After the robots, the flow controller, the temperature control and materials handling equipment from WITTMANN, the ATON plus H material dryer now also supports the WITTMANN 4.0 concept. This new generation of WITTMANN segmented wheel dryers was showcased at this year’s FAKUMA.
 |
|
The touch screen display of the ATON plus H is shown on the screen of the injection molding machine’s control system under WITTMANN 4.0. |
The new ATON plus H segmented wheel dryer can be connected with a WITTMANN BATTENFELD injection molding machine via a router and subsequently operated from the machine’s control system without any restrictions. However, in order to ensure a uniform image on the machine’s control system at all times, the display of the dryer’s control system has been adjusted accordingly.
The integration of this appliance into the machine’s control system now makes it possible to set and/or alter the dryer parameters (e.g. the drying temperature) simply on the machine. The status of the dryer and the current dew point can also be checked from there. Even dryers equipped with several drying hoppers can be accessed from the processing machine.
The dryer functions
The new ATON plus H dryer as such now features a touch screen enlarged by almost 50%, with a 7" diagonal.
The ATON plus is also a top-class product in terms of energy saving potential. Normally, a material dryer requires most of its energy for desiccant regeneration. The ATON plus comes with the 3-Save process as standard, a function for thermal energy recovery, which enables the dryer to run more efficiently. The hot air required for regeneration is first pre-heated inside a specially designed heating tube, then directly heated up further by a heater element. The hot air is then blown onto the desiccant in the direction opposite to that of moisturization, to accelerate the demoisturization of the desiccant even more. The temperature of the regeneration air is adjusted to the drying temperature required for the material. The ATON plus is thus able to select the optimal temperature range for the regeneration automatically and to raise or lower the regeneration temperature where necessary.
In combination with a dew point sensor, the ATON plus can be operated in the EcoMode. This function enables the dryer to select an ideal regeneration process for the respective material. If it is not necessary for the segmented wheel loosely filled with desiccant to keep rotating without interruption, so that continuous regeneration is needed, the dryer will switch over automatically to the EcoMode, thus reducing the number of regeneration cycles. This lowers its energy consumption even further, while still promoting an excellent drying air performance with a low dew point.
About WITTMANN
The WITTMANN Group is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of injection molding machines, robots and peripheral equipment for the plastics industry. Headquartered in Vienna/Austria, the WITTMANN Group consists of two main divisions, WITTMANN BATTENFELD and WITTMANN, which operate 8 production facilities in 5 countries, including 33 direct subsidiary offices located in all major plastics markets around the world.
 |
|
ATON plus H control screen |
WITTMANN BATTENFELD focuses on the independent market growth in the manufacturing of state-of-the-art injection molding machines and process technology, providing a modern and comprehensive range of machinery in a modular design that meets the actual and future requirements of the plastic injection molding market.
WITTMANN’s product range includes robots and automation systems, material handling systems, dryers, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, granulators, mold temperature controllers and chillers. With this comprehensive range of peripheral equipment, WITTMANN can provide plastics processors with solutions that cover all production requirements, ranging from autonomous work cells to integrated plant-wide systems.
The syndication of the WITTMANN Group has led to connectivity between all product lines, providing the advantage plastics processors have been looking for in terms of a seamless integration of injection molding machines, automation and auxiliary equipment – all occurring at a progressive rate.
