The Pigments & Additives division of global chemical company Huntsman announced the launch of the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer – an advanced pigment metering solution designed to make the manufacture of colored concrete smarter, quicker and more efficient.
With a range of new features – including the unique ability to simultaneously weigh and dispense up to ten colors at high speed – the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer is the next step in the evolution of Huntsman’s popular color pigment metering systems. The new equipment was unveiled at bauma in Munich, Germany, which opened April 11.
Granumat metering systems are a family of modular machines that enable the easy, clean and accurate coloring of concrete in a wide spectrum of shades, using free-flowing Granufin micro granules. First launched in 1989, Granumat machines make the production of colored concrete more economical, automatically weighing and transporting pigment from bulk storage containers directly into a concrete mixer in a completely enclosed automated batching operation.
As the latest addition to the established Granumat range, the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer comes with a number of advanced features including:
- The unique ability to simultaneously weigh up to ten colors at high speed, and serve four mixers and cyclone holding hoppers either randomly or at the same time. This dual functionality means the system can keep pace with the fastest batching plants and production machines available in the concrete sector.
- Two different interface options to support the drive for Industry 4.0 – the fourth industrial revolution. Purchasers of the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer can choose between a PC and a Touch Panel PLC control system. Both options use a smart Ethernet connection to relay information between the metering machine and the batching plant’s control system. This smart technology enables digital start and feedback signals to be easily exchanged. It also means color recipes, information on target and actual color dosages, and statistical data on color consumption can be easily relayed. A smart function that enables the system to automatically adjust weighing and conveying parameters is also available.
Thanks to a series of clever engineering adjustments, the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer is also more compact in size than other equipment options. A typical six-color metering system is around 5.2 meters tall while the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer is just 4.55 meters.
In parallel to the development of the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer, Huntsman has developed a Cyclone 4.0 holding hopper to work in tandem with the system. With novel pressure controlled extraction capabilities, the Cyclone 4.0 can empty a pigment batch into the mixer while the conveying cycle is still in progress – saving manufacturers additional time and money.
Todd Cottrell, Global Business Director for Pigments & Additives at Huntsman, said: “Worldwide the Granumat name is recognized by concrete formulators that want a straightforward approach to adding color and vibrancy to their construction materials. Its launch in the late eighties revolutionized the process for coloring concrete. With unique features, the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer takes this one step further – enabling concrete producers to speed up the production of colored concrete and embrace the most important facets of Industry 4.0, namely resource efficiency, adaptive control and data driven insights.”
“Around the world, manufacturing companies across a variety of sectors are embracing automation, creating smart factories and production plants where the use of clever technologies makes new processing efficiencies and reductions in operating costs a possibility. It’s the same story in the concrete industry and we are delighted to bring a smart pigment metering system to the sector to fit with this drive.”
Using the Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer, concrete manufacturers can create their own shades from primary colors by additive weighing. They can also use special colors such as carbon black, white or green. The system also provides:
- A batch range of 200 g (0.44 lb) up to 40 kg (88 lb) per color
- Accuracy up to +/- 10 g (0.022 lb)
- A total color batch as low as 500 g (1.1 lb).
The unit can be fed by big bags or reuseable containers. Dosing is undertaken via single weighing units per color via butterfly vales, giving a choice of coarse, fine or pulse dosing.
Huntsman’s Granumat pigment metering equipment portfolio now consists of nine different dosing systems. Customers already using a Granumat system can upgrade to the latest equipment technology and/or replace the existing control system as appropriate. The Granumat 4.0 Color Synthesizer was designed by Huntsman’s team of technicians and can be customized to meet specific requirements. Used in conjunction with Huntsman’s free-flowing Granufin granules, Granumat metering systems provide a complete colored concrete production solution.
