Connectivity for Material Handling Offers Greater Visibility

Motan’s 3,600 ft.² booth offers a variety of solutions for drying, blending and conveying, as well as a look at the company’s data management systems.

Equipment on display includes the new Swift series for press side drying. The Swift sCompact dryer is already available. The prototype S dryer, a new multibin dryer, is being premiered at NPE2024. “We’re really excited about this line,” says David Kibler, sales engineer at Motan. “We are changing the way we go to market with these units and the goal is to have them in stock or available with minimal lead times.”

Motan is also exhibiting its permanent central vacuum system, which can reduce the number of pumps and filters needed for supplying processing equipment, saving space and reducing energy demand. According to Scott Harris, VP of sales at Motan, an installation required only 8 pumps, which would have required over 30 with a regular line vacuum system. “We saved a ton of space,” Harris says. “In the right application, it’s a really good solution for our customers.” The strategy involves charging a single, large vacuum line, as well as reducing the number of moving parts and therefore maintenance.

Motan’s Gravicolor 110 will supplant the GC 100 blender, which has been redesigned with interchangeable material compartments. The dosing units are removable for quick color changes and the mixing chamber has been made easier to clean out. The medical version of GC 110 is also on display, optimized for cleanroom operation.

“We are making more of a push into products specifically made for the medical industry,” Kibler says. For the Gravicolor, this means surfaces that are easier to clean and high-efficiency filters that ensure dust will not escape into the surrounding area.

In alignment with the Industry 4.0 trend toward connected, monitored production facilities, Motan has display monitors exhibiting its available software applications. One of these is LinkNet, a program that Motan customizes for the needs of individual customers. “We follow all the trends inside the system, each conveying cycle can be tracked, dryer recipes, dryer temperatures can all be tracked and stored,” Harris says. The application is capable of collecting data from any number of Motan units.

“Industry 4.0 is really becoming more defined than it was when that term first came about, in the understanding of what devices need to be included and what areas of a plant need to communicate. It’s light years ahead of where it was six years ago,” Kibler says.