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[September 2002]
New Product Presentation System Improves On-Line Material Measurement
Responding to the increasing demands for on-line measurement in more complex locations, NDC Infrared Engineering Ltd (Maldon, Essex, England) has developed an innovative range of product presentation systems. Designed to work with the MM710 on-line near infrared measurement gauge, the new systems are said to improve the ways in which materials are presented to on-line gauges.
NDC says the product presentation systems enable more accurate and consistent measurement of moisture and other key process constituents, allowing improved process control in a variety of bulk industries such as ceramic, chemical, detergent and food.
The company says that processors of bulk materials that are especially vulnerable to flammable gases, vapours and dust will be interested in the new systems, to help them meet the new ATEX directive which becomes mandatory from July 2003. ATEX encourages the use of enclosed ducting and pneumatic conveying systems for bulk materials, but these can make it difficult to find good on-line measurement locations. The new systems from NDC allow manufacturers to benefit from real-time on-line measurement even when access to the product is difficult, for improved process control, increased product yield and reduced start-up times.
In one example - for measurement at a point in the process where bulk materials tend to demonstrate a profile across the product stream - the company has developed a turntable device, designed to ensure thorough mixing of the product before a sample is presented to the on-line gauge. This system, which has proved highly effective in spray dried powder applications such as ceramics, can be used with bucket and conventional conveyor systems.
ENDS