Raw Materials Processes Redefined

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Conveying, Dosing and Weighing — All in a Single System

Step-by-step, new components and systems were added to the Azo portfolio. For example, conveyor scales with electromechanical three-point weighing systems were developed. These made it possible to fully automatically feed accurately weighed bulk materials into the mixing process. This subsequently evolved into the three-point scales that are still used today. As a single-pipe system, multipipe system with multiport valve or as a central weighing system for automation of large quantities and medium-sized components, these systems provided invaluable services for the bulk materials processing industry.

In 1978 Azo Inc. was founded in Memphis — the starting point for the company's new, international outlook. The driving force for this was once again the food industry, because many international companies were moving their headquarters to the USA. Azo never looked back, and the period immediately afterward was shaped by large-scale orders for the production of hamburger buns, cookies, snacks, and spices — but also toner, plastics, window profiles, adhesives and pharmaceuticals.

Process Engineering and Control Technology All from the Same Supplier

Company founder Adolf Zimmermann realized very early on that process engineering and control technology needed to go hand-in-hand. At the plastics trade show in Düsseldorf 1983, Azo already presented the process for bulk material handling on a screen instead of using mimic diagrams. “A major order from the spices industry later the same year led to the development and practical use of fully-automated dosing container systems. In this order we learned a great deal about automation, even though it was an incredibly demanding project,” remembers Zimmermann. For the first time it was possible to control, manage and accurately document 1,470 pallet bays, 40 silos, 120 dosing containers and 200 holding containers on the basis of a highly complex, freely programmable controller (PLC) — with complete networking of every stage from the material planning for the raw materials right up to the final sale. “It was possible to monitor ongoing production from every production area and to intervene if required,” reports Zimmermann.

During these years the Componenter also went into series production. This system for automated handling of small amounts opened up a brand new chapter in automation with automatic weighing processes offering accuracy to the nearest gram. There are now almost 1,000 of these systems in use around the world. The latest development of this is the Componenter Step, which enables automatic, gram-accurate weighing of small and micro components like flavorings, baking agents, emulsifiers, coloring agents and other additives. Minimizing the manual work steps also improves product safety, while also increasing efficiency in production at the same time.

The Azo engineers also continued to refine the range of Dosistainers, with the Batchtainer and Mixtainer being added shortly afterwards. In 1996, the outcome of these developments was that Azo was the first company to use driverless transport vehicles for collecting and weighing components in bulk materials handling. Container handling was completed with the addition of a container mixer to the range.

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Expansion of the Product Range

In the mid-1990s there was a rapid succession of important developments. Here are just a few examples: Azo developed dustproof emptying and filling systems for big bags as well as additive and negative weighing systems for fluids. Almost at the same time, Azo managed another highlight in the field of screening technology with the DA type cyclone screener with two drives and self-dosing capability.

In 2003 a cost-effective automation system for small components was launched to the market in the form of the Dosibox in connection with Dosinenter and Dosilogistic. With the aid of this system it is possible to integrate all components in the automation process — including changing components.

Soon afterwards, the requirements for automatic feeding systems started to rise, particularly for container systems. The Shuttledos system now transports the Batchtainer through the dosing and weighing line. Dustproof docking with isolation of the scales takes place via a Cleandock. Success across the board: Very soon after their development, a number of these large-scale systems were taken into operation by a manufacturer of ready meals.

This means that Azo also offers a comprehensive range of solutions for safe handling of ever finer bulk materials and ever more highly concentrated active ingredients in pharmaceutical processes. The company from Osterburken in Germany developed the world’s first screening machine for screening highly active or toxic active ingredients for products that are classified in accordance with OEB 4 (Occupational Exposure Band) for closed-loop control operation and for the maintenance cycles, including screen inspection, screen change, coarse product discharge and replacement of the dosing device.

But things also moved along swiftly after the turn of the millennium in the area of automation. In 2008 the Azo subsidiary hsh-Systeme took process IT a big step forward when it introduced important developments for plant simulation in conjunction with MES systems. The goal was to achieve optimized production planning and control. With the aid of plant simulation, when plant configurations were first being drawn up it was now possible to identify potential performance bottlenecks and optimize production flow. By combining simulation with a production control system it was possible to run a virtual production setup without even a single piece of mechanical machinery being constructed. Two years later, this was followed by decentralized automation through the introduction of bus systems, which — as open systems — connect distributed control intelligence via standardized interfaces with the central control system.

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