Novatec has endeavored to rewrite the rules for resin conveying by using novel technology commonplace elsewhere and updating/modifying it for plastics. At the heart of this rethink is a totally new machinery concept for vacuum conveying pumps. Novatec’s own Smart Pump IPM-SynRM motors — originally conceived to power electric vehicles efficiently — brings what the company called remarkable finesse in vacuum conveying pumps with speed ranges unheard of before to address the fundamental flaws of the systems that traditionally have been oversized to meet worst-case scenarios of distance and throughputs.

With the elimination of the fan-cooled induction motor, Novatec’s new Smart Pump can go down to incredibly low speeds which the company says conventional VFD systems couldn’t achieve. At the same time, they can be ramped up into what Novatec refers to as “ludicrous speed modes” of up to a theoretical 150%, when necessary, such as to help clear such common issues as line plugging caused by verticals.

Because they are very noisy, pumps are typically isolated off the plant floor. At NPE2024, though, Novatec is running the pump in its booth. Whereas typical pumps average 90+ db, the Smart Pump has no belts or pulleys and at the show will be running under 70 db.

This ability to “finesse” enables the system to automatically adjust for the pickup velocities but also be intelligent enough to slow down at destination to avoid pellet fracturing and abrasion. And it’s all done electronically, not through expensive, hard-to-operate mechanical adjustments that are not practical in the plastics processing industry, Novatec notes.

The new pumps are rounded out by incorporating sensors that automatically alert to low lubrication levels and other service conditions pioneered by Novatec’s MachineSense group. Additionally, new sensors can adjust the pump automatically for changes in elevation in most areas as well as measure power use and detect flow anomalies in line flow. Everything is controlled by a modern state-of-the-art system that not only monitors the new pump systems but also the sensors and all the remote destination equipment such as blenders, feeders, dryers and receivers.