The global polymer industry is a critical foundation of today’s economy. However, polymer manufacturing is very complex, and manufacturers must overcome operational, regulatory and workforce challenges, both existing and new. Thus, it is vital for them to leverage every technical advantage possible to survive a dynamic, globalized economy. One area of opportunity for the industry is the utilization of real-time data and process control optimization, and advances in disruptive technologies are creating new ways to consistently produce high quality polymeric materials at a lower cost. The ACOMP platform is a smart manufacturing system that helps customers achieve their goals by generating real-time analytics on critical polymer properties like molecular weight, viscosity and conversion, while also providing greater process control. The ACOMP eBook discusses current and emerging challenges in polymer manufacturing, the case for real-time data, how ACOMP can bridge the data divide while optimizing polymerization processes, various ACOMP customer case studies, and the future technical roadmap.
As explained in this ACOMP eBook, the polymer industry still heavily relies upon manual sampling and testing methods, but this actually presents a huge opportunity for companies to optimize their processes with innovative monitoring and process control technologies. This is good news for companies because such investments can pay dividends, both in the short- and long-term, via improved product quality, shorter production cycles, and less energy and raw material consumption, all of which will improve the bottom line numbers of a business. The need for real-time data has existed for quite sometime, but the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies in polymer manufacturing has been slower than other industries.
Previously, the industry was missing a critical piece. Polymer companies did not have the option to adopt a unique and innovative method to automatically and continuously sample the contents of a polymer reactor, nor did they have the ability to continuously measure critical polymer properties in real time. That missing link was ACOMP, which is available for production, pilot plant and laboratory applications. Download the ACOMP eBook today to learn more.