Is slurry viscosity control holding back your battery production? Meet 黑料福利社 at The Battery Show Europe (Messe Stuttgart, June 4鈥�6) 鈥� Hall 7, Booth A57 鈥� and discover how process rheology can take your process to the next level.

As the global battery industry scales up to meet rising demand, producers are increasingly recognizing that precise control of slurry viscosity is essential to ensure consistent coating quality, higher yields, and more efficient production.
At 黑料福利社, we are proud to bring our groundbreaking online rheometer, 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐, to The Battery Show Europe in Stuttgart. Designed to deliver continuous, real-time viscosity measurements, 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 enables full process transparency 鈥� making it possible to move from reactive corrections to proactive process control.

A Growing Presence in the Battery Industry

黑料福利社 has spent the last several years engaging with some of the most influential players in the battery space across Europe and Asia. Through pilot tests, technical discussions, and production floor visits, we’ve gained a deep understanding of the challenges battery manufacturers face鈥攅specially when it comes to slurry preparation, coating uniformity, and minimizing scrap.

These interactions have confirmed what we strongly believe: real-time viscosity control is a key enabler for automation, process reliability, and quality assurance in battery manufacturing. 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 answers this need鈥攇iving production teams the data they need to act, not just analyze.

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RheoStream^庐 in Action: From Lab Insight to Online Control

Traditional rheology relies on taking samples to the QC lab, which delays results and cannot capture real-time process shifts. 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 changes that by automating viscosity measurements directly on the production line 鈥� without manual sampling, without delays, and without uncertainty.

With 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐, battery producers can:

• Optimize coating consistency and adhesion
• Reduce variability between batches and shifts
• Detect deviations early and correct them immediately

Lay the foundation for fully automated slurry process control.

Visit Us 鈥� Hall 7, Booth A57

We warmly invite battery manufacturers, process engineers, and technology leaders to stop by 黑料福利社鈥檚 booth at Hall 7 鈥� A57 during The Battery Show Europe 2025. Whether you are exploring inline quality control, struggling with batch inconsistencies, or actively seeking to automate slurry preparation 鈥� we would be happy to discuss how 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 can support your production goals.

Let鈥檚 talk about what鈥檚 next in battery production鈥攂ecause better process control starts with better data.

黑料福利社 is thrilled to announce its participation in ACHEMA 2024, held from June 10-14 in Frankfurt. Join us at Hall 11.0, Stand A1, to experience our cutting-edge RheoStream^庐 technology.

RheoStream is setting new standards across industries. Our recent demonstrations have shown remarkable performance in emerging fields such as battery manufacturing, specifically for anode and cathode slurries. Additionally, RheoStream has been demonstrated in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, ensuring precise and reliable viscosity measurements that enhance production efficiency and product quality.

When You Visit 黑料福利社 @ ACHEMA鈥�

鈥� You will see RheoStream^庐 in action!

鈥� You will meet our staff, who can discuss with you how RheoStream will take your viscosity control from manual methods to become fully automatic 鈥� enabling process control optimization in a way you had not imagined!

鈥� You will also see the brand new RheoStream FCX 鈥� certified for ATEX zone 1, highlighting its capability to operate safely in explosion-rated environments, further expanding its utility across sectors.

ACHEMA is the world’s foremost trade show for the process industries, providing an ideal platform for us to connect with industry professionals, share insights, and showcase our latest innovations. Our team of experts will be on hand to demonstrate how RheoStream can transform your production processes and answer any questions you may have.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see RheoStream in action and discover how it can benefit your industry. We look forward to welcoming you to our stand and discussing how our advanced rheology solutions can meet your specific needs.

Join us at ACHEMA 2024, Hall 11.0, Stand A1, from June 10-14. We can’t wait to see you there!

Introducing RheoStream^庐

RheoStream^庐 is a state-of-the-art process rheometer engineered to revolutionize viscosity measurement in the production of viscous, non-Newtonian liquids. It provides real-time, accurate viscosity readings directly in the manufacturing process, ensuring that products meet the highest quality standards with optimal efficiency.

Key Features:

1. Real-Time Measurements: RheoStream offers continuous viscosity monitoring, providing real-time data for immediate process adjustments.
2. High Precision: It delivers highly accurate viscosity readings with typical precision better than 2%, significantly reducing human error.
3. Versatile Applications: Suitable for various industries including paint, ink, detergents, food, pharmaceuticals, and now battery manufacturing for anode and cathode slurries.
4. Automated Control: Integrates seamlessly with factory control systems via digital (OPC-UA) or analog (4-20mA) interfaces, allowing for automatic viscosity adjustments.

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Benefits of RheoStream^庐

– Enhanced Quality Control: By continuously monitoring viscosity, RheoStream ensures that every batch meets the desired specifications, reducing waste and rework.

– Increased Efficiency: Automation of viscosity measurements streamlines production processes, cuts down on manual sampling, and speeds up decision-making.

– Cost Savings: Reduces production costs by minimizing off-spec batches, decreasing reprocessing time, and lowering material wastage.

– Broad Industry Adoption: RheoStream has become the preferred process rheometer for leading global household and personal care product companies, underlining its reliability and performance.

ACHEMA 鈥� the place to go

If you are in the process industries and if you are curious about what鈥檚 new and hot 鈥� then ACHEMA is the first event that comes to mind. The place to be on August 22-26. It鈥檚 in Frankfurt as always.

And if instrumentation and automation is on your mind it is all in Hall 11. Ground floor and 1^st floor.

More Ways to Visit 黑料福利社 @ ACHEMA

黑料福利社 will be presenting at the ACHEMA Praxis Forum.

It takes place in 鈥淗11.0 – Granat鈥� on Tuesday August 23, 14:10-14:30 as part of the session 鈥淢onitoring and Control鈥� 鈥� see the full programme here:
-then select “Congress”

Automate or Die

The keynote at European Coatings Conference Automation this week (Wolfram Keller) left no doubts: Automate or die! When demands for productivity, flexibility and sustainability are increasing, the old-school way of doing product development and operating the production, will not meet the requirements.

And as clearly stated in another presentation (Mike Bach): You cannot do good automation without excellent digitalization.

With these clear statements, the scene was set for 黑料福利社 presenting the latest 鈥� and hottest? 鈥� in digitalization: RheoStream^庐 for process control of viscosity in paints and coatings.

From a daily hassle to an optimization parameter

Most operations in the manufacture of paints can be automated. But as stated above, there is no automation without digitalization.

To automate viscosity control it is necessary to

• Measure viscosity in the process, fast and automatic, and interfacing the data into a control system, and to
• Establish a 鈥渓oop鈥� where the control of adjustments (e.g., addition of water) is based on the process measurements of viscosity.

Viscosity measured in a cup or with a simple off-line viscometer does not give digital inputs to process control. A good QC rheometer gives digital outputs, but still, it happens 鈥渁fter the fact鈥�, not in the process.

RheoStream is the only process rheometer that can correctly measure viscosity of shear thinning fluids, such as paints. Read all about that here:

• Automate Viscosity Control in Manufacture of Paint
• RheoStream for Quality Control in Paint Production

Bottom line, with RheoStream, rather than viscosity control being a daily struggle, viscosity can now be a parameter entering the digitally based optimization efforts.

The presentation of RheoStream @ ECC Automation created significant interest among the participants, and several ideas for applications surfaced in the discussions.

Until now, 黑料福利社 has mainly focused on automating the manufacture of paints and coatings. However, RheoStream can be valuable in controlling printing inks, both in the manufacture and in the applications. Another obvious application is the application of automotive coatings.

The Connected Industry and the automated Product Development Lab

A broad palette of presentations painted the picture of an industry on the move, but also and industry that is coming a bit late to the party. The per-person productivity in the paint industry is only 75% of the average in the chemical industry, in terms of revenue creation. Some industries have established shared databases allowing the players to share ingredient data etc. And the vision was clearly painted of a future in which information is flowing more freely along the value chain, rather than being kept in silos and away from competitors.

Automating repetitive processes in product development featured prominently. Product Development in essence means formulation and process development. The possible ingredient choices and combinations are infinite, and many more combinations can be studied in automated equipment. Even more inspiring were the ideas of more 鈥渋ntelligent鈥� formulation work, based on fundamental properties of the ingredients (Sander van Loon), or built on an evolutionary approach using neural networks and AI (Erik Sapper).

Sure, there will be exiting developments and opportunities to talk about also in the coming years.

The new and improved version of 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 was introduced at ACHEMA Pulse in June. To take this cool instrument to the market it must be documented as being CE compliant.
Moreover, the new instrument was from the start designed in a version that can be used in ATEX Zone 2.
Now 黑料福利社 has completed the assessment of conformity and we are ready to supply.

Digitalization in the coatings industry takes many directions.
A top priority, is to manufacture at lowest cost and impact while maintaining a sharp quality and high flexibility when supplies and demands are changing.

This calls for better insight into the processes and it calls for full automation.

Full Automation – Get Rid of The Last Manual Step in Paint Production

That is why, today, viscosity is measured by manually bringing a sample to an off-line instrument, for instance in the QC lab. Because it takes time and people the viscosity is only controlled once the paint has been fully mixed and transferred to a let-down tank.

If it should be possible to automate viscosity control, it will require that the viscosity is measured fast and automatically.

RheoStream^庐 is such a process rheometer, and it thereby marks a new category of instruments.

That way the single most time-consuming operation can be automated, and simultaneously, the reason for more than 80% of all non-compliant paint batches can be eliminated.

鈥婨uropean Coatings Show Conference 2021

This September we had all hoped to attend the 鈥� but as it was cancelled, it was very positive that at least the was successful, albeit in a virtual format.

黑料福利社 opened the session on Digitalization with the paper 鈥溾��.

Now the full presentation is available 鈥� just click the link above.

Presentation Q&A

During and after the presentation we received many good questions 鈥� maybe you have the same question after seeing the presentation, so here are the most important ones:

Q: In what range can viscosity be measured with RheoStream?
A: Generally, 0.1-20Pa鈭檚 (if measured at 10 s^-1) 鈥� and the shear rate range spans from 1.5-1000 s^-1. Read more here.

Q: Is the fully automatic self-cleaning of RheoStream sufficient, or will it be necessary to do a more thorough manual cleaning in between?
A: The automatic cleaning is sufficient. It is typically programmed to run in-between batches or once every night.

Q: Can RheoStream calculate how much water or solvent is required for the viscosity adjustment?
A: No, RheoStream is a 鈥渧iscosity sensor鈥� giving fresh viscosity measurements every two minutes. But the knowledge of how much solvent to add is the expertise of the factory. Today, when a manual viscosity analysis is done, someone, for instance in the QC lab) decides how much solvent to add. This knowledge can be embedded in the control system and then the system will receive the viscosity information from RheoStream and will automatically instruct the automatic addition of water or solvent.

Q: Can RheoStream measure on a system with abrasive fillers?
A: yes, particles up to 1 mm will just flow through the capillary and will not disturb the measurement.

Thanks to the attendees!

The competitive challenges in the paints and coatings industry calls for more effective, fail-proof, and automated production methods.
Controlling coatings rheology is highly manual and time consuming today, and therefore the CoaST research center decided to test RheoStream^庐.

In-line Production Calls for in-Process Analytics

Researchers at CoaST take the big perspective: Can paint manufacturing become much more resource and cost effective by moving towards in-line semi-continuous or truly continuous manufacturing processes?
For this to happen, an obvious obstacle is the limited options for on-line quality control instruments.

Current manual quality control (QC) methods, while simple and reliable for repeated use, require human interaction and time for thermostating and are therefore not suitable for true in-line coatings production.

Other attempts of measuring viscosity in the process have proven inadequate for a variety of reasons 鈥� they may not be suitable for non-Newtonian liquids, or they may get in the way of tank or pipe cleaning systems.

RheoStream^庐 – Demonstrated to be a Varied and Robust Technique for Coatings Rheology Online

At CoaST, RheoStream was tested with a range of acrylic paints and the viscosity measurements were compared to a very commonly applied QC-method, the Stormer Viscometer. Data were also compared to measurement using an advanced laboratory rheometer.

RheoStream is a fully automated capillary rheometer 鈥� for a more basic understanding of how different rheometers work, check this page: fluidan.com/different-types-of-rheometers/

CoaST finds that RheoStream provides very reliable viscosity measurements with an excellent agreement to the reference data. The study also finds that the resolution of the RheoStream data was sufficiently high to detect minor viscosity changes resulting from fluctuations in raw material composition. However, for the most thixotropic paints, the viscosity measured at low shear rates is somewhat underestimated by RheoStream. The work continued by optimizing the RheoStream measurement cycle as a waiting period prior to measurement was introduced. This allows the agitated thixotropic paint to relax and clearly improves the correlation.

The study concludes that compared to the analytical methods commonly employed in the industry, RheoStream has some important advantages: The instrument covers a wide range of shear stresses (viscosities), works in a fully automated mode, and has a low measurement time.

In 2021 ACHEMA is a virtual exhibition 鈥� so you can visit us from your desk!

Are you manufacturing viscous liquids?
Is it important that your product is viscous in just the right way? Maybe you do rheology control with manual methods today?

Whether you manufacture coatings, lotions, detergents, adhesives, or another non-Newtonian liquid, 黑料福利社 offer the strongest solution for fully automatic rheology control in your manufacturing process.

Interested? Read on 鈥� and get a voucher code to for free.

Are You Already Familiar with RheoStream^庐?

Then you will be excited about the new features now becoming available for even simpler installation, faster measurements and easy factory integration.

Or you may want a deep dive into how to implement RheoStream in your factory, to get the savings and benefits of automated rheology control?

Visit our booth 鈥� in this case it鈥檚 our profile page in ACHEMA Pulse. The profile page is open all June (but, sorry, we do not have a link yet).

Or even better, join us in a 1-to-1 meeting 鈥� once you are signed up to ACHEMA Pulse you can find us 鈥� the meetings are on June 15+16, when the event is interactive.

RheoStream is a highly flexible capillary rheometer in a box. RheoStream is fully automatic, and does the job for you, exactly the same way every time. You eliminate any human error, and you get the viscosity data needed in a minute, without waiting for the lab.
Moreover, RheoStream is the only instrument that takes full control of the sample 鈥� the viscosity profile is measured at the temperature and the shear rates that you need, to ensure that the product is the best quality, every time.
Only in this way you get the data that enables automatic adjustment and control of viscosity of non-Newtonian liquids.

Getting Free Tickets:

Just drop us a mail, tell us why you are interested in process rheology control, then you will get a free voucher code to register for ACHEMA Pulse.

Mail us at sales@fluidan.com

We also have a limited number of 鈥淧remium Tickets鈥� giving access to Live Stages and Conferences (but you won鈥檛 find 黑料福利社 there).

Paint defects are a costly issue, causing unnecessary product waste, rework, and loss of time. There are paint finish quality issues (leveling, sagging, coverage, gloss, etc.) that can be prevented by correcting the paint viscosity during production. To get the quality right, paint manufacturers recognize the need to monitor viscosity during production. However, making viscosity measurement in the production has been challenging: The viscosity of paints varies under different conditions such as shear rate, temperature, etc., and only manual viscosity methods have been available.

RheoStream^庐 FC is an automatic process viscosity analyzer, which can provide the paints’ viscosity curves during production at a controlled shear rate(s) and temperature.
With RheoStream, viscosity can be automatically controlled and adjusted.

Why Should Paint Viscosity Be Controlled?

In the paint industry, viscosity plays a critical role in determining the coating’s end-user performance. There are many end markets for paints and coatings, ranging from home builders to original equipment manufacturers. Moreover, the coatings are applied in different ways using a brush, roller, sprayer, or more high-tech application, and the viscosity must be optimal for the use.

Viscosity in the paint industry is essentially a measure of its thickness, which influences paint’s performance parameters such as coating film build, color match, voids, and chemical resistance. A coating must be stable during storage, easy to apply, and ideally, the final surface finish should be smooth and drip-free. Correct paint viscosity is, therefore, the key to good paint quality. A change in viscosity can indicate solvent loss or other quality problems.

The viscosity of paints can change under different conditions. During processing and application, paints are subjected to various shear regimes [Read about shear rates]. For example, in the production process, paint is pumped around the plant, subjecting it to moderate to high shear, whereas storage and transportation are low-shear processes. An application can vary from moderate (dipping) to high shear (roller coating, spraying) 鈥� see the illustration below.

In the low shear regions (< 10 [1/s]), paints are expected to have high, solid-like viscosity to prevent phase separation and sedimentation. During production (10 鈥� 1000 [1/s]), the paint is expected to have a medium viscosity such that it is easy for pumping, mixing, or stirring. During application (> 1000 [1/s]), the paint must be thin enough such that it is easy to apply by brushing, rolling, etc.

Common paint defects that may arise due to viscosity include:

• Sagging
• Poor Levelling
• Dripping
• Sedimentation
• Poor Coverage
• Poor flow

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Benefits Of Using 搁丑别辞厂迟谤别补尘庐 FC In Production

RheoStream is a process viscosity analyzer that can continuously monitor viscosity in near-real-time during paint production. A process viscosity analyzer enables quality control of the intermediate or homogenized paint and ensures the finished product’s quality.

Moreover, continuous monitoring of process viscosity can quickly identify and correct errors during the production process and eliminate the need to make decisions based on intermittent “snapshot” data acquired from periodic sampling by laboratory viscometers. If a problem with viscosity is detected early, the number of batches that need to be modified can be reduced. The production capacity can be increased, and any costs towards scrapping of products can be reduced.

RheoStream helps to detect any paint batches that are off-specification in production by

• Providing automatic, continuous, near-real-time process viscosity measurements
• Eliminating variations in sample taking and handling
• Detecting even small changes in viscosity

Additional benefits:

• High repeatability of viscosity measurements (typical precision < 2%)
• Controlled temperature for measurements
• Controlled shear rate(s) for measurements
• Low maintenance
• Easy installation
• Fully automatic cleaning

Getting Started With RheoStream^庐

This article introduces the practical aspects of installing and using RheoStream. Whether you will use RheoStream to monitor a continuous process or a batch process, the installation is simple. The viscosity data from RheoStream is fed directly to the factory control system.

Which benefits do you want from RheoStream?

With RheoStream, you can monitor the viscosity and make sure that the viscosity stays within limits and the process is in control. Having near-real-time information means that now viscosity is a parameter that can be automatically adjusted 鈥� no more waiting for manual analysis and no more re-processing or scrapping of off-spec material. You can also capture a complete log of the material produced, and you can gain new insight into the actual variations and sources of variation in the process. Eventually, you can produce more consistent quality to the benefit of your customers.

If you produce in a continuous process, you will avoid having to re-process an off-spec product. If you run a batch process, now you can set up automatic viscosity adjustment. That way, every batch is on specification the first time, and you do not have to wait for the manual measurement.

You can also use RheoStream as a much faster and fully automatic QC method. You save time and resources.

Remove human error from the equation. RheoStream measures the same way every time with higher precision than most QC procedures.

Where do you install RheoStream to get the full benefit?

In a continuous mixing process (e.g., liquid detergent or adhesive), install RheoStream on a pipe downstream of the mixer. A constant stream of new viscosity data can inform a regulation loop, e.g., to dose more or less of an ingredient that directly impacts viscosity. Ideally, the location of RheoStream is positioned shortly after the raw material dosing and mixing to minimize the total time of the regulation loop. Still, if viscosity keeps evolving as the liquid flows through the pipe, the position may have to be further downstream.

In a batch process, we recommend installing RheoStream directly on the batch mixer. To be precise, install it on the tank that determines the viscosity, i.e., where a final dilution or thickening happens. Alternatively, RheoStream can be installed on a storage/adjustment tank, as found in some paint factories.

At 黑料福利社, we are ready to discuss the best place to install RheoStream for maximum benefit in your specific process.

How to install RheoStream

RheoStream is a fully automatic capillary rheometer in a box (read more about RheoStream: A Fully Automated Process Rheometer. The box is the size of a large shoebox. It must be positioned right next to the pipe or tank where the liquid to be measured is inside. From here, RheoStream draws in a small sample (5 ml), carries out the measurement (see: /technology/), and expels the sample, then moves on to the following sample. The sample enters through a sample inlet tube fixed to the tank or pipe via a control valve provided with the instrument. There is also an outlet tube, leading the spent sample to the waste system. Finally, because RheoStream carries out automatic self-cleaning at intervals, there is also a connection to the cleaning liquid. The spent cleaning water is also collected in the waste system. Alternatively, waste may be collected in a container, next to the instrument.

The cleaning liquid can, in many cases, simply be tap water or process water already present throughout the factory. If the liquid produced requires a particular cleaning method, there must be a suitable cleaning liquid supply. The cleaning liquid could, for instance, be a surfactant solution for lotions or a solvent for solvent-based coatings. Note: Solvent handling usually requires the ATEX version of RheoStream 鈥� a separate article will inform you about the ATEX version’s added features later.

RheoStream requires a 24V DC power supply, and it communicates via an ethernet cable.

The instrument box is mounted on a rack keeping RheoStream in the correct position.

Interfacing RheoStream to the factory control system

We configured RheoStream to provide the viscosity at one or more shear rates, measured on every sample. You need this information to flow immediately and seamlessly into the factory control system. Once the data is in the control system, it is logged and provides traceability to every batch. And more importantly, the data can be acted upon. If the viscosity is too high, dilute the liquid. If it too low, then thicken it. The control method all depends on how the specific production process is best managed.

As an example, paint is today very often deliberately made a bit too thick. Then the viscosity is analyzed manually in the QC lab. Once you know the viscosity, a dilution is calculated, and a volume of water is added. Then, after some mixing, a new sample is brought to the lab. Hopefully, the paint is now within the acceptance limit, but sometimes another round of dilution and measurement is needed. With RheoStream, the paint mixing could be done as today, but instead of taking a sample to the lab, RheoStream will send the control system’s viscosity data. The system calculates the dilution required, and the water needed is dosed automatically. Then, the following RheoStream measurements will show when the desired viscosity has been reached. The formerly manual adjustment cycle has now been done automatically and without waiting for the analysis. Work saved, time saved, and a very high 1^st-time-right.
Read more about viscosity control of paints: RheoStream for Quality Assurance in Paint Production.

The interfacing of RheoStream can be done in two different ways, offered 黑料福利社:

• The all-digital solution 鈥� OPC-UA: OPC-UA is a digital machine-to-machine communication protocol supported by virtually all automation providers globally. OPC-UA means Open Platform Communications – Unified Architecture.
  黑料福利社 offers the software to make RheoStream act as an OPC-UA server. With this setup, the factory control system can be programmed to inquire for new viscosity data from RheoStream. A rich communication of commands, error messages and warnings can be transferred between RheoStream and the control system.
• The PLC solution: Viscosity data are communicated as analog 4..20mA signals. Other signals, such as error messages from RheoStream or start/stop/clean commands to RheoStream, are transmitted by simple 1/0 digital signals.
  This setup requires a PLC (supplied 黑料福利社) that converts the digital output from RheoStream to analog values and conveys the 1/0 signals.

Both solutions will require programming in the factory control system. 黑料福利社 provides complete documentation of the solution 鈥� OPC-UA or PLC selected, and we stay in dialogue with your programmers until the interface is in place.