ACS has developed the new Compounding Control Center (CCC). The new center is fabricated using steel frame construction with two (2) main doors. The building can be fabricated to withstand the outdoor elements. Mounted inside the building are motor control centers (MCC), main extruder drive, extruder heater panel, master feeder controller (if needed), and master (PLC) processor. The building can be equipped with a positive pressure blower to prevent air contaminates from entering the power and controls equipment, thereby, extending the equipment life span.
All of the control I/O is easily connected to remote I/O boxes located at strategic locations throughout the process. They are located at raw material handling, feeders, extruder, and packaging areas.
The building can be provided with a fire protection system and is equipped with heating, air-conditioning, and fire alarms.
One of the biggest advantages of the CCC is the fabrication of the entire control system takes place in our facility and is thoroughly tested before it reaches the client’s factory floor. This drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to start-up the compounding process.
ACS can further reduce the start-up time by using simple power and control connections. All power connections exiting the building will leave on pre-fabricated cables and are easily connected from the CCC to the extruder, feeders, blowers, etc. The same type of connection can be pre-fabricated for the controls signal to and from the remote I/O boxes. With the pre-fabricated cables, it is as simple as setting equipment and running the cables in cable trays to the CCC and remote I/O boxes.
The MCC can be provided as an intelligent MCC, meaning that there are no hardwire connections to the PLC. The MCC communicates over a common bus to the PLC. This common buss design provides complete control of all starters and drives in the MCC. The common buss provides superior diagnostics of the entire system.