The challenge
For a company that manufactures top-of-the-range process weighers; high-speed bagging machines, batch mixing controllers, blending systems, and live Mill monitoring systems (AMIC). Finding the right drives for their customised machines is crucial, ensuring that every machine exceeds customers’ expectations in terms of quality, technological advancements, precision, and reliability. In a crowded drives market, AccuTech needed a drives partner that not only could provide drives to meet their needs but a company that also understood the needs of their customers. Throughout its 30-year history, AccuTech has worked with numerous suppliers to find the right drives, and for the past 15 years, Control Techniques have been the preferred supplier for a number of reasons.
The solution
Unidrive M400, Commander C200 and C300 AC drives are the drives AccuTech utilises more commonly in its machines. With onboard PLC the generous user space allows for add-on programmable functions, more elaborate I/O features and special software that enables greater machine control. Specifically, Unidrive M400 programs for logic and IEC 61131-3 motion and sequencing with real-time tasks are fully supported. The onboard PLC also eliminates the need for an external controller, saving both cost and space. For a simple, compact, and straightforward installation process AccuTech chooses Commander C200 and C300 AC drives. They meet advanced requirements in a wide range of applications and provide an optimum user experience.
The drives are primarily used for weighing powder products such as maize meal, flour, and fine salt to control screw feeders which are used in thousands of material handling applications and are designed to meter bulk materials at a controlled feed rate. They control speed – full feed, and accuracy – the weight of the bags need to fall within the trade metrological act, and the drives ensure the accuracy is better than the 0.025% required as a tolerance. The controller communicates with the drives to relay the required bag weight, for example, if a bag is packed at 10.05kg, it will then ensure the next bag to be filled is 9.95kg, allowing the average to be 10kg exactly. Every weighment is calculated and synced with the drive. Without Control Techniques’ drive technology, it would be impossible to achieve this result. Control Techniques drives provide AccuTech with peace of mind, knowing that its product is being packed efficiently. The drives that are installed in these machines are used 24 hours a day / 365 days a year and only after 5-8 years, do they need replacing, with some having been known to last over 10 years.
AccuTech CEO Brett Hillidge states this “Having easy access to drives that are not only flexible with onboard PLC but also easy to use, compact, and reliable is the reason why we keep choosing Nidec Control Techniques products again andagain.”
Control Techniques adds “We pride ourselves on the way we operate and have managed to continue to do so throughout the turbulent Covid-19 business environment. With our expert team of dedicated drives specialists Control Techniques could help AccuTech to consistently keep up with demand and deliver to its clients in Africa and beyond.”
The benefits
“The saying that ‘time is money’ is cliché but true. As an OEM, it is very important that we deliver on time. This means we have to partner with companies who share that sentiment. A mutual understanding of urgency has made it an easy decision to keep working with Nidec Control Techniques. They deliver and swap out parts as and when we need them and are always ready to send us extra support if we run into a problem. Their speed and availability are invaluable, and it means we can pass this benefit on to our customers, too”
Brett Hillidge
AccuTech CEO
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