August 2024

Continuous Silo Level Detection and Inventory Management of Ready Mix Cement, Sand, Aggregate

Application Notes & Case Studies /

After some research they decided to go with the SiloPatrol® plumb bob “smart” sensor (SMU) with the SiloTrack inventory management software from Monitor Technologies. They were able to justify the expenditure because of the added benefits of time saved from manually measuring the material levels and for the personnel safety reasons. Now with automatic or on-demand readings, they have more confidence of when they need to re-order raw materials to avoid downtimes waiting for more materials. They can also have a very accurate indication of when the silos are getting full during refilling to prevent the downtime and clean-up costs of an over-filled silo. Plus, personnel make a lot fewer trips up the silos which reduces the risk of injury.

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Level Detection…Challenges Sensing Lightweight Polystyrene Flake Regrind in a Blending Hopper

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Materials too light for rotary paddle units (paddle may just turn and carve a hole in the material) and too light and dusty for proximity switches are usually problematic. Even capacitance probes with high sensitivity, such as the TrueCap® family from Monitor Technologies, may not be successful. Lightweight materials usually have very low dielectric constants, close to that of air, making sensing by RF capacitance methods difficult if not impractical. What will work on lightweight materials less than 5 or even 3lbs/ft³?

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Challenges Keeping Track of Raw Material Inventory at Four Locations Across the Country

Application Notes & Case Studies /

Many plastic processors with multiple manufacturing locations have this problem. The solution for Nursery Supplies was the implementation of a RMI (Remote Managed Inventory) system. Monitor Technologies specializes in RMI and VMI (Vendor Managed Inventory) systems using the SiloPatrol® inventory monitoring system with SiloTrack™ inventory management software. SiloTrack software enables local control and interface of the sensors and provides for communication to remote locations with its Client software.
Nursery Supplies has a total of over thirty (30) SiloPatrol® sensors in use at four (4) facilities. Each facility uses the SiloTrack™ Server software and the Client software is also installed at the corporate location for central purchasing use. The Client software interfaces with the Server software at each facility via dial-up, LAN or WAN connections. Nursery Supplies has been able to reap the benefits by being able to automatically view inventory levels at all facilities and place orders accordingly. Nursery Supplies indicates that “Monitor’s SiloPatrol/SiloTrack RMI solution is an economical, accurate and trouble-free measuring system”.

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Beans…Beans…the Magical Fruit handled by the Vortex Iris Valve

Application Notes & Case Studies /

This company relies on the Vortex Iris valve to regulate the flow of uncooked beans in their bulk bag unloading station. These beans are essential ingredients in a wide range of their products. However, the Iris valve occasionally encounters some difficulties handling the beans, as they can be slightly too heavy for the valve to effectively control the material flow. Ideally, the Iris valve should be able to open and release the entire bag or be paired with another gate, such as an orifice or roller, to better manage the material flow. Despite these challenges, the customer is currently satisfied with the Iris valve’s performance. Vortex remains in close contact with this customer to provide ongoing support and is ready to help automate the process with a different equipment setup if they choose to do so.

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Railcar Unloading: Eliminate Costly Carryback

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The Railside Railcar Shaker is a heavy-duty piece of equipment designed for unloading bulk material from railcars in harsh environments, like those found at power generation facilities. Once the railcar gates are open, the Railside Railcar Shaker uses air cylinders to extend and push a UHMW lined contact surface against the side of the railcar. Once contact is made, the Railside Railcar Shaker’s vibratory drive is energized, and it begins to vibrate the railcar. This vibration causes the stuck material within the railcar to loosen from the walls and fall, ensuring that all the material is unloaded from the railcar.

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Continuous Level Measurement of Extremely Lightweight Specialty Materials

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The Monitor Technologies SiloPatrol® Inventory Monitoring System is a smart weight & cable based sensor system. This state-of-the-art weight & cable system is a proven problem solver, but will it work effectively on material less than 5lbs/ft³? Yes! The local Monitor representative arranged a demonstration and a unit was temporarily mounted on a skid and then placed on top of a large box of the material. It worked perfectly. The design of the sensor weight (an inverted cone design) and the electronics/mechanical design of the sensor allowed the unit to detect the surface of this lightweight material without sinking into the material.

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Foundry Vibrators Help Produce High Quality Cores

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The MP Vibrator’s design incorporates a tab with a bolt hole, which allows for mounting to a wide range of machinery. This mounting methodology allowed for the vibrator to be bolted directly to the molding core plate, without interfering with the operation of the molding core machine.

The MP series, like all NAVCO vibrators, are machined to precise tolerances with quality materials, assembled with attention to detail, and factory tested to certify conformance to NAVCO standards. This process culminates with a complete solution resulting in a vibrator that provides long lasting operating life even in demanding environments. This makes it an ideal solution for service in the harsh environments typically found in sand casting foundries.

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Stainless Steel Pipe and Chute Vibrators Improve Material Flow

Application Notes & Case Studies /

The Stainless Steel BH 1.25 Vibrator was chosen for the 304 stainless steel body, which makes it ideal for pharmaceutical facilities where washdown for cleaning and sanitation is required. The smaller diameter and the thin gauge construction of the pipe that the vibrators would be installed on made the BH 1.25 the ideal vibrator size for its high power to weight ratio. The efficient energy transfer of the impact type vibration made quick work of eliminating material buildup in the problem areas.

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Stainless Steel BH Vibrators Help Spice Up Dinner

Application Notes & Case Studies /

NAVCO’s proposed solution included recommendations for positioning and operating the vibrator. The BH Vibrator was to be installed near the discharge, and operated utilizing a timer to provide a single impact at a set interval. The timer would be tied into the discharge valve, which would ensure the impactor only operated while the valve was open. The vibrator, valve, and timer would work together in sequence to ensure reliable spice flow out of the vessel and into the mixer in the desired amounts.

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Level Sensor for Bulk Food Ingredients

Application Notes & Case Studies /

As a result of using a device that fills the bins very gently and slowly, the level in the bin increases very gradually. This reduction in fill rate can prove problematic with tilt type switches as it may be possible to gradually engulf the switch rather than “tilt” it to activate the switch output. The surface area of the tilt switch had to be increased if it was to be activated by the material and tilted to an angle of 17 degrees that would activate it. Making a larger size tilt switch would not be economical.

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