K 2013: Conair demonstrates remote control of dryers, blenders, conveying systems

Anyone with a computer, tablet or smart phone and Internet access can now connect remotely with the Web-enabled controls available on Conair dryers, blenders and material-handling systems and monitor conditions or change settings.

"In today's efficient plastics plant, machines run unattended and it seems like managers and supervisors are expected to be everywhere at once," explains Dori Raybuck, Director of Global Marketing. "With Conair's web-connected equipment, however, they don't have to be. From their desk, from home or anywhere there's an Internet-connected device, they can interact with the equipment just as if they were standing in front of the machine control panel on the plant floor. If there is an alarm, the control can even alert you via an email or text, so the situation can be dealt with immediately and remotely, if necessary."

Speaking to PlasticsToday at the K Fair, Conair National Sales Manager Peter Armbruster noted an increased tendency at processors to station a tablet computer next to an injection press, using it to remotely monitor and control peripheral equipment without having to move away from the injection machine controller. "The tablet screen essentially displays a mirror of the screen of the actual controller on the auxiliary unit, be it a blender in the blending room or a central drying system on the mezzanine floor."

Another advantage of the Internet tablet-based system according to Armbruster is that processors can give Conair access to their auxiliary equipment without having to access the corporate network. "Our service personnel can see and troubleshoot without having to penetrate the company's firewall," he said.

"In the past," said Armbruster, "customized SCADA-based supervisory systems used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now with browser-based systems you're only facing the incremental cost of a tablet computer so the technology is now available for the smaller processor."

At K 2013, Conair exhibited several examples of Internet-connected equipment, including:

The controls on this and other Conair equipment have Ethernet communications built-in so they can connect by cable or wirelessly to a plant computer network or to the outside world via an Internet connection. Then, using an internet browser, any desktop or laptop computer, tablet or smartphone can connect to them, displaying the same control interface that appears on the user control panel. Anything that can be done at the control panel itself - changing settings, responding to alarms, performing troubleshooting and other operations - can be also be done remotely. Controls with data-gathering capabilities, like the Drying Monitor or SB-2 blender controls, can generate reports that can be immediately exported to reporting software to facilitate process validation.

 "We expect this capability to provide a tremendous boost in efficiency," says Raybuck. "Do you want to confirm the temperature settings on Dryer #15? Need to check the blender alarm log from last night's third shift? Change the resin source for a new job running in Molding Cell #2? You can do all this, and more, using whatever device is most convenient, without stepping away from your desk or your kitchen table."