Be it in process development, system design or retrofitting: wherever dosing is required for abrasive fluids, fluids of medium or high viscosity, adhesives, sealants, or even thermal pastes, it is always necessary to work out how to integrate the material into the process most efficiently.
Up until now, ViscoTec has achieved this using the non-automated ViscoMT-XS emptying system, which has continued to be in high demand across sectors to this day thanks to the broad spectrum of materials it can handle.
Nevertheless, ViscoTec has now sought to address the lack of automation by developing a new solution: the vipro-FEED M plus, an emptying system with a high degree of automation. With sales launching at the beginning of 2024, relevant parties in the automotive and e-mobility sectors, as well as representatives from electronics manufacturing, the aerospace industry and many other branches, will soon be able to rely on more efficient processes. Thanks to its Profinet interface, the vipro-FEED M plus can be very simply integrated into higher-level customer-side control systems, with signals and process data easily exchanged. The initial commissioning and parameterization of the emptying system makes it possible to immediately get started, with no need for time-consuming and extensive training.
Safety specialists and officers in particular will appreciate the advantages of the enclosure: the enclosed system minimizes the potential for injury that could occur when the follower plate moves into the bucket. This means that additional costs for additional safety devices on the vipro-FEED M plus are not necessary. Another benefit: the enclosure prevents the device from being affected by external contamination, e.g. dust. Both this and the fact that all pipes and hoses are contained within the interior ensure that the required cleaning effort is kept to an absolute minimum.
The vipro-FEED M plus with its automatically retracting follower plate and partition plate degassing system is suitable for a variety of different container sizes and dosing materials, which for the most part are prepared in a bucket or a pail. The vipro-FEED M plus performs retraction and venting automatically, and also automatically detects the material level. Thanks to the partition plate degassing system, air pockets in the material supply line are reduced, which improves both the precision and the quality as well as having a positive impact on process reliability. The container and the emptying process can be observed through the large viewing window on the front of the enclosure. The emptying process can be individually adjusted via the continuous position determination of the follower plate. More importantly, the fill levels can be continuously monitored.
Yet another advantage: The emptying system can be configured in a versatile manner by means of numerous parameters and adapted to any given container, material or application. The “Pressure-relief operation” mode is particularly advantageous for applications with pressure-sensitive materials. This can be activated during system downtimes to preserve the material and prevent sensitive materials from separating. In addition, the complete dosing system is protected, which extends the overall lifetime of the system and consequently reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO). It’s also worth mentioning that the new emptying system has a small footprint, meaning it requires very little installation space. This assists in planning systems with a clear layout and ensures efficient use of production spaces.