Automatic silo pre-loading

The mill must never run out of material. iCement's automatic pre-loading watches the level of the pre-feed silos and starts the feeders and belts on its own when the level drops, so the operator does not have to sit over the level sensors.

How it works

1. Every silo has level sensors (low/high or continuous measurement). In the settings you define for each silo the start level and the stop level of pre-loading.
2. When the level drops below the start level, iCement starts the pre-feed equipment in the correct order: first the belt, then the silo feeder, so no material piles up on a stopped belt.
3. When the level reaches the stop level, it stops in reverse order: first the feeder, then the belt, once it has emptied.

Restart delay

To avoid continuous starting and stopping around the threshold there is a configurable restart delay. On screen you see a countdown to the next start, so you know what the system will do and when.

What the operator sees

On the mimic screen every silo shows its level, whether pre-loading is active and how many seconds remain until the next action. Interlocks apply as in automatic mode: if a pre-feed motor is faulty, pre-loading of that silo stops and an alarm appears.

Enabling and disabling

Pre-loading is enabled per silo from the silo's screen. <!-- review: exact control name --> Disable it before work on the silos or the pre-feed belts, or switch to maintenance mode, which disables it automatically.

Tips

• Set the start level so the silo has time to fill before it empties completely at your grinding rate.
• If a level sensor gives an unstable reading, clean it; pre-loading relies on it.