Meusburger has introduced the Thypo modular multi-loop power controller for switching and controlling heating elements and heating fields. It can be used in a variety of applications, including to control heating zones in injection molds, and in plastic welding and film extrusion.
The Thypo power controller provides precise switching of resistive loads; resistive loads convert electricity into heat.
Meusburger said the Thypo power controller is robust, compact and easy to install by mounting it, connecting the power supply and heaters, and assigning heating outputs. There are three thyristor power (TP) output modules in different power levels, so the multi-loop power controller can adapt to different applications.
A Thypo system can be made up of a maximum of 63 TP output modules. With up to 1,512 outlets at 1.84 kW per outlet, it can control large heating fields while requiring little space. With a maximum output of 7.6 kW per outlet, 567 outlets are available per system.
The controller communicates via Profinet IO, Modbus TCP/IP or CANopen. Additional interfaces such as EtherCAT or Powerlink will soon be available, Meusburger said.
Thypo is equipped with detailed diagnostic functions to provide support in case any errors occur in the heating process, and to solve the errors. One of those diagnostic functions, the controller’s reaction-free current measurement, can detect which heater is defective, if a fuse has tripped, or if the main voltage or frequency are outside of tolerance.
“Normally you have to stop the heating for the current measurement,” said Bernhard Seelert, Meusburger product manager of control technology. “The Thypo has a new function where the current will be measured during the standard heating output without any influence to the output.”
Reaction-free current measurement to detect main voltage fluctuations is a standard feature on the Thypo.
Diagnostic data are transferred via interfaces to the central system control, and processors can use the web interface to access information remotely. Thypo also can be used as an output module for heaters in the company’s flexotemp controller series as an alternative to use on a controller.
Separately, Meusburger has introduced the T7, a compact operating and display unit designed for use with several Meusburger controllers and components, such as the sysTemp and flexotemp series of temperature controllers, which are used in various types of plastics industry machines, including extrusion lines and injection molding machines.
The T7 offers a 7-inch touchscreen display for the sysTemp and flexotemp controllers, and for the MPI 02 and MPI 05 components. Users can connect up to 32 multi-loop controllers to a T7 at the same time, and each controller can have up to 128 zones, according to Seelert. That would be the maximum system configuration of a temperature controller using a T7. Normally, plastics processors use one display for 10 controllers with up to 48 zones, for example, with a multilayer blown film line.
Depending on the controller series, the T7 can connect to devices via CAN or Ethernet.
Access to all the functions can be restricted by a three-level user administrator for the control, which is available in multiple languages. The T7 is a compact 9 inches by 7 inches by 1.4 inches.
Bruce Adams, senior staff reporter
Contact:
Meusburger US Inc., Charlotte, N.C., 704-526-0330, www.meusburger.com
PLASTICS releases Global Trends report
New CEO named at Kistler Group
