Load cells and colour matching

Accurate and reliable control of colour and chemical composition is a key issue at the manufacturing plant, which has an output in excess of one hundred million Kg per year.   Thames Side Sensors load cells are used throughout the mixing and blending process to measure ingredients in quantities as small as 65g for tints and up to several tonnes for bulk ingredients.   The load cells are networked to Datastor’s plant-wide computer control system which relies upon the load cell data to control the composition of SigmaKalon’s product range.

Precision, repeatability and stability of the load cells are essential, as the computer system requires accurate and consistent data in order to ensure the correct chemical composition of products and to run the plant efficiently.   Quality assurance, detailed audit trail data and raw material order scheduling generated by the system enable SigmaKalon to remain at the forefront of their industry sector.

Storage silos at the plant range in capacity from 1000 kg tinting tanks to 200 tonne bulk silos.   Each of the six larger silos is mounted on four 50 tonne T50LA load cells, while over 80 tinting tanks incorporate T90 load cells with loading assemblies.   Data from all the load cells is fed into the plant’s process control system to facilitate automatic re-ordering of supplies when stocks run low.

The original process control system at the Birstall plant was installed in 1983 and was recently upgraded to take account of developing technology.   Stuart Trower of Datastor, who oversaw the upgrade, said:

"Weighing is the key to all the process industries and Thames Side Sensors’ load cells provide essential data to ensure that SigmaKalon’s plant runs efficiently.   The company supplied the load cells for the original plant, and were chosen for the upgrade because of the quality of product and service they provide."