{"id":4039,"date":"2018-05-06T11:45:38","date_gmt":"2018-05-06T11:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conairgroup73280.e.wpstage.net\/cn\/?post_type=news-item&p=4039"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:19:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:19:39","slug":"new-conair-railcar-unloading-controller-manages-bulk-resin-storage-for-30-silos-on-one-touchscreen","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/www.conairgroup.com\/cn\/about\/news-press\/news-item\/new-conair-railcar-unloading-controller-manages-bulk-resin-storage-for-30-silos-on-one-touchscreen\/","title":{"rendered":"New Conair Railcar Unloading Controller Manages Bulk-Resin Storage for 30 Silos on One Touchscreen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now available as an option for FLX-128 Plus material-handling control system or as a standalone control package, Conair\u2019s Railcar Unloading (RCU) controller<\/a> offers processors a time-saving, secure, and expandable way to monitor and manage the unloading and storage of railcar-quantity resins from any convenient indoor location.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The RCU controller is the first of its kind, enabling any authorized user to view and manage the entire process on one touchscreen \u2013 railcar unloading, silo selection, material routing, and silo filling \u2013 without the need to go outside. The RCU package seamlessly integrates control functions that would otherwise be accessed using dedicated control panels that serve individual railcar unloading systems, airlocks, material-routing valves, silo loaders and level sensors\/monitors throughout the plant.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore and more processors are purchasing \u2013 or thinking about purchasing \u2013 resin in railcar quantities to reduce material and production costs,\u201d says Doug Brewster, Conair\u2019s Conveying Systems Manager. \u201cThe RCU controller offers them the ability to set up and manage bulk-resin handling securely and economically, with plenty of future expansion capacity. Because it shows and controls the entire process on one touchscreen, it saves a lot of time and labor. There\u2019s no longer any need to go outside or to manually monitor and operate a lot of dedicated equipment controls at the rail siding or at various locations in the plant. All control is in one, convenient place \u2013 indoors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RCU controller includes an Allen-Bradley PLC<\/a> pre-programmed with necessary control logic, an I\/O control panel, and a separate 10-inch high-resolution HMI monitor designed for indoor\/outdoor use. In plants equipped with Conair FLX-128 Plus material handling controls, the RCU PLC and control-I\/O box plug directly into the main FLX-128 Plus<\/a> control panel. Otherwise, the controller operates in stand-alone mode. All unloading system elements connect via Industrial Ethernet, either directly or by way of remote I\/O expansion panels located around the plant.<\/p>\n

The new controller is easy to configure. On the touchscreen HMI, users follow a graphical system diagram to identify and enter all system elements \u2013 railcar unloaders, airlocks, pumps, directional valves, silo receivers and silo level sensors. Then, by configuring pumps, airlocks, and directional valves, users can create and test material pathways that route resin from any railcar unloader to any silo.\u00a0 In all, the RCU controller is powerful enough to manage:<\/p>\n