APPLICATION:
Americans consume 101 pounds (160 bowls!) of cereal per person, per year, according to International Business Times.
The cereal industry moves a lot of bulk ingredients like sugar, dry grains, and flour. Producers rely on an agile supply chain to deliver fresh ingredients throughout processing plants. One plant called on BinMaster to help them measure wheat, corn, and rice stored in large silos.
CHALLENGE #1: What is a tempering silo?
Top dry grain bins carry hot grains which cool for several hours to stabilize moisture content before storage. Temper silos are typically humid and are susceptible to buildup along silo walls. It is difficult to get accurate inventory readings in large silos with uneven material surfaces. Additional dust generated during the filling process further complicates accurate inventory measurement.
CHALLENGE #2: How do you measure a sugar silo?
Sugar, and its dust, tend to accumulate. Storage silos can be sticky and prone to buildup, so understanding actual material content becomes very difficult. The sticky environment challenges level measuring systems that need to operate even if sugar sticks to the antenna or other system parts.
SOLUTION:
BinMaster’s 3DLevelScanner reliably measures level and volume despite humid, dusty, or sticky storage environments. Its visualization tool generates a real-time 3D display of the topography of the cooked grains inside the silo, allowing for early detection of buildup conditions. This enables the production manager to schedule timely maintenance and avoid unexpected production, saving time, money, and unplanned downtime.
