gravimetric Blender Controller increases volume and speed.
Press Release Summary:
Backward-compatible with earlier control systems, Maguire® 4088 enhances communications with devices in Industry 4.0 setting and offers centralized control of blending and loading. Options for operators include keypad/digital thumbwheel interface or touchscreen. Batch accuracy of blender remains at ±0.1%, but controller increases volume, speed, and reliability of data transfer. Features include 32-bit data processing speed, supported speeds from 16–120 MHz, and maximized memory capacities.
Original Press Release:
Blender Controller with Vastly Increased Capacity Boosts Connectivity with Advanced Technologies and Integrates Blending and Loading
New Maguire® 4088 Controller Has Option of a Removable Touchscreen Interface with Embedded Loading Software and Is Compatible with Previous Maguire Control Systems
ASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.: A new-generation controller for the world’s most widely used gravimetric blender has far greater data processing capability than the previous controller, substantially enhancing communications with other devices in an Industry 4.0 setting and offering centralized control of both blending and loading, it was announced today by Maguire Products, Inc. At K 2016, the company will introduce the controller as part of its celebration of the sale of the 50,000th Maguire® Weigh Scale Blender (Hall 10, Stand A26).
While being backward-compatible with earlier control systems, the new Maguire® 4088 controller operates with seven times the speed of the Maguire® 1212 controller, eight times the memory, and 45 times the resolution of the load cells used to weigh batch ingredients. Options for operators include a keypad / digital thumbwheel interface or a new touchscreen that is removable for remote operation, features intuitive graphical displays, and is available in multiple languages. Standard with the touchscreen is built-in software for a conveying system for loading multiple materials into a blender and metering the combined materials into a processing machine.
“While the batch accuracy of the Maguire blender will continue to be rated at the exceedingly small range of +/- 0.1%, the vastly enhanced operation of the new 4088 controller will increase the volume, speed, and reliability of data transfer,” said Frank Kavanagh, vice president of sales. “This means that valuable information on the makeup and consumption of the raw materials being metered into the molding or extrusion process can be readily shared with third-party devices via any standard communication protocol, making it possible to integrate Maguire blenders with today’s most advanced technologies.”
The increased capacity of the 4088 controller and the new design of its software provide faster readings and more storage and make it easier to track down problems and make changes, noted Mr. Kavanagh. “The unit is constructed so that system timing is no longer affected by variations in electrical power,” he said, “and wiring and connectors are designed to make repairs and parts replacement easier.”
In comparison with the Maguire 1212 controller, data processing in the new system is increased from 16- to 32-bit; speed from 16 to 120 MHz; and memory space from 12 KB to 96 KB. Flash memory now is rated at 512 KB internal and 8MB external; random access memory, at 96 KB internal and 32 MB external. The increased memory makes possible more storage for data logs and the ability to handle larger communication buffers.
The Maguire 4088 controller is compatible with previous Maguire controllers, and like all Maguire systems comes with a five-year warranty. Updates to production software for the controller are free for the life of the blender.
New Controller Is the Latest Advance in a Line of Innovations Dating to 1989
A gravimetric batch blender sequentially dispenses each batch ingredient in its target proportion into a weigh chamber; then, by monitoring each gain in weight of a batch, the blender controller makes adjustments to subsequent batches to maintain accuracy and control raw material consumption.
The controller has played a key role in distinguishing Maguire blenders ever since company president and chief designer Steve Maguire developed the first gravimetric batch blender in 1989. One of the features that set that first blender apart was a controller whose digital thumbwheel interface made it easy for the operator to input regrind, additive, and color loadings as percentages of virgin resin. When Maguire introduced its first touchscreen blender controller in 2009, it incorporated the same concept of intuitive access as the digital thumbwheel version, along with many new features.
The removable touchscreen interface available with the new 4088 controller provides a graphical interface on each screen with readily recognizable icons for every blender module, eliminating dropdown menus in favor of direct, touch-activated access to the module requiring adjustment. The blender modules represented by touchscreen graphics include the various hoppers for resin, regrind, colorants, and additives; the weigh chamber; and the mixing chamber. There is similarly extensive graphical representation of the various modules of a loading system, such as pumps and receivers.
“While the controllers for blenders operated by PLCs function literally as remote devices, with a short but perceptible lag between input and response, our touchscreen is actually the display of an onboard computer, and its response is lightning-fast,” Mr. Kavanagh said.
A Twitter feed following the progress of Maguire activities marking the 50K milestone is posted at #50kblenders.
MAGUIRE PRODUCTS, INC., headquartered in Aston, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., is the world’s largest supplier of gravimetric blenders, liquid color pumps, and vacuum dryers and also manufactures loading systems, auger feeders, granulators and related equipment and software. Its customers include injection, blow, and rotational molders, extrusion processors, and compounders. Founded in 1977, Maguire operates six manufacturing facilities in Aston. The company maintains a network of distributors in the Americas and overseas and has three sales and service subsidiaries that stock, sell, and service auxiliary equipment systems from Maguire and its affiliate, Novatec, Inc.: Maguire Canada, Maguire Europe, and Maguire Asia. Visit www.maguire.com
Maguire Products, Inc., 11 Crozerville Road, Aston, PA 19014 USA. Tel: 1-610-459-4300. info@maguire.com.
Robert J. Martino
Martino Communications Inc.
8 Main Street / P.O. Box 379
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 U.S.A.
Tel: 1-914-478-0754
Email: bob@martinocommunications.com
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