Our customer manufactures machines for loading produce into bags at preset weights. A conveyor carries the produce to the bag. The conveyor speed controller slows the conveyor when the bag nears the required weight. The bag is hung from a load cell which feeds the weight to the Tiger 320 meter controller. When the bag is near the required weight, a setpoint in the meter slows the conveyor. When the bag reaches the required weight, the meter automatically compensates for produce inertia and determines when to stop the conveyor and close the conveyor feed gate. The display flashes between "BAGFUL" and "WEIGHT".
The operator unclamps the bag, and the meter counts and totalizes the bag number from the bag clamp microswitch pulse. The operator fits a new bag and the clamp closes after a 1 second delay to stabalize the load cell.
The customer has an application that requires to:
1. Display Amps from a DC shunt.
2. Display and control from dual totalized amp/hrs.
The amp/hrs from totalizer 1 operate Setpoint 1.
At programmed amp/hr intervals, a pump starts for a programmed On-time to pump replenishment chemicals to the plating tank.
When Setpoint 1 energizes, totalizer 1 resets to 0, the pump cycle starts, and the amp/hrs totalizer 1 restarts.
Our customer requires varying amounts of primary and secondary chemicals to be mixed by ratio. To improve mixing, accuracy and save time, the ratio calculation is automatically performed by a macro.
A container is placed on a weighing platform and the platform is tared to 0. The primary product is poured into the container. The operator enters the required mix ratio and presses the start button.
The Texmate 320 Series bargraph controller samples at 50 times/second for this application. The press operates at 60 strokes/minute. The load cell output is rapidly changing up and down during each stroke of the press. The operator requires the display to be held at peak value for as long as practical.
Our customer manufactures machines for applying labels to cans. They require a controller to control the temperature of the glue and glue roller. The controller also needs to control the length of time the feed mechanism operates to feed the label over the glue roller and spin the can to apply the label.
Texmate installed a Tiger 320 Series DI-503 3-display programmable meter controller (PMC). Two thermocouple inputs control the temperature of the glue and the glue roller and inhibit the machine so that it will not operate unless the glue temperature is within set limits.
A timer controls the clutch, which controls the label feed and can spin time. The timer is configured for 0.001 seconds resolution and is easily adjustable by the operator.
Our customer operates a gas dispenser that fills gas cylinders of unknown volume and calculates the cost in dollars.
The meter automates the control process through a macro. In the diagram below, both valves 1 and 2 are CLOSED at the beginning of the process (the default position). When the hose connects to the gas cylinder, the safety switch triggers the macro. Valve 1 OPENS, pressurizing the small reference cylinder of known capacity, and the meter stores the pressure data measured from the pressure transducer.
Our customer operates a trucking company and requires a printed record of the weight of the load being carried.
Texmate installed a Tiger 320 series DI-50E meter with a permanently connected serial printer and two remote pushbutton switches. The meter is connected to the weighbridge, calibrated to read in the appropriate engineering units, and programmed for the remote tare functions with all non-application codes blanked out.
Our customer has a tank supported on a load cell and requires to dispense measured amounts of product from the tank.
Texmate installed a Tiger 320 Series DI-50E meter calibrated to indicate the product weight in the appropriate engineering units. The meter is installed with two remote push-button switches configured as TARE and TARE CLEAR. All non-application codes are blanked out. Relay 1 is connected to the tank outlet valve. The amount of product required is programmed into the meter at setpoint 1. Setpoint 1 is programmed with initial startup inhibit and relay latch OFF. _(See Setpoints & Relays Supplement (NZ201) for full details.)_
Outdoor growers in intermittent or low rainfall areas require irrigation controllers. The controller input is usually from a tipping bucket rain gauge or a flow sensor.
Control requirements: If more than X amount of rain falls within a programmed time, the irrigation cycle is interrupted. If Y amount more rain falls within the programmed Off-time, the irrigation cycle is interrupted for a longer time.
**Avoid costly motor and speed controllers for filling applications by using precise digital setpoint tracking.**
The combination of a DI-60A programmable meter controller fitted with a smart load cell input module does just this, delivering accurate and reliable digital process control.
The container is placed under the tank outlet. The start button is pressed, the display is reset to zero (Tared), the valve opens and the motor starts running until setpoint 1 is reached. The motor switches off and before the motor and pump stop completely (due to the motor inertia), the fill weight is reached and setpoint 2 is then deactivated at the fill weight and the valve closes.
A bakery customer has two tanks containing a release agent that is sprayed into the baking trays. If the release agent runs out, the bread sticks to the trays. Two release agent drums, TANK 1 and TANK 2 are placed onto two independent load-cell platforms and both load cell outputs are connected to a dual load-cell input module installed in a DI-60AT controller.
1. On start up, TANK 1 valve is open.
2. When TANK 1 low level (set-point 1) operates, TANK 1 valve closes and TANK 2 valve opens.
3. The system is now operating from TANK 2.
4. TANK 1 is replaced, TANK 1 low level alarm is now OFF.
5. When TANK 2 low level alarm operates, TANK 2 valve is closed and TANK 1 valve is opened.
6. The sequence is repeated.
Our customer requires water balance studies of water resource allocation for crop management to maximize crop yeild and reduce irrigation costs. A weather station with a Tiger 320 Series controller is set up in a vineyard to measure solar radiation, wind speed, rainfall, and air temperature. A macro installed in the meter and generated by the Texmate Development Software program calculates daily evapotranspiration.
Bubbler systems are ideal for level measurement of open channel run off systems or duct and tank situations where debris, foam, steam, or surface turbulance makes standard methods of level measurement impractical.
Our customer requires the amount of resin and roving used during their manufacturing operation to be calculated, monitored, and recorded on a job-by-job basis, providing them with accurate costing and stock information.
Texmate installed a Tiger 320 Series controller and connected it to the resin feedline flow transducer and the roving weighing platform pressure transducer.
Wet and dry bulb humidity measurement, using two temperature sensor probes, is perhaps the most reliable method of accurately calculating humidity for low temperature applications in industry today. Both sensors are mounted close together, with one designated the dry bulb sensor and the other the wet bulb sensor. The wet bulb is kept wet using a moistened cotton wick.
The wet bulb is cooled relative to the dry bulb by heat loss due to moisture evaporation from the wet bulb wick. The rate of evaporation is dependent on the ambient temperature and humidity.
In many industrial applications it is necessary to be able to control a device manually. Often a potentiometer or rotary switch is used, but this method can be too coarse and not easily repeatable. Texmate have developed a versatile and easy-to-use selection of manual stations, using their Tiger 320 Series controller, that produce an accurate, digitally controlled and scaled 4 to 20 mA or 0 to 10 V output.