State‑of‑the‑Art Hazard Monitoring at a New Midwest Flour Mill

Challenge

A new, fully automated flour mill in the Midwest was built to increase milling capacity and meet growing customer demand. The plant’s design required a high‑performance Industrial Ethernet infrastructure and rigorous compliance with OSHA and NFPA standards for monitoring belt speed, alignment, and bearing temperature across 13 bucket elevators—some equipped with Variable Frequency Drives—and eight enclosed belt conveyors.

Downtime would be costly, so the client needed a system that offered instant, reliable updates while integrating seamlessly into the existing Allen‑Bradley PLC. Their prior 10‑year success with 4B’s 4B Hazard Monitoring products, coupled with the company’s fast same‑day shipping and responsive service, made 4B the natural partner for the new facility.

Solution

4B’s Industrial Ethernet Node (IE‑Node) met every requirement. The IE‑Node uses EtherNet/IP to communicate directly with the Allen‑Bradley PLC—eliminating the need for gateways—while meeting Class II, Division 1 Group E, F and G hazardous dust ratings.

Each IE‑Node offers 10 inputs (expandable to 16), covering continuous bearing temperature, belt‑alignment, and speed sensors. It also supports multiple speed inputs, enabling the PLC to calculate speed ratios on VFD‑controlled equipment.

The client selected NTC Adjustable‑Depth Bearing (ADB) temperature sensors, 2” × 4” brass rub‑blocks with stainless‑steel hinged inspection doors for misalignment detection, and whirligigs fitted with 4‑20 mA Milli‑Speed sensors for belt‑slippage monitoring. 4B supplied comprehensive training for installers and operators, emphasizing best‑practice wiring and maintenance.

Result

• On‑time installation thanks to 4B’s dedicated support and custom solutions for complex integration challenges.
• Seamless PLC integration via 4B’s IE‑Node add‑on instructions.
• Operators and maintenance staff now view shaft speeds, bearing temperatures, and rub‑block readings on a single HMI dashboard.
• All sensors were commissioned with 4B’s Speedmaster and ADB testers, allowing rapid identification and resolution of PLC programming issues.
• Removal of proprietary protocols and cables—only standard Industrial Ethernet was required.
• The system fully leveraged the plant’s newly installed Industrial Ethernet infrastructure.

Learn more at www.go4b.com.

About 4B Braime Components

Founded in 1971, 4B Braime Components Ltd. is a global leader in high‑quality material handling solutions for agriculture and industry. The company offers one of the world’s largest ranges of bucket‑elevator components, premium belting, drop‑forged conveyor chains, and a full suite of ATEX/IECEx/CSA‑approved hazard monitoring devices.

Contact

4B Braime Components Ltd – Hunslet Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 1JZ, GB
Phone: 0113 246 1800 | Email: [email protected] | https://www.go4b.co.uk/