Late 2002, Linden introduced the “Shot Counter”. Linden incorporates an electronic shot counter into all of their mix heads and to date is the only manufacturer offering this technology.

The shot counter provides a reliable measurement of the quantity of shots a mix head has made.  Based upon the historical failure of a mix head with a particular system, a preventive maintenance program can be established whereby a mix head can be replaced and sent for service prior to a major failure.

A major failure can involve one component burrowing through the mix head plunger and foaming or gelling in the machine. Since the plunger is encapsulated within the mix head, wear in the components cannot be seen without disassembling the mix head.

With the shot counter, a wear pattern, life expectancy, and thus replacement schedule can be established for the components of the mix head.

This development was a solution to a problem experienced by an RRIM processor who was running high throughput of a particularly abrasive material. The processor was injecting in excess of 25lbs of material per second, a volume so great, that a mix head failure would occur before the machine controls could react. Although the mix head components were abrasion resistant, the combination of the filler, velocity, and volume of material moving through the mix head caused erosion.

Shot counter technology provides a reliable method to identify when mix heads should be removed for service prior to a major failure.