In plant and mechanical engineering, components and technologies for highly developed joint systems are being combined all over the world. The industry is constantly growing and accounts for a considerable share of the world’s total industrial production. Sales of EUR 280.9 billion were forecast for this year in the mechanical engineering industry in Germany alone and are expected to reach EUR 294 billion by 2023. There are many challenges – and demands – since bringing together components and technologies from different disciplines means increased responsibility. If a number of suppliers and subcontractors are involved, the plant engineer is often in the place of an intermediary between customers and service providers.
Said Matthias Rehren, Global Sales Manager of OEM Business at Minebea Intec: “Our customers know that we’re there to offer our complete support in their specific situation. Aside from providing high-quality, durable weighing and inspection technologies, we offer them not only expert advice when choosing the best solutions, but also design support when it comes to integrating our products into existing constructions, as well as individual, customer-specific solutions.”
The weighing module Novego from Minebea Intec offers a good example. One of its key USPs is its imperviousness to transverse forces, which can lead to undesirable measurement uncertainties in many weighing processes. Transverse forces like these can occur, for example, when switching on rotating mixing devices and lead to erroneous weighing results. This weighing module can negate these effects to the minimum and guarantee precise measuring results in manufacturing processes, even with transverse forces of up to 20% of the load. Novego doesn’t only impress due to its imperviousness to transverse forces, it has a whole package of other impressive features to offer.
Since its market launch in 2018, a number of notable process integrators, such as Italian company Logica Progetti or Pharmatech, have opted for the hygienically designed weighing module – not least because of how easy it is to install.
Added Rehren: “The weighing module Novego can, along with other features, be supplied with a built-in adapter for height adjustment of up to 8 cm and tilt correction for sloped surfaces with a gradient of up to 3°, thereby rendering additional constructions largely unnecessary. In many facilities, above all in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, equipment like this significantly reduces the work involved in installation.” Thanks to the converter Connexx, the weighing module Novego can also be designed as a digital weighing solution, which offers additional process control possibilities.
Before individual ingredients can be added to the mixing container, precise dosing can ensure the recipe is correct. MIXACO is a company based in the German town of Neuenrade which specialises in producing high-quality mixing technology for a number of industries. In order to adapt to customer needs, the plant engineer also includes a dosing and weighing station which features Minebea Intec technologies.
The dosing station has two scales: a high-precision bench scale from which the ingredients can be dosed into the mixing container and a floor scale onto which the mixing container is pushed. With this combination of bench and floor scales, the mixing station enables dust-free weighing of up to 30,000 g, as well as up to 1,000 kg for reliable dosing.
Both the bench scale and floor scale are connected to the weight controller Maxxis 5. In addition to ensuring precise weight display in both weighing ranges, the weight controller uses bespoke software applications to facilitate multi-component dosing and allows for connection to master systems. For more complex recipe requirements, the software ProRecipe XT offers a number of additional options – also available in a tablet-based mobile version.
Said Guido Brand, Sales & Marketing at MIXACO: “In Minebea Intec, we’ve found a reliable weighing technology supplier, who shares our commitment to quality. MIXACO have customers from the most diverse of industries. In the meantime, the precise dosing stations have proven invaluable to numerous companies in the chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics and paints industries.
Minebea Intec products boast an impressively broad range of services: for the processing of packaged foods alone, the global provider offers hygienically designed load cells and platform scales, indicators and transmitters with PLC and PC network connections, as well as statistical process control software and compliance with packaged goods regulations. In the packaging line, checkweighers from the broad portfolio are integrated in combination with metal detectors or X-ray inspection systems. Important aids to decision-making here include the possibility of adapting the equipment to customer-specific and performance tests with real product samples. The Minebea Intec “virtual showrooms” provide the perfect platform and opportunity to clarify specific questions. Sessions are held online, in real time and in person with an experienced applications specialist. For more visit minebea-intec.com
