Product traceability, quality control, rebatching, operator traceability, reconciliation and the control of inventory are just a few of the problems that were facing one of the world’s largest producers of paints and coatings.  Solvents carrying a greater cost or considered more hazardous necessitated tighter controls.  All raw material paint resins and solvents are compiled into large mixing tanks and then analyzed for quality control based on recipe specifications.  Once they have been approved, the finished product is moved over to the container production line and used to fill five-gallon pails.

There are seven positive displacement meters, mechanical preset registers, set-stop valves and diaphragm pumps that support and are involved in the raw material compilation.  Using hoses, operators connect the mixing and raw material tanks, there are up to 29 of these tanks containing solvents and resins.  Upon connection verification, a mechanical register is used with preset gallons and the operator is then responsible for delivering the raw material through the meter into the mixing tank by starting the pump.  Whatever recipe is being used, the operator is in charge of ensuring and delivering each raw material component based on the gallons specified.  For these recipes, all seven meters can be connected to any one of the 29 tanks containing raw material, though it all depends on the order of delivery and specifications.

Toptech collaborated with LC distributor Liquitrol to propose a pair of solutions:

The first involves a batch control scheme utilizing four MultiLoad II’s and FCM II’s that would control the seven PD meters containing pod pulsers.  These four MultiLoad II’s would share the seven meters that would then be assigned an individual preset in each MultiLoad.  Toptech’s engineering team designed a control scheme where one of the four MultiLoad II’s could manage each or all seven meters independent of all other MultiLoad II’s.

Unlike the detailed first solution, the second one simply involved using seven MultiLoad II SMP’s, representing one for each meter. Both solutions allow batching operators to predetermine batches and, therefore, deliver precise amounts into mixing tanks.  The MultiLoad II logs all batching activity, allowing each transaction be reported to plant management for control and tracking purposes.

After extensive product evaluation and testing by plant personnel, plant management ultimately went with the second option due to its ease of implementation and reduced material and labor costs.

The Avanti Company provides Flow Meters and Metering Systems including industrial meters to maximize and better utilize the required data.  Call 1-800-284-5231 for additional information on industrial flow metering systems products like TopTech or Liquid Controls. Visit our website at www.avanticompany.com to learn more about the services we provide including on-site flow meter testing, sewer flow monitoring, and metering system support.