ACQUISTION AND APPLICATION OF DATA OBTAINED DURING THE MIXING CYCLE OF AN INTERNAL BATCH MIXER.

The emphasis in polymer processing and fabrication has been placed upon product uniformity and consistency in the pursuit of improved quality. To accomplish this goal we first must understand the implication of these parameters to the actual process. To define any processing operation there are two components, a fixed mechanical configuration of equipment and a set of variable operating conditions for this equipment. The data which are obtained from the batch mixer provide a dual function: a) to record the processing conditions for documentation, and b) on line indication and control of the operating conditions for the batch mixer. The control systems for batch mixers can benefit from advancements in data acquisition as these parameters are utilized in complex reactive feedback control logic. The better equipped we are to obtain, interpret and apply the data from the batch mixer, the easier it will be to increase processing uniformity.