Please share some background on yourself and your company

Doug has worked in the plastics industry for over 35 years, beginning his career at Dow Chemical. He has been with Ampacet for 27 years, focusing on developing and marketing functional and color solutions for plastics. He is currently leading the global expansion of LIAD Smart technologies.

Doug became part of the LIAD Smart business unit at Ampacet in 2019, following the acquisition of the Israeli company LIAD Automation. The LIAD Smart team is now focused on introducing innovative in-line color measurement and correction technologies to the plastics processing industry.

Ampacet Corporation is a global leader in developing performance-enhancing functionality and color effects for plastics. It now offers integrated automation solutions for feeding, blending, and quality-controlling both color and resins.

With AI being an important talking point at the moment, can you explain how it operates within color measuring?

Today’s sustainability objectives require increase usage of PCR and PIR resins. These recycled materials present significant challenges for plastic processors when it comes to maintaining consistent color standards.

PCR and PIR resins often fluctuate in color consistency, even within the same batch, leading to costly downtime and scrap for processors as they work to correct off-color issues. In addition, the ongoing shortage of skilled labor makes it even more challenging and expensive to maintain high production quality. AI technologies, like the new SpectroMetric 6 in-line color measurement and correction system, create a closed-loop quality control system that enables extrusion companies to achieve consistent color quality - even when using recycled resins - without the need for operator intervention.

The patented, Spectro fiber optic sensor continuously measures the color of the extruded material in real-time and calculates deviations from the set color standard. The AI SpectroMetric software then determines which pigments are required to adjust the color’s L.a.b. values.  The SpectroMetric then micro doses appropriate ratios of mono pigments to the resin blend at the extruder.  This AI technology eliminates the need to shutdown the line to make the appropriate adjustments after the line operator or QC manager determines the proper changes in color required.  Today, most line operators simply increase the percentage of color to off-set the color deviation, but this significantly increases the cost of color for the company, and color is already is expensive.

What’s next for LIAD Smart technology?

LIAD Smart will be launching an advancement to our Smart Clean technology for the ColorSave gravimetric feeders. With the push of a button on the controller, the ColorSave feeder automatically is emptied back to the color storage container and compressed air automatically sprays down the inner weight hopper and screw.  Within 10 seconds, your feeder is clean and ready for the next color.  The only human involvement is the pushing of the ‘empty button’.

What are you most looking forward to from the expo?

Looking for new advancements in making the plastic compounding and extrusion processing more automated to meet the challenges of today and into the future. Creating a competitive advantage in manufacturing plastics is the key to success for the future. Automation will be part of that competitive advantage.

Douglas Brownfield will be speaking on Day 2 at the Compounding World Expo Theater.