Computer controlled concrete batching
THE SC2200 concrete batch control system from Scale Components achieves complete control of concrete production including quantity, quality, documentation, traceability and administration of the material produced.
Screenshot from the SC2200 system.
Managing director Ian Fleming said the SC2200 system was developed in Australia by Scale Components in conjunction with customers and other industry experts.
"The SC2200 is a uniquely adaptable and a highly effective computer control system for the ready mix concrete industry," Mr Fleming said.
"The system is a locally developed product that enables productivity gains, maximises output, maintains high levels of batch quality and consistency and provides an extensive range of production and administrative data and reports for efficient operation and quality assurance," he said.
"Local, in-house design and development provides maximum flexibility, adaptability and support and ensures that the system meets Australian and international production, quality assurance and administration requirements.
“These requirements and the benefits derived from them are sometimes difficult and expensive to obtain from internationally sourced systems."
Functions included for local customers have included basic items such as the introduction of GST, data import of customer credit rating into batch system for customer credit control, while other features are more customer specific.
Many standard and selectable features have been incorporated into the system since initial development. Each system includes hardware and software to enable remote access for on-line diagnostics, troubleshooting and product upgrade via modem. This ensures a fast and efficient level of on-line support.
Some features have been introduced through the input of industry experts and others because of specific customer requirements that may have benefit to other customers. Scale Components is also able to provide a degree of customisation to meet specific requirements.
Mr Fleming said the SC2200 was developed to meet the requirements of loader and overhead bin plant operations and could also be adapted to wet mix and mobile operations.
"The system provides automatic concrete production with all of the features expected of higher price imported systems at cost effective prices," he said.
The uniqueness of the SC2200 is that it is extremely flexible and offers virtually unlimited capabilities for number of scales and other input devices like admixes, materials, trucks, mix designs, order stacking, customer information, and discharge profiles.
Operators can specify jobs, formulas, batch sizes, water adjustments and even ratios of water sources via the SC2200. They can also access data during concrete batching without compromising the speed or quality of the process.
The SC2200 accurately controls discharge rates, gate pulse times, individual truck related batch discharge rates and automatic moisture compensation. The system has multiple access levels to maintain security and integrity of set-up and data.
A standard feature of the SC2200 is the ability to network order entry PC systems with the batch PC at the same location.
This enables orders to be entered on one PC (eg: the managers or office PC) and "stacked" for production on the batch control PC.
Reporting functions of the software include batch log reports and material usage reports. All data can be exported via the modem to external plants and can be transferred to spreadsheet software.
The software combines all plant operation date to ensure that the entire process is automated and tracked accurately.
The software includes additional features like invoicing, despatching, order entry, customer database access, delivery dockets, production batch records, mix design formulation, inventory control and many more.
The flexible design and networking capabilities of the SC2200 facilitates future system upgrades, plant operation expansion and connection to new or existing scales.
The 32 bit Windows format can be compiled for Windows 2000, XP and NT to meet current customer IT requirements and provide for future operating system developments.
The system uses standard Windows networking features to enable remote order entry and stacking in to the batch computer.
The SC2200 software is used in conjunction with Scale Components control hardware and industry standard digital weight indicators and flow meters normally found in ready mix plant operations.
The modular design of the control hardware enables the standard system to be configured for multiple scales and flow meters, up to 32 at any one time. The SC2200 can be supplied as a complete new system or as a plant upgrade using existing scales, flow meters and operator panels.
20-May-2003