Tracking data in a process setting may seem like a mundane feat, but the ability to assess and adjust variables is critical during process development and optimization stages. Tracking and adjusting process variables can bring unparalleled fluidity and efficiency, ultimately allowing us to improve the world around us through process design and optimization.
Because data is such an important aspect of this, FEECO has implemented a cutting-edge control system in the Lab in order to collect and store data from each lab test. The system collects and trends data in a real-time setting, allowing technicians to adjust variables, as well as store and review historical data.
How the Control System Works
The control system allows a multitude of process variables to be tracked, viewed, and adjusted, all from a single interface. The control system can report on:
- Horsepower
- Amps
- Feed Rate
- Hertz
- Temperature
- Flow Rates
- and more…
This single interface allows for a user to view process data and respond accordingly during production. For example, a lab technician may see that the pin mixer is drawing too many amps, a sign that the equipment could be overworked. Directly from the interface, the lab technician is then able to respond to this information, adjusting binder flow rate, or other process variables.
The control system is particularly advantageous in regards to:
Customization
The system offers flexibility in report generation, as users can pick and choose the criteria they wish to report on. For example, each of these items can be custom selected:
- Equipment- rotary dryer, pin mixer, paddle mixer
- Equipment functions- torque, amp
- Calculations- minimum, maximum, averages
- Timeframe- day, week, month, year
The system can then generate a report based solely upon the chosen variables. The reports allow customers or technicians to review in-depth aspects of the process that they are looking to examine. For example, this could help to determine the functionality of the process and required adjustments such as why a machine isn’t performing as desired, or why the outlet moisture is too high.
Historic Evidence
The control system also stores all necessary historic process data, giving returning customers a big advantage.
Graphs and reports provide historic evidence of each factor manipulated in each test, over a specific timeframe. Each time a customer returns to FEECO, a library of data can be reviewed and analyzed by using trends from various time spans, processing details and more.
In other words, technicians have the capability to go back and review past processes in detail, allowing upcoming tests to be adjusted, or improved upon.
Validation of Results
As the system tracks all necessary data, it reveals the step-by-step process for each test, providing the concrete “recipe” for repeatable success in the lab. The benefit here is tangible proof. The control system collects hard data of every function, proving the exact “ingredients” necessary to process a material in accordance to the customer’s anticipated end-product.
Data tracking is a critical component in improving upon and meeting process goals. Though the control system has only recently been installed, it has already proven valuable to process design and optimization in the FEECO Lab. Engineers are able to track all lab functions and use the data as needed, while providing confirmation of proper equipment design and processing functions.
For more information on process design or optimization in the FEECO Lab, contact us today!