Plant Software Enhances Real-Time Condition Monitoring

MiVue, a division of the ACS Group, is showing expanded capabilities for its plant monitoring software for plastics processors, enabling real-time condition monitoring of critical manufacturing assets. Connectivity capabilities to the following auxiliary equipment are highlighted, including:

• Accumeter continuous loss in weight blenders
• BD gravimetric batch blenders
• VacTrac plus conveying systems
• T50 central granulators
• LHE central chillers
• GPL portable chillers
• Temperature control units
• GH extrusion control hopper
• GH-F gravimetric additive feeders

New features and modules have been recently added to MiVue to further drive resource optimization. These include a job report module for lot tracking and quality accountability; a material usage module to track manufacturing material assets and cost; a preventative maintenance module to ensure proper maintenance schedules are followed (unique for each machine type); and overall layout and control improvement based on customer input.

MiVue digital manufacturing connection kits are designed to provide plastics plant managers more insight into their equipment by providing production data. The company maintains that data-driven understanding of its processes improves plastic processors’ uptime, reduces costs, and improves service and maintenance operations.

MiVue’s cellular router connects injection molding and extrusion machines with auxiliary equipment through encrypted data transmission. Featuring analytics and cloud-based data storage, MiVue claims that its software can be used on any web-enabled device. Users receive text and email alerts to keep processes running smoothly.

The company also maintains that plastics processors who incorporate MiVue into their operations will reap numerous benefits including:

• Improved uptime via alerts that enable equipment operators to react quickly to problems, analyze downtime types and reasons and perform predictive maintenance by using data and analytic tools before problems arise.
• Reduced operational costs through expanded process insights that improve quality control, reduce scrap and control material usage by allowing users to set up material lists and generate material usage reports. 

MiVue connection kits can be installed with new equipment, retrofitted with older equipment and incorporated into custom system integration projects.