Automated Controls Improve Plant Efficiency

On production lines with older equipment, you may notice a lot of knobs. Manual control panels look outdated, but the real problem is that they create hidden inefficiencies, not conducive to today’s fast-paced manufacturing environment.

If your controls are out-of-date, make sure you take a hard look at what you need before purchasing new equipment. Having the right technology in place can really make the difference in your continuous improvement initiatives.

For example, new rotary bell atomizer models come with automated controls that can improve your plant efficiency in many ways.

Closed loop vs. open loop communication

Older systems with manual air regulators run on open loop communication. This means that there is no feedback, or continuous control. 

Newer systems have closed loop control. A feedback signal is sent back to the controller to maintain a desired result. The advantage of this is that the system is now self-regulating.

For example, you want to spin your bell at 50,000 RPM.

• In an open loop system, you would adjust the air regulator knob and watch the speed, periodically checking to see if the system was maintaining the RPM.
• In a closed loop system, you can set your speed at precisely 50,000 RPM. The system will automatically regulate its turbine air pressure to maintain that speed within a certain margin for error.

With closed loop communication, we can also collect data on system parameters throughout production. This can be very useful in continuous improvement and quality assurance initiatives.  

Preset your Recipes

Automated controls allow you to preset precise parameters for turbine speeds, electrostatic voltages, and inner and outer shaping air. Setting parameters ahead of time makes transitions smoother and consistency of quality higher.

Some controls offer up to 99 recipe configurations. 

No More Knob Gnomes

Manual air regulator knobs can get bumped, turned and adjusted throughout the day without ever being noticed until something goes wrong. There also is no way to consistently maintain targeted values, making data tracking and true quality consistency near impossible.

Automated controls allow you to password protect your settings, so that only certain people can change parameters. This helps eliminate any inconsistencies due to human error.