"The expansion allows for the additional staff and workstations needed to produce higher volumes of controls that are more sophisticated," says John Simonof, Flexicon vice president.
The expansion coincided with the department's conversion from mechanical to programmable logic relays (PLRs). The switch to PLRs is said to reduce the cost, size, and potential failure associated with analog timers and hard relays, while adding digital programmability to individual equipment functions. In the photo shown here, for example, the PLR in the foreground can eliminate the need for multiple analog timers and hard relays shown in the background. The controls department at Flexicon also employs programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for more sophisticated equipment such as weigh batching systems, pneumatic systems, and plant-wide bulk handling systems.
A new area equipped with simulated scale systems, electric motors, various sensors, and other production-scale inputs and outputs allows 100 percent bench testing of monitoring and control functions.
According to Simonof, smart controls allow simple programming of equipment functions by the customer, and emailing of programs to and from the Controls Department for troubleshooting, reinstallation, or customization.
In November 2007, the company doubled the size of its Engineering Department and increased engineering personnel by 50 percent.
Flexicon manufactures mechanical conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag unloaders, bulk bag conditioners, bulk bag fillers, bag dump stations, lift-and-seal drum dumpers, weigh batching/blending systems, and automated plant-wide systems for handling of bulk chemical, food, dairy, and pharmaceutical products.
