A local manufacturer of industrial plastic bins located on the south shore of Montreal wanted to automate the inventory measurement of plastic pellets and resins in 21 of their silos, all of them being indoors in their plant. This was to be added to their existing measurement of 6 outdoor silos that had been equipped with BinMaster SmartBob II sensors about 10 years ago. This manufacturing company contacted us not only to just supply the equipment but to also do the installation and commissioning of the system.

Cancoppas supplied the plastics manufacturer with 21 BinMaster SmartBob sensors with RS 485 Modbus output. The BinMaster SmartBob sensor (SBR II) is a plumb bob style weight and cable-based level sensor for bin level measurement. A SmartBob works like an automated tape measure, dropping a weighted cable to the material surface at timed intervals.  Also known as a plumb bob or bin bob, this sensor is highly reliable and has a long service life. The SmartBob sensors were supplied with a digital Modbus output allowing us to daisy chain each and every sensor, one after another. A wireless system was considered but the final decision was to wire all the SmartBob sensors in daisy chain format due to the numerous obstructions being in an indoor environment.

Once the BinMaster SmartBob sensors were installed by our contractor, we proceeded to integrate the measurements with an upgraded BinMaster Binventory software system that was installed in the customer’s server. BinMaster Binventory is PC-based inventory management installed on your company’s LAN, WAN, or VPN. All integration and programming was done by Cancoppas personnel. Binventory was programmed and set up to provide monitoring of all vessel levels in real time, automated email for alarm notifications, email detailed inventory reports and consumption reports on a scheduled daily basis, and the setting of programmable alarms for high / low levels or “time to replenish”

Project completed by Cancoppas and affiliated installation contractors.

Links to products: SmartBob mechanical Yo-Yo                    Binventory software