In an automated plant built by Red-Berg S.r.l. (www.redberg.com), a system integrator based in Bolgare (BG) and installed in the United States, five RIBO units — a brand of iVision Vacuum — make up a fully-fledged pneumatic conveying system: three feed the raw materials, in powder and granule form, to the weighing hoppers, while two provide continuous filtration and recovery of the conveying air. This is a material-handling system: not a cleaning accessory, but a process component in its own right.

It is an interesting case study because it comes from a company that does automation for a living: since 1992, Red-Berg has been developing industrial automation systems and delivering turnkey solutions for weighing, dosing and mixing. For this application — the production of polymer pastes — it chose RIBO as an integral part of its automation. We discussed it with Andrea Rossi, Partner and Technical Manager of the company.

Over the years, Red-Berg has built solid expertise in the development of industrial automation systems: electrical and process engineering, PLC software and SCADA/HMI supervision, electrical panels, installations and complete plants. Its Technical Office designs systems for the control of production processes and sophisticated technological flows, where high reliability, maximum precision and great flexibility are required.

Red-Berg’s expertise is applied across diverse sectors — from chemicals to food, from iron and steel to glass, from milling to plastics and rubber — with a distinctly problem-solving approach: every sector has its own specific challenges and every customer its own particular needs, which become an engineering challenge to be solved together. The company is led by its two partners: Andrea Rossi, who oversees the technical side, and his brother Guido, who oversees the commercial and administrative side.

It is precisely in this context that the choice of iVision Vacuum units sits.

The plant automates a chemical process. Its core consists of two reactors and two mixers dedicated to the production of polymer pastes, used as the main component in the manufacture of filters for both industrial applications (water treatment) and the medical field.

The process begins with the handling of raw materials — powders and granules — which must be drawn from bags and drums, batch-dosed and made to react with liquid components in a fully automatic cycle. In a context like this, the feeding stage leaves no room for improvisation: dosing repeatability, flow continuity and dust containment are process conditions, not mere cleaning measures. The vacuum system, therefore, has to be integrated within the automation, not added downstream.

Red-Berg integrated five RIBO industrial vacuum units which, together, form a pneumatic conveying system, assigning them two distinct tasks.

Three RIBO units handle the loading of raw materials. They draw powders and granules through dedicated suction lances, directly from bags or drums, and transfer them in batches to the weighing hoppers. From these hoppers, the entire automatic polymer-preparation cycle begins, with the dosing of the materials and their reaction with liquid components. The vacuum system thus becomes the first link in the production chain.

The other two RIBO units are dedicated to filtration and recovery. They continuously recover the pneumatic conveying air and filter it, separating out the residual dust from the conveying airflow: this dust is retained in the units’ hoppers and, through dedicated automatic valves, reintegrated into the process cycle. The result is a closed loop that limits dispersion and recovers material, keeping the conveying process clean and stable.

Completing the solution is a factor that proved decisive for this application: all the electrical components of the system are UL/CSA certified, fully compliant with the US electrical standards required by Red-Berg for that market. A requirement that made it possible to integrate the vacuum system with no compromise on the compliance of the entire line.

The partnership did not begin with this plant. As Andrea Rossi explains, RIBO vacuum units have been used “successfully for years now” as elements for the handling and replenishment of raw materials by suction, as well as for filtration where the process requires it.

The verdict in the field is clear: RIBO solutions have proven reliable and efficient and — a decisive aspect for anyone designing plants meant to run continuously — they allow maintenance staff to intervene easily, helping to optimise machine downtime. For a system integrator, where every component affects the uptime of the entire line, this is precisely the kind of assurance that counts.

Whether it is a matter of handling raw materials, closing a pneumatic conveying loop or ensuring continuous filtration, our approach is that of industrial vacuum professionals: understanding the process before proposing the machine.

To explore a custom solution for your plant or your integration line, write to us at [email protected]