Fully Rotational Chip Stacker / Reclaimer – World’s Largest

Functional specification, design, programming, implementation and training for the world’s largest fully rotational Chip Stacker / Reclaimer – improving raw material management.

This is FMW’s (Austria based specialty equipment manufacturer) first installation in North America and one of the world’s largest fully rotational chip Stacker / Reclaimers – a system for simultaneous feeding and discharging of large chip piles. With the experience from seven smaller systems, FMW felt prepared to increase the scale and capacity. The mechanical design was very sound. However, the automation and control system paled in comparison.

Understanding the operational requirements, a new control system was developed from scratch, including – functional specification, design, programming, implementation and training. The design criteria included requirements to fully automate the entire chip handling system (truck dumps, screens, re-chipper, conveyors, Stacker / Reclaimer). Thereby, allowing full operation without local personnel. The system incorporated supervisory functions such as: automatic startup/shutdown sequences, redundant networks, self-reporting fault detection, CCTV, and remote operation.

The performance of the control system and Stacker / Reclaimer surpassed the design requirements. Improved chip quality was noticed immediately. The magnitude of which has significantly improved operational reliability and product quality throughout the mill.