Automation - iNOEX GmbH

YOUR SOLUTION PROVIDER

With innovative, high quality products, iNOEX has been a reliable solution provider for measurement technology in the plastics industry for 40 years. Our high-quality products, equipped with outstanding user-friendliness, offer intelligent and innovative solutions that are key factors for sustainable success.

Automation is our guiding principle: the interplay of gravimetry, measurement and control technology is the key to increasing productivity, reducing costs and maintaining the highest quality standards.

Go to Automation

CURRENT CHALLENGES

In addition to the global challenges of international supply chains and overall economic development, there are a number of other challenges currently facing much of the plastics processing industry, including pipe, hose and cable manufacturers.

Maintaining competitiveness
High demands on product quality
Increasing demands for process and product data documentation
Shortage of skilled labour reduces process knowledge on the shop floor
Rising material prices and stringent sustainability targets
Digitisation of the manufacturing environment

WE PROVIDE THE SOLUTION

To meet these challenges, it is necessary to be able to respond flexibly to market changes while maintaining the highest standards of product quality, precision and documentation. Not only is clarity about wall/layer thickness distribution important, but also compliance with limit values for ovality and eccentricity. A high level of user-friendliness and ease of operation when adapting to changing product parameters, as well as the robustness and durability of the installed components, are crucial.

Your measurement system becomes a control instrument

Especially in combination with iNOEX gravimetric systems, our measuring systems offer various control options to ensure consistently high product quality. The collected process and quality data form the database for automation and make us a solution provider for the plastics industry. Realizable material savings of up to 5% and greatly reduced quality assurance and documentation costs guarantee a rapid return on investment.

At a time when there is a growing shortage of skilled labour, the dependence of plant operators on many years of personal process knowledge is also reduced. High quality requirements combined with a shortage of skilled labour are the key challenges facing many industries.

INDIVIDUAL PROCESS CONTROL WITH INOEX

Every raw material is subject to variations in bulk density. Gravimetric weighing allows the resulting fluctuations in mass throughput to be recorded and automatically corrected. In principle, the use of gravimetry opens up two control options: Mass throughput control and metre weight control.

Mass throughput control:
Mass throughput control regulates the extruder speed as a function of the material being fed into the extruder.

Weight per metre control:
The take-off speed is controlled as a function of the amount of material fed into the extruder. This keeps the weight per metre constant and eliminates variations in wall thickness in the extrusion direction. The smaller variations also reduce the target wall thickness, which saves material. The increase in productivity is proportional to the material saved.

Advantages & Features

Gravimetry is the basis for extrusion line automation
Hopper scales allow control of weight per metre and mass throughput
Material savings through precise gravimetric dosing of solids and liquids
Constant mass throughput with raw material savings of up to 5%

The wall thickness measuring system is integrated into the production line and provides additional control of the extrusion process. The system allows measurement of key parameters such as diameter, wall thickness, ovality and eccentricity.

Thin section control:
In thin section control, the tube or hose is measured first. The thinnest point defines the control section. The controller then calculates the new target weight per metre and adjusts the haul-off speed, which also changes the wall thickness. In this way, variations in mass throughput and wall thickness are recorded and adjusted individually. This further reduces the weight per metre. Wall thicknesses are significantly reduced while maintaining the minimum wall thickness.

Manual pipe centring increases the savings potential
Pipe is measured, thinnest point defined Control step
Control system calculates the new target value for the weight per metre
Adjustment of the pull-off speed
Pull-off speed changes wall thickness at the pipe head

Advantages & Features

Inline wall thickness gauges in the extrusion line open up additional control options
Measurement of key pipe parameters such as diameter, wall thickness, ovality and eccentricity
Further material savings through thin section control or thermal pipe head centring (for PVC)
Different measurement technologies available depending on pipe structure, material and dimensions

Find out more about our measurement technology that enables this next step in extrusion line automation. State-of-the-art technologies such as ultrasound, radar, terahertz or X-ray are used to measure wall thickness and diameter with the highest precision.

Radar Ultrasonic Terahertz X-Ray

Thermal pipehead centring:
Thermal pipe head centring for PVC pipe is a further control step in the automation of extrusion lines and enables additional material savings. The measurement data from the measuring system can be used as a starting point for manual pipe centring. The wall thickness distribution and pipe geometry are recorded by the measuring system and temperature adjustments are then made according to the optimum wall thickness and pipe geometry. This is done by defining and setting new target values for the temperature zones. The resulting change in melt speed in the heating zone reduces eccentricity. This results in a further reduction in weight per metre, an increase in savings potential and perfect end products.

Wall thickness measurement and resulting temperature adjustment
New setpoint specification for the temperature zones
Change in melting speed in the heating zone reduces eccentricity
Next control step begins when the measuring system is reached

Advantages & Features

Thermal pipe head centring for PVC pipes enables additional material savings by reducing the weight per metre
Measurement data as a starting point for manual pipe centring
Temperature adjustments for optimum wall thickness and pipe geometry
Reduction of eccentricity due to change in melting speed in the heating zone