By Greg Washburn and Joshua Belisle · Edited by Dana Gardner
Published August 3, 2024 · Reviewed by Greg Washburn · September 14, 2026
Summary
How do I get the right resin to the right machine?
Keep materials in a central location, such as surge bins, silos or centrally located Gaylords, then choose a material selection method to route each one. Options range from open array manifolds, to cabinet-enclosed manifolds with Auto ID of materials, to automatic distribution valves with full verification, validation, tracing and recording. Features and cost vary greatly, so compare them carefully.
When you have multiple materials going to one or more destinations, you have to decide how you are going to get the right material to its intended destination. Toting a Gaylord out to the process machine with a forklift or a pallet jack is time consuming and clogs up valuable manufacturing space. Keeping materials in a central location – preferably in surge bins or silos – even centrally located Gaylords is a more efficient arrangement.
With centrally located material storage, you have a variety of material selection methods available. You can choose from open array manifolds, cabinet-enclosed manifolds with Auto ID of materials or automatic distribution valves with full pellet-to-product Verification, Validation, Tracing and Recording capabilities.
The features, benefits and initial cost of these methods vary greatly, so a thorough investigation is necessary.
An example of relative costs:
Open Array Manifold = $
Enclosed Manifold with Auto ID = 1.5 $
Fully Automatic Air Cylinder Actuated Design = 3-4 $
Fully Automatic Rotating Disc Design = 6-7 $
WEBINAR: View webinar about various material selection methods
Frequently Asked Questions
How do material selection methods compare on cost?
The article gives relative costs. If an open array manifold costs one unit, an enclosed manifold with Auto ID costs about 1.5 times as much, a fully automatic air cylinder actuated design about 3 to 4 times, and a fully automatic rotating disc design about 6 to 7 times. Features and benefits vary just as widely.
Why not move Gaylords to each machine with a forklift?
Toting a Gaylord to the process machine with a forklift or pallet jack is time consuming and clogs valuable manufacturing space. Keeping materials in a central location, preferably in surge bins or silos, or even centrally located Gaylords, is a more efficient arrangement and opens up a range of material selection methods.
Which material selection method offers full traceability?
Automatic distribution valves offer full pellet-to-product verification, validation, tracing and recording. They come as air cylinder actuated or rotating disc designs and sit at the top of the relative cost range. Cabinet-enclosed manifolds with Auto ID of materials fall between them and open array manifolds on cost.
About the Authors
Vice President of Operations, Novatec
Greg Washburn is Vice President of Operations at Novatec and has been with the company for more than three decades. He is involved in all phases of engineering design and product manufacturing, giving him a broad perspective on how resin drying and conveying equipment moves from engineering concept through production and into real-world processing environments. Greg holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and an MBA from Loyola University Maryland. His experience spans engineering, manufacturing and operations across Novatec’s material-handling technologies.
Technology Manager, Novatec
Joshua Belisle is Technology Manager at Novatec, where his work focuses on simulation and technology development for resin drying. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Engineering Business from the University of Virginia in 2023 and joined Novatec that same year. Joshua uses simulation tools to investigate previously difficult-to-measure aspects of the drying process, helping Novatec better understand airflow, heat transfer and other variables that influence resin-drying performance.
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