ILFORD USES OPTIMASS TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND PRODUCTION

World leader in inkjet innovation Ilford Imaging has installed two of KROHNE?s advanced OPTIMASS 7000 Coriolis mass flowmeters at its manufacturing facility in Cheshire.  The new installation provides substantial benefits that improve product quality, increase production as well as reduce waste and cost.
Ilford Imaging manufactures inkjet paper used for printing images by the digital media industry. 
The paper is available with a range of polymer additives which provide different finishes for photographs.  The company is using Wellingborough-based KROHNE?s OPTIMASS flowmeters to measure precisely the mass of polymer which is added during the production process.
Ilford Imaging uses several different polymers in its manufacturing processes, which are stored in stainless steel dispensing tanks.  Dispense pumps are used to feed the fluids through the OPTIMASS flowmeter to the coating solution mixing vessel.

Previously the company used metering pumps to measure the flow of the polymers but these are significantly less accurate than the OPTIMASS Coriolis mass flowmeter.  It is calibrated to a mass flow accuracy of 0.1 per cent of measured value and a density accuracy of 0.2 per cent of measured value over a range of operating temperatures.
The OPTIMASS flowmeters allow Ilford Imaging to control accurately and consistently the mass of polymer that is added to the mixing vessel.  This has improved product quality because each polymer mix can be reproduced to a high degree of accuracy.  Production waste is also reduced because high quality product is being manufactured constantly.

The reduction in waste combined with more precise control of polymers has enabled the company to reduce production costs.  Production throughput at the factory has increased because there is less product rework required to rectify inconsistent production.
KROHNE?s OPTIMASS 7000 Coriolis flowmeter was the first of its kind to incorporate a single straight tube design, which results in minimal pressure drop across the meter.  It has also been designed without flow dividers.  These were important features for Ilford Imaging because the viscous, sticky polymers can then be pumped at relatively low pressure without being restricted by the meter.

There are several polymers used during a production run but all are pumped through the same flowmeter.  OPTIMASS?s hygienic design and patented connection system makes it easy to thoroughly clean out polymer used in a previous production run before starting a new one.
Richard Smith, senior process engineer at Ilford Imaging, said: ?Krohne provided us with excellent sales support and technical advice while we were carrying out our feasibility studies into flow measurement.  This, combined with its technically superior product and ability to cope easily with our application, made using the OPTIMASS our first choice.?

This release and photo can be downloaded from www.smye-holland.com/newsroom

For further information contact:
Geoff Jones or Michael Holland              Teresa Kennedy
Smye Holland Associates                      Krohne Ltd
Tel: 01733 564906                               Tel: 01933 408500
Fax: 01733 562051                               Fax: 01933 408501
E-mail: geoffj@smye-holland.com          E-mail: info@krohne.co.uk