In chemical and hazardous chemicals production, the batching stage is the first gate for product quality and one of the most safety-critical steps.
In environments with flammable and explosive gases (e.g., dust explosion hazardous zones Zone 20/21/22 or gas explosion hazardous zones Zone 1/2), operators must precisely weigh multiple raw materials — powders, liquids, and more — according to formulas. This scenario imposes four rigid constraints on equipment:
Explosion-proof compliance is the entry threshold:
Equipment must obtain IECEx international explosion-proof certification, with a protection type no lower than Ex d IIC T6 (flameproof enclosure, suitable for Group IIC — the most flammable gas category, surface temperature not exceeding 85°C). Any electrical spark or hot surface can become an ignition source; therefore, the Industrial PC itself and all peripheral interfaces must meet explosion-proof requirements.
High-precision weighing is the quality baseline:
Even a raw material ratio error of a few parts per thousand can cause product performance deviation, batch scrap, or even trigger side reactions. The weighing system must maintain stable accuracy under dynamic operating conditions.
Safety control is the process red line:
Manual operation inherently carries the probability of human error. In a hazardous chemicals environment, a single misoperation can cause irreversible consequences — full-process automation and real-time monitoring become absolute necessities.
Data traceability is a compliance obligation:
Regulations such as GB 18218 and AQ 3036 require that production data be fully retrievable. Every weighing action and every material dispensing must leave an immutable electronic record.
Against this backdrop, the Industrial PC USR-EG628, as the core computing and control unit of the batching automation system, assumes the critical role of bridging "safety" and "precision."
The source of batching precision lies in the reliability of data acquisition:
The Industrial PC USR-EG628 connects in real time to explosion-proof weighing sensors, explosion-proof instruments, and various field transmitters via RS-485 / Modbus RTU bus interfaces, forming a complete data acquisition chain.
Uninterrupted real-time acquisition is a fundamental capability:
The Industrial PC polls weight data from all channels at millisecond-level intervals, ensuring no data loss or latency even under dynamic conditions such as belt conveyor operation and valve actuation. Compared to traditional PLC + HMI solutions, the Industrial PC offers stronger multi-channel parallel processing capability, simultaneously managing data convergence from multiple scales and multiple flow meters.
Algorithmic compensation is the core of precision assurance:
The chemical site environment is complex — temperature drift, vibration interference, and electromagnetic noise can all cause sensor output deviations. The Industrial PC EG628 has built-in zero-point auto-calibration and linear compensation algorithms: before each material charge, the system automatically performs zero-point tracking to eliminate sensor zero drift; during weighing, linear interpolation and filtering algorithms suppress instantaneous fluctuations, separating valid signals from noise. This means that even inside an explosion-proof flameproof enclosure with long signal transmission paths, the output weight data remains stable and reliable.
Precise data output serves downstream control: The weight values processed by the algorithms are delivered in real time to the batching management software and linked equipment in standard engineering units, serving as the decision basis for automatic discharge and flow control. From sensor to actuator, the USR-EG628 ensures the integrity and accuracy of the entire data link.
If data acquisition is the "perception layer," then recipe management is the "decision layer." The USR-EG628 runs pre-installed batching management software, acting as the brain of the entire automation system.
Recipe-driven production:
Operators simply select the target recipe in the work order system, and the Industrial PC automatically invokes the corresponding raw material list, charging sequence, target weight, and allowable deviation. Multiple production recipes are stored locally with tiered permission access, preventing quality incidents caused by accidental recipe misselection.
Equipment linkage control is the execution backbone of the automation workflow:
The Industrial PC coordinates three key device categories via digital I/O and communication interfaces:
The complete automated control flow is:Raw Material Weighing → Automatic Feeding → Precise Discharge → Quality Re-inspection.In the quality re-inspection step, the Industrial PC compares target values against measured values; if deviations exceed the allowable range, it automatically triggers an alarm and locks the discharge outlet — mechanically preventing non-conforming product from entering the next process.
During operation, the USR-EG628 automatically records each batch's recipe number, raw material batch, weighing curve, charging time, operator identity, and other information, forming a complete electronic batch record. This data satisfies traceability requirements under smart manufacturing standards such as GB/T 29490, while also providing a data foundation for post-production quality analysis and process optimization.
In chemical / hazardous chemicals explosion-proof weighing and batching scenarios, the Industrial PC EG628 is not simply an "industrial computer." It is the system core that integrates explosion-proof data acquisition, intelligent algorithmic compensation, full-process recipe control, equipment linkage scheduling, and compliance data recording. The fundamental problem it solves is this:in the most dangerous environment, deliver the most precise quantity to the most critical link — in the most reliable way.
