2507_GB_heating-cooling-mixer-feeding_window_profiles

AZO CASE STUDY

Safe and reliable feeding of heating cooling mixers through retrofitting

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Finstral Finstral AG is one of the leading manufacturers of windows, doors and glass walls in Europe. Today, the family business has 14 production plants, 27 studios and around 1,650 employees and is represented in a total of 14 countries. Thanks to its in-house profile, insulating glass and element production, the company can precisely control the manufacturing process from the raw material to the finished window. This ensures the highest quality from a single source.

The task for AZO The production of high-quality windows also requires high-quality raw materials. This is where AZO comes into play. Large components, such as PVC powder, must be reliably discharged from silos in large quantities and transferred to the production process. Additives, stabilizers or colours, on the other hand, are delivered in big bags and each place their own demands on raw material handling. Here, suitable discharge aids as well as conveying and dosing methods are needed to provide the right quantity of each raw material to the right mixer at the right time- and thus ensure the high quality of the dryblend. A particular challenge was the implementation as a retrofit in the existing system.

Finstral Website

Plant Weber im Moos

Sustainability

Like AZO, Finstral AG also focuses on the durability of its products.

At the same time, the production process should consume as little energy as possible and use it sensibly. This is why Finstral invested in plants and systems from AZO in 2019.

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Safe product quality Precise dosing and weighing of all components, as well as complete traceability for exact adherence to formulation and reproducible batch preparation

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Efficiency Short cleaning times during product changeover thanks to separation into light and dark lines

Automation Large components PVC and recyclate as well as small components, additives and colours

Reliable partnership

Retrofi t State-of-the-art plant technology for heating

Operator and system protection Safe systems with constructive explosion protection and low-dust production rooms

cooling mixer feeding for the production of dryblend and recycling of production waste

Sustainability

Durable mechanics and future-proof production control. Reuse of the pure regrind powder by recycling all PVC production waste

Reasons that speak for AZO

« The collaboration with the experts from AZO during the development phase of the project convinced us right from the start.

The aim was to develop the optimum concept. Our wishes and requirements played a key role in the development process.

In particular, the use of VR technology to visualize the system during the project phase contributed significantly to our decision. This resulted in a partnership based on trust and designed for the long term. » Stefan Thurner, Finstral AG

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PVC - the basic raw material

Outdoor silos with filter The PVC powder is stored in outdoor silos. Large filters ensure clean ventilation when filling the silos.

The existing silos at the Weber im Moos plant will continue to be used for the storage of PVC pow der. Modern AZO filters and pressure monitoring systems provide reliable plant protection.

Retrofit of the existing outdoor silos for PVC

More about silo and discharge systems

Product discharge The PVC powder is conveyed into two conveying scales via suction hoppers and weighed at the same time.

Big bag discharge stations Small components from big bags, such as chalk or special PVC, are also conveyed to the mixing lines using a vacuum weighing system.

More about Vacuum conveying systems

AZO vacuum weighing systems

Pneumatic vacuum weighing systems with conveying scales are the solution for the economical automation of precisely weighed large and medium-sized components.

Discharging, dosing, conveying, combining and weighing. Many process steps in one system with special advantages.

• Safety through experience and sophisticated technology • Height and space-saving • High weighing and dosing accuracy • Clean and simple product infeed • Consistent product quality • Fast recipe changes • Precise coordination of control and process technology

More about Big bag discharge stations

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In the interests of sustainable production, plastic waste from window production is recycled and reused as regenerated powder. AZO big bag emptying stations are used for this purpose to safely and gently return the powder from the big bags to the production process. Regrind - waste-free production

Diverter valves brings many conveying lines to one point

By using a diverter valve, the required quantity of regrind is automatically transported from a specific big bag to the conveying scale. The diverter valve can be easily extended and thus ensures maximum flexibility when expanding the system.

Cost-effective Big bag emptying

This big bag discharge station is specially designed for feeding free flowing powders and is therefore particularly cost-effective and reliable.

Combined big bag and bag feeding station

Enables simple product feeding of raw materials from big bags or bags at one station.

Level indicator To avoid production downtime, the operating personnel automatically receive a message when the big bag is empty.

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Additives and colours

Colours and additives, such as stabilizers or modifiers, are fed into the process at separate low-dust feeding stations.

Small quantities - big impact

Although additives are only small components in dryblend production, they are very important for the properties of the end product. Stabilizers, modifiers and titanium dioxide, for example, are delivered in big bags and emptied into buffer containers via discharge stations. Each buffer container has a vibrating bottom to support discharge and a dosing screw that enables precise dosing into the hopper scale. Weighing is achieved by gain in weight: only when all the raw materials are in the correct quantity in the scales, they are conveyed to the heating mixers by means of vacuum conveying.

« The handling of large components, such as our PVC powder, is relatively simple. Thanks to AZO‘s proven vacuum weighing technology, we have quickly achieved the right balance between throughput and dosing accuracy. When it comes to additives and colours, however, i.e. small quantities, AZO demonstrates its full expertise and has not only implemented line separation, but also maximum product and

operator protection. » Matthias Fauster, Finstral AG

Constructive explosion protection Additives are often combustible dusts.

The use of rapid-closing valves, pressure-shock resistant receivers and flanged pipelines is essential for operator and system safety.

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More about dosing screws

Strict colour separation - realization of a light and a dark line

In the second area of small components, colour comes into play in the form of microgranules. These are delivered in big bags, fed into separate feeding stations and weighed in a hopper scale. The use of two scales and two heating-cooling mixers enables the separation of dark and light colours.

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Automatic mixer feeding

The right raw materials at the right time, in the right place!

In the production of PVC dryblend, it is essential that all raw materials arrive at the right mixer at the right time and in the right quantity. This is achieved using conveying scales for large components, receivers for the pre-weighed small components and feeding hoppers for special additions. From here, the raw materials are discharged into the heating mixers in free fall and homogenized into dryblend.

Conveyor scales, receivers and feeding hoppers This ensures that all raw materials end up in the right mixer.

More about mixer feeding

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Conveying scale For the reliable weighing of large components

Receiver For feeding the mixer lines with pre-weighed small components

Feeding hopper For the manual special addition of very small quantities

Filling of the dry blend After the mixing process, the finished dryblend is conveyed into buffer containers and from there filled into big bags.

Product and operator protection at the big bag filling stations

The dryblend is weighed into the big bags via large dosing screws. The docking devices are aspirated via a filter to minimize dust exposure for the operating personnel. The dryblend is fed from these big bags at the extruder lines or delivered to other plants.

Dosing screw The finished dryblend is conveyed from the buffer containers into big bags via large dosing screws.

Adjustable big bag holder The adjustable big bag holder allows big bags of different sizes to be placed.

Big bag aspiration When filling the big bags, the displaced, dust-laden air is extracted and cleaned in a filter. This also minimizes dust exposure for the operators in this area.

Floor scale The big bags can be filled precisely using calibratable scales. All relevant data is recorded on a accompanying document.

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Production of window profiles The window profiles are made from the PVC dryblend.

Recycling Production waste is recycled into regrind powder.

Recycling of all production waste At the Kurtatsch plant, production waste from extrusion or window construction is recycled and used to produce regrind powder.

Dryblend production

Recycling production waste

Extrusion of Profiles

Window production

« Sustainability is not a goal, but an attitude. For example, we manufacture plastic product components completely waste-free by collecting all production waste, separating it by type and reusing it directly for the production of new profiles. Our new recycling plant in Kurtatsch went into operation in May 2021. » Joachim Oberrauch, Managing Director Finstral AG

Plant Kurtatsch

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Smooth production thanks to intelligent control

The AZO production control system enables the management and monitoring of production processes.

Based on MES, batch and visualization functions, it ensures transparent and safe production as well as complete documentation of production processes.

By using barcodes, the raw materials used can be tracked through the process from start to finish.

Batch traceability

If a problem is detected with a raw material or a batch, the production control system can localize exactly which process step it is in and the further process can be adjusted.

This ensures maximum reliability for consistently high quality and reduces production downtimes.

Two plants – one production control system The information from both plants comes together in the production control system at Weber im Moos. This means that the entire production cycle- from dryblend production to recycling- can be monitored and controlled centrally. This allows the processes of both plants to be optimally coordinated.

More about plant control

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« In AZO, we have found a partner with whom we can work together to realize the best solutions for our production. Partnership, quality, durability and sustainability are important corporate principles for both companies. »

Joachim Oberrauch, Managing Director Finstral AG

AZO GmbH & Co. KG D-74706 Osterburken Tel. +49 6291 92 0 azo-group@azo.com www.azo.com

We Love Ingredients.