Extrusion International 5-2021

PREVIEW 52 Extrusion International 5/2021 Fakuma 2021 in Friedrichshafen will be Hellweg’s op- portunity to highlight that its entire range of granulators is now equipped with the digital Smart Control System, which was premiered at K 2019. Monitoring is now an option for all sizes, starting from the 150 series machine- side granulators for small parts and sprues right up to the heavy-duty 600 series designed for the toughest appli- cations. The control system detects not only parameters such as power consumption, motor speed and bearing temperatures but also the state of blades, screens and V belts. The recent implementation of the Ethernet-based, cross-system OPC UA standard means the machines can now be integrated into control center systems. In addition to providing component monitoring and in- terconnection with other machines, the control system also has a ‘boost’ mode for adapting grinding capacity to production-related fl uctuations. Adaption of operating parameters to de fi ned plastics means that even tempera- ture-sensitive grades can be straightforwardly processed without water cooling. The ‘eco’ operating mode adjusts machine speed to the prevailing input volume, so reduc- ing power consumption. As Managing Director Mark Hellweg explains, ”The suc- cess of the two past years shows that Smart Control is meeting a long-felt need in the sector. Our customers HellwegMaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG www.hellweg-maschinenbau.de Hellweg A1-1005 particularly appreciate the ability to monitor the mills’ mechanical components and schedule maintenance ac- cordingly, so avoiding disruptive and costly production downtime. High levels of demand have meant we have been able to adapt the Smart Control System to all our series much sooner than originally planned.” And Hellweg adds, ”2020 was a dif fi cult year, but thanks to Smart Control our order books have been and remain full. In fact, last year’s turnover was only just short of our previous record in 2019. Another helpful factor was that our new, approx. 500 m² production shop became ready for occupation, so signi fi cantly expanding our capacity. And because development and administrative workload is rising hand in hand with production, we are just fi naliz- ing plans to triple our of fi ce space. Construction of a new, two-story administration building is scheduled to begin this year.” Digital Control Now Available for Entire Granulator Range: Premiered at K 2019, the digital Smart Control System is now available for Hellweg’s entire range of granulators (© Hellweg Maschinenbau)