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Liquid & Gas
Innovative solutions, cutting-edge technology, and expert support to transform your business.
PSI have worked closely with MAC Valves for 20 years, to lead the UK market for pneumatic valves where applications require high speed, repeatability and long life. It is MAC’s persistent innovation that keeps the company at the leading edge of valve technology; the latest development being the Dual Diaphragm Bullet Valve® which is small, versatile and easily customizable.
The most exciting outcome from this new development is that the dual diaphragm design gives us a solution with near zero leakage and allows us to bring all of the benefits of the MAC Valve design to a huge range of applications in the liquid and non-combustible gas markets.The advantages that the patented MAC solution can bring to your applications include:- Reliable operation in extreme conditions
- Fast response
- Accurate and repeatable dosing
- Quiet operation
- Non-wetted solenoid
- High flow in a small footprint
- Tight seals – low leak
Liquid Bullet Valve®
Applications that require a specific fluid based mixture to ensure product quality or that are dispensing high value liquids will benefit most from this exciting new innovation. For instance, beverage, liquid medicine, perfume, saline dispensing and medical devices for oxygen concentration and massage therapy have all benefited from the capabilities of the MAC Liquid Valve®, to include very low leak rates.
Micro Dosing
If you are building machines whose primary purpose is to provide liquid filling or microdosing, and you wish to do this more accurately and reliably, give us a call for a free consultation to see if we can help you – either by providing samples, working together on prototypes or customised solutions, or even new machine specifications that incorporate this technology.
Web enabled solenoid valve – proven in utilities
Our news is that we have designed a dual output wireless (IOT) solenoid valve controller to provide a web-based control solution that is now proven by PSI in the utility sector. This new development enables independent solenoid valve control for any compressed air, inert gas or liquid and is the first product released under PSI’s Indiott® Industrial IoT range.
Using MAC bullet valve® technology alongside our 25 years of experience in designing battery operated solenoid valve control systems, the new IOT remote controller can operate a single solenoid valve over 250,000 times and has a battery life of over 10 years including the telemetry. There is also a solar powered version with even greater power independence and longer life. The controller can accommodate multiple valves in the Indiott® technology stack and can even integrate a pressure transducer on one of the channels to give an automated response to pressure rise or decay.
While the technology is available and used in liquid valve control for irrigation and agriculture, our design now includes ultra-low power MAC Valve latching technology enabling industrial and commercial use on air and inert gas systems.
We utilise LoRaWAN ® or GSM/LTE telemetry in the controller enabling the customer to choose to add them to their existing public LPWAN infrastructure or have them completely remote, disparate and isolated on the GSM network. They do not use client WIFI or any local resource (not even electricity) and are designed to work independently of existing hardwired SCADA control systems.
The possibilities for the web enabled remote controlled solenoid valve and pressure controller technology stack are extensive; this system provides a low-cost robust secure way of operating remote assets without the need for expensive local infrastructure.
Beer Dispensing Challenge
The customer had been using an industry standard Italian beer valve for many years and now sought a solution which would not be affected by pressure change and so deliver a consistent volume. It needed to be smaller and lighter and not heat up the beer when the coil was overvoltage to overcome up to 60 psi static pressure, one of the problems with the original valve.
In large facilities where the beer kegs could be a long distance from the point of sale, in the basement of a stadium for example, the beer needs to be pumped at a higher pressure to make sure it reaches its destination. At this higher pressure (60 psi), it is necessary to put 28 Volts through the 24 Volt coil, or it will not open. The overvoltage causes the beer to heat up and after constant use, at ‘half time’, this can be as much as 3-4 deg C which causes customer dissatisfaction, as the beer is best enjoyed cool. With the automatic version of the beer dispenser, it is important to get consistent volume delivered to the customer as too little beer requires a top up and time wasted by the server, and over filling costs to the vendor. This was the case with the original valve hence the interest in improvement.
MAC develops valves for various filling applications to attain greater consistency and repeatability, in terms of the minimum acceptable volume and only a small overfill within its filling tolerance. The fact that MAC Valves are unaffected by pressure variation due to their balanced design and can be modified for accurate repeatability, means that they are the preferred choice for beverage manufacturers particularly when the drink is of high value.
The challenge was set for MAC to use its inherent valve design strengths to create a new Advanced Beer Valve for the customer to give them the competitive advantage in their market place.
Engagement
Site visits – problem identification
Initially we presented the new Liquid Bullet Valve Technology from MAC which was of interest due its compact size and incredibly high cycle life. The potential specification was developed taking into account the issues the customer wished to overcome.
Concept / Design
After several visits 4 key design features were identified.
- A media separated coil
- Smaller, lighter and more compact design
- Lower power consumption – less heat produced at highest pressure (60psi)
- Eventual EN1935 Certification
Prototyping
The first prototype used the MAC Bullet Valve technology on a simple rig which resulted in insufficient flow, and due to a non-laminar flow path, the beer produced extensive foam.
Feedback was given and the MAC Product Design Team went back to the drawing board.
After several months, numerous visits, conference calls and various prototypes being made, MAC came up with a complete new design which was delivered for testing.
The latest version of the MAC Beer Valve combined MAC features that our customers prefer and a laminar flow path.
The results:-
- Head was 3 cm – preferred 0.5cm
- 12 second pint – preferred 7 seconds – higher flow rate required
- Higher pressure range required from 12-60 psi
- Design simplification required to ease cleaning
- Slightly smaller output tube required 12mm to 10mm
- Repositioning of armature which should be closer to the output tube to reduce turbulence which caused the slightly greater head than required.
The information from the tests were communicated to MAC Product Design and although the customer was impressed by the progress, further development was required to give the customer the optimal solution.
The New Version was to have improved flow to achieve the 7 second pint delivery, a reduction in interior turbulence to reduce the beer head, a simpler design to ease cleaning and no leakage at the highest pressure (60psi).
Each iteration developed the solution further and both parties learnt from the experience. The latest version of prototypes are being produced and are expected to be delivered towards the end of the year with full production pencilled in for the New year.
The latest version of the MAC beer valve
Solution
Work in progress with refinement of prototypes until the customer is completely satisfied and can incorporate the valves into his multi pour dispensers. which are used at stadiums and festivals to give the customer the quickest service possible.
Benefits
The benefits expected for the client are a reliable, repeatable valve designed to accurately dispense any beer in the shortest time with minimal cleaning required and no heating of the beer at the highest pressures.
This new MAC Advanced Beer Valve design features translate into greater customer satisfaction with cooler beer and more accurate automatic dispensing saving the vendors money and time plus the upgrade gives our client a competitive advantage in the market place which is likely to result in increases sales and new customers.
Challenge
Our customer is the bottler of a Cola drink, who was having issues with underfill and overfill of product in 500ml bottles on their Krones filling machine. The challenge they faced was most noticeable on the lines filling one of the premium brands, as the cost of syrup is much higher, where overfill results in product being given away and underfilled bottles must be scrapped. The machines are legally required to be set to overfill slightly to account for evaporation, ensuring the customer gets the 500ml they paid for. The optimal fill level is set at 515ml but the variation in actual fill volume delivered by the machinery was a significant challenge.
Engagement
We initially visited the customer to present MAC valves for filling valve control applications that had been proven to improve fill level accuracy at other bottling plants, which had delivered substantial cost savings. We also shared the additional cost savings achievable from the longer life of the valve and resulting reduced machine downtime.
Our presentation struck a chord with the customer who requested that we survey their machines to identify what benefit they might expect to achieve.
We carried out a machine survey to validate the machine manufacturer / design and existing filling valve solution (above). We also gathered the necessary information to understand the cost make-up of the product (syrup, carbonated water, plastic bottle & cap), number of bottles produced and bottle reject rates due to underfill. This information allowed us to produce a preliminary CPR (Customer Profit Reinforcement) presentation which outlined the estimated savings that could be made, which we subsequently shared with our customers’ senior management team.
Our customer was keen to get a manifold on trial, and working with their engineers, samples were taken from the production line and weighed. We tabulated the results with statistical calculations and proved an average overfill saving of 1.6ml per bottle with a significantly improved repeatability.
Solution
Working with our product partner MAC Valves, we created an 8 station manifold comprising of BV314 bullet valves arranged as a drop in replacement for the existing Herrion valve manifold. Following the successful trial, 105 manifolds were supplied to convert the whole machine.
Benefits
Following the conversion of the whole machine, production data validated that they were achieving the 1.6ml reduction in overfill. Delivering a reduction in unsold product, and increased profit per bottle the customer achieved a return on investment (ROI) of less than 12 months.
Our solution was also around half the cost of the original Herrion solution, with a longer life and easier to replace resulting in significantly reduce maintenance cost and lost production due to unplanned maintenance.
Inkjet Control Challenge
This customer was having problems automating the ink delivery to printing heads. The customer specialises in print solutions for the postal sorting industry and was looking to save cost by using less ink caused by flow and maintenance downtime, and replacement and setup speed.
The customer’s old delivery system consisted of a manual valve for ink delivery and a plastic clip. This system is trial and error until the operator gets the settings right; this is time consuming and very messy with ink loss.
Engagement
Site visits – problem identification:
The customer requested a site visit to discuss alternative solutions to the SMC valves they had on trial that were causing problems for them. Two main problems were poor flow control due to the unbalance valve design and valves sticking due to heat build-up of coil causing ink to harden inside the valve. This resulted in not only quality fluctuation but also production stoppages when the valve stuck.
Concept / Design:
The customer was presented with the MAC Stainless Steel Diaphragm Bullet valve with balanced poppet technology and Pulse With Modulation (PWM) electronics to limit heat rise. It also provided a valve design with a coil and valve port configuration which will isolate ink from the coil heat rise.
Prototyping:
The customer has requested two sample valves, 2/2 Stainless Steel body with Diaphragm and ¼ ported base, 24vdc with flying leads.
Testing / Trials:
Trial valves are built with custom flow to the customer’s specifications and a test period also to the customer’s specified service scheduling requirements.
Production:
Production scheduling was not a concern for this project as the potential is only 300 to 500 per year, however, once proven this can be rolled out over the inkjet industry which will concentrate on production scheduling.
Solution
The solution aim is to deliver to the customer and the wider industry an automated ink delivery system that offers cost savings on production downtime and longer life due to the valve configuration; isolating the valve flow path from the coil area negates coil heat rise. Further energy savings will be made through Pulse With Modulation (PWM) electronics built into the coil head. In addition, more efficient use of ink due to the tailored flow for the application. The customer will generate data on cost savings when life trails begin.
Benefits
The benefits offered through the MAC Diaphragm Bullet valve is consistent flow; no sticking due to the high shifting force of MAC’s balanced poppet concept design. There is also coil Isolation from the ink flow path, lower cost of ownership due to less downtime, ease and speed of servicing, longer life of the valve, cost saving on ink due to more efficient and consistent delivery to print head, and use of ink. This will offer a significant improvement to the production at the end user mailing houses, as current manual systems lose settings frequently leading to downtime and servicing.
Print Spray Dampening Challenge
The customer, a large UK Printer uses the (Wifag Evolution 371) OEM supplied Spray Dampening Valves on his 19 tower printing press which prints upto 8 Million Copies per week.
They have 64 valves in each tower giving a total of 1280 with the spare tower that they have to maintain on a regular basis.
The above diagram shows the process and the current technology has replaced the water rollers with solenoid operated liquid valves to spray a water solution on to the cylinders to optimise printing. Too much water degrades the image quality and can cause web breaks and too little water causes stickiness. A balanced delivery gives the best the print quality and reduces costly web breaks which shut down the entire press.
The main issues encountered by the customer with the OEM valves was sticking (non functioning), corroded coils, web breaks due to excessive spray, poor print quality due insufficient spray, inconsistence spray due to supply pressure variations, regular valve replacement and OEM cost of supply.
Engagement
Site visits – problem identification
As there had not been an alternative to the OEM supplied valve, on the first visit the Engineering and Maintenance Manager showed great interest and was happy for us to work together to produce a customised solution to address the various issues he was facing which resulted in frequent downtime and costly valve replacement.
Concept / Design
With the Liquid MAC Bullet Valves designed not to stick, coming standard with a sealed coil, having a balanced design which gives a response time that is not affected by pressure variation, consistent spray volume and repeatability with double the life time with 1.5 Billion Cycles, this was a good starting point for a solution which already addressed the issues and just required tailoring to the application.
Prototyping
The first prototype offered insufficient spray compared to the OEM Valve and variations dependent on valve position plus was too small to fit in the spray bar without movement. The design and results were reviewed and analysed by the customer and MAC. The next generation prototype included a larger MAC Bullet Valve with higher flow, larger bores in the manifold, end plates for the extreme valves to redirect flow, an adaptor to allow a snug fit within the bar and the repositioning of the air and water supply to the centre of the bar.
Testing / Trials
The second version developed by MAC Valves Product Development Unit addressed the initial design revisions required and was tested and then put on trial. The results showed significant improvement over the original valve prototype with good fit, improved flow and consistency but required longer signal at lower speed due to the faster response time starving the valve of water solution.
As the OEM Valve used old technology its response time was slower which allowed more water solution to be sprayed at the lower speed. MAC’s latest challenge to produce a true drop in replacement was to actually slow down the Bullet Valve so it had a similar response time to the old OEM design. This took several different solutions being trailed at MAC until a latest version addressed this issue.
Solution
The MAC Spray Dampening Valve has been put on trial and is a true drop in replacement for the OEM Valve used on this Printing Press only. The fit is perfect within the spray bar, no offset of response time is required and the flow is consistent. The trial will be on going and results monitored.
Benefits
The design of the MAC Valve addressed the issues outlined by the client but also offered certain additional benefits such as a lower price, replacement of the bullet valve reducing cost of ownership even more, consistent spray, greater reliability and longer life. The solution is also being implemented at other printers within the group and although the core technology is the same, each business unit uses a different press so each plant has its own unique solution which is the beauty of the flexibility of MAC Valves.
industries we help
Solving Challenges in Every Industry
PSI intentionally chooses not to limit ourselves to specific industries, and over the years our customers have come from a vast array of backgrounds. We have provided valuable solutions and services to some very challenging applications from rail toilets and deep-sea bubble curtains to rice sorting and drinks dispensing.
Wherever You Are, We Can Help .
It’s our job to help your business work faster and more profitably.
Expert Engineers
Precision Driven
Industry Proven
