'Clever but simple electronic solution' for accurate and steady pressure compensation in feeder hoppers.
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Coperion K-Tron, Sewell, N.J.  has introduced a unique Electronic Pressure Compensation (EPC) system for its high-accuracy loss-in-weight feeders. The main advantages of the new system reportedly include improved accuracy and reliability as well as lower initial cost and easier installation compared to traditional mechanical pressure-compensation systems. EPC can be installed on a retrofit basis on a majority of Coperion K-Tron gravimetric feeders, the company says.
In a closed-feeding system, pressure build-up inside a feeder can significantly impair weighing accuracy, the firm explains. The commonly installed mechanical pressure-compensation systems are sensitive to structural factors and machine alignment and may therefore be intricate or even unreliable. The EPC is billed as a clever but simple electronic solution for accurate and steady pressure compensation in feeder hoppers. The modular design incorporates pressure sensors and electronics tailored to interact smoothly with Coperion K-Tron’s KCM feeder control system.
Depending on set-up and requirements, sensors can be positioned on the feeder hopper and, if required, on the material discharge tube. The software implements a self-optimizing compensation algorithm for best performance and dynamics identical to those of Coperion K-Tron’s SFT load cells, which allows for highly accurate feeding results, even in systems with perceivable pressure fluctuations.