Technology Review 1934

Automatic Bagging Systems The Star Series line of automatic bagging systems is easier to use and more efficient, which increases production capabilities. The new features can also be purchased as machinery upgrades for existing machines. Hot air generation and bag control have been improved. The XJX uses two heating elements instead of one and funnels the heated air to the bags’ sealing surface more directly. It also features improved air delivery and an updated folder blade designed to seal even the newest materials in the bag sealing market. An “empty bag left in tray” detection system has also been added. This new feature senses when a second bag is brought into the infeed tray due to bag quality problems. The machine senses the presence of the bag in the infeed tray and will stop the tray-loading device from populating the tray again during the next cycle. This keeps empty bags from dropping in the filling station and eliminates the chance of dropping a charge on the floor.  Thiele Technologies Inc., Minneapolis, MN 800-932-3647 www.thieletech.comSlide Valve  The Mucon slide valve is a single flange valve designed for general-purpose powder and granule isolation applications. Features include: cast aluminum body; stainless steel slide plate; heavy load nylon slide plate runners; valve lock option by padlock or lockout tag; an “Earth” tag for high static electricity applications. The slide valve complements the range of Mucon iris diaphragm valves, disc valves, and butterfly valves. Kemutec, Bristol, PA 215-788-8013 www.kemutecusa.comBench Scales EB-190 series bench scales feature large, 1-in.-high LCD displays with ColorZONE check-weighing. ColorZONE provides efficient time management because the scale is set to display different color, high-contrast weight readouts based on under, acceptable, and over weights during the check-weighing process. The target weights are easy to assign through the scale’s keypad and can be changed quickly as different sized products are weighed. Multiple sizes and capacities are available. The EB-190 series weighs in lb, kg, g, and ounces. Cardinal Scale Mfg. Co., Webb City, MO 800-441-4237 www.cardinalscale.comMounting Clamp  This quick-release clamp mounts permanently on process equipment and features a proprietary yoke and pin assembly that permits easy tension release with a quick move of one hand without requiring unscrewing, dismounting, or other cumbersome release method. When returned to the closed position, the retractable clamp design automatically restores the amount of tension applied prior to its release. It is ideal for joining steel and aluminum process equipment covers and ports with up to 750 lb of clamping force, yet also may be used to join plastic, wood, and other materials.  Witte Company, Inc., Washington, NJ 908-689-6500 www.witte.comDust Collector Filter This HemiPleat dust collector filter combines high filtration efficiency, long service life, and energy-efficient performance with conductive properties. The manufacturer uses a special carbon-impregnated media designed for use where conveyed dusts generate static charges that require dissipation. Applications include: fumed silica dust; plastic, PVC or composite dusts; and carbon black/toner dusts. Cartridge filters manufactured with carbon-impregnated media can also be used in explosive dust applications, making it possible to conform to NFPA and ATEX requirements and lessen the risk of ignition sources due to static electricity charges. Conductive filters allow the use of media-type dust collectors in applications where they otherwise could not have been used, due to the dusts having low minimum ignition energy characteristics. The conductive media is available in the full selection of HemiPleat cartridge styles, to fit virtually all new and existing cartridge dust collectors.  Camfil Farr APC, Jonesboro, AR 800-479-6801 www.farrapc.comBulk Bag Discharging System  Modular Material Master bulk bag discharging system offers patented technology and features that maximize production efficiency. The entire unit is constructed from 304 stainless steel with continuous TIG welds. The Flo-Master bag massaging promotes consistent material flow, while the Seal-Master access chamber allows easy operator access to bag spout. The Sure-Seal pneumatic discharge spout clamping system ensures dust-tight operation. A Flo-Lock slide gate quickly halts material flow for partial bag discharge.  Material Transfer & Storage Inc., Allegan, MI 800-836-7068  www.materialtransfer.comIntegrated Controls This company provides controls from individual control panels to integration of plant-wide centralized process controls. Customers include machinery importers needing control panels that meet all applicable North American codes and regulations, and OEMs looking to add touch screen features to their machine controls. Construction and custom programming of control panels meet or exceed UL 508, NEC, OSHA, and Hazardous Location Designations. Machine specific PLCs and HMIs are designed with the ability to integrate Ethernet, Devicenet, and other plant-wide networks. System-wide processing controls are also provided.  Vecoplan Integrated Controls, High Point, NC 336-861-6070 www.vecoplanllc.comHigh-Resolution Weigh Modules Versatile WMS high-resolution weigh modules can be easily integrated into automated processes. They complement all systems, machines, and instruments, and meet demanding standards and quality requirements. Their compact design has a wide weighing range with intelligent mechanical and electrical interfaces. Its robust, FDA-compliant stainless steel design features overload stops and a long service life. With up to 92 updates per second and up to 4 million points of resolution, users are able to track and control dosing processes in real time. Mettler Toledo, Columbus, OH 614-438-4511 www.mt.com/naLoop-Powered Particulate Transmitter This loop-powered particulate transmitter and filter leak/emissions detector for baghouses, cartridge dust collectors, and cyclones provides simple two-wire installation and single-piece mounting. Heavy-duty construction, advanced induction sensing, and a protected probe ensure reliability even in harsh applications such as fly ash from coal, carbon black, chemical processing, smelters, foundries, cement kilns, and spray dryers. General benefits include EPA compliance, detecting emissions before they are visible, eliminating cleanup costs, preventing the escape of valuable powders, and protecting downstream equipment such as blowers and HEPA filters. FilterSense, Beverly, MA  978-927-4304 www.filtersense.comConveyor Operating  Training The Foundations training program covers operation and maintenance of cleaner, safer, and more productive belt conveyors. The expanded workshop consists of three customizable training programs, with the Operations & Maintenance Seminar available online. The seminar takes an in-depth look at improving the safety, performance, and payback of belt conveyors by controlling fugitive material and improving system efficiency. This online training is ideal for personnel concerned with operating and maintaining belt conveyor systems. Topics of discussion include material handling basics, conveyor safety, belt alignment and cleaning, transfer point improvement, belts and splices, leading edge technologies, and dust management. Composed of nine 1- to 2-hour course modules, the online course is designed to suit companies and personnel with difficulty attending a full-day live seminar. Martin Engineering USA, Neponset, IL 800-544-2947 www.martin-eng.comHydrocyclone Systems These hydrocyclone systems provide an effective method for removing solid particles in the 4 to 100+ micron range from various slurries. Hydrocyclones typically make finer separations than are practical with screening separators and at higher capacities. In many applications cyclones can be used in place of decanting centrifuges, providing the desired result at lower cost. Hydrocyclones are supplied in either an open-manifold or a packed-vessel configuration. Manifolds (radial or linear orientation) utilize 2-, 4-, 5-, or 10-in.-diam cyclones while packed vessels contain either 1- or 2-in.-diam cyclones. Both configurations can process feed rates from 10 to 3000 gal/min, depending on the size and number of hydrocyclones installed in the system. Sweco, Florence, KY 859-371-4360 www.sweco.comPellet Screening System The Platon II pellet screening system is used in compounding and masterbatch applications to detect and eject pellets that have black spots or are damaged by the compounding process as well as pellets that are off-color compared to the main product flow. Black contaminants as small as 0.1 mm in the pellet stream can be detected by using high-resolution line sensor cameras designed with 5150-pixels over the width of the material flow in the unit. The system operates as an in-line pellet screening system that incorporates an auto-tuning function. This function automatically selects the best screening conditions, shortens the start-up time, and minimizes any adjusts required to optimize performance. Kubota Corp., Chuo-ku, Tokyo  +81-3-3245-3907  www.kubota-feeders.comSanitary Centrifugal Screener The Centri-Sifter centrifugal screener features a three-bearing shaft that cantilevers for quick removal of internal components. External roller bearings located at the motor end of the shaft and on a hinged cover at the discharge end provide maximum support and vibration-free operation under heavy loads. When the hinged end cover is open, the shaft cantilevers on a third externally-mounted roller bearing located between the motor-end bearing and material feed point, allowing internal components to slide freely from the opposite shaft end. Equipped with clean-in-place spray balls for rapid sanitizing using steam or cleaning solution, the unit is constructed of stainless steel finished to industrial, 3-A, FDA, BISSC, and other sanitary standards, and is equipped with a stainless steel motor. Kason Corp., Millburn, NJ  973-467-8140 www.kason.com

Rotating Tank-Washing Nozzle The HydroWhirl Poseidon (HWP) is a versatile Clean-in-Place (CIP) rotating tank-washing nozzle that combines slow-moving rotation and high-impact spray pattern for more efficient cleaning. It is ideal for tanks up to 22 ft in diameter often found in the food, beverage, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries where superior cleaning with reduced cycle times and low water, energy, and chemical consumption are important considerations. The bearing-less design provides a slow, nearly constant rotation speed over the operating pressure range. The slow, nearly constant rotation speed of the HWP results in more efficient cleaning and use of resources over static spray balls and other rotating spray ball designs through increased impact and longer spray dwell time on the target surface. Bete Fog Nozzle Inc., Greenfield, MA 413-772-0846 www.bete.com

Redesigned Bag Dump Hopper This redesigned bulk bag dump hopper features a smaller plant footprint with resized, more efficient bin vent filter, and provides a quick, easy, and virtually dust-free way of dumping and filling a process system with material received in paper bags. The design incorporates a baffle and bin vent (which can be attached to a central dust collector), or optional, highly efficient bin vent filter over the dump area to maintain a dust-free worker environment. Ruggedly built for continuous, long-lasting operation, the unit has a hinged door to keep foreign materials from falling into process material when not in use and expanded metal grid to prevent bag pieces from getting into the system. Metalfab Inc., Vernon, NJ 800-764-2999 www.metalfabinc.com

Vibrating Packer  This bulk container packer gently vibrates flexible bulk bags, gaylords, IBCs, and other bulk shipping containers to increase their bulk density for improved efficiency in packaging, material handling, and warehouse operations. Applying linear vibration from underneath the bulk container, the packer creates a fluidizing action that densifies the material by removing air from in between the particles while protecting particle integrity, shape, and size. The added density and rigidity help cube out trailers while supporting safe handling, palletizing, stacking, and shipping requirements. Ideal for compacting food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, mineral, metal, plastic, and other powdered, granular and pelletized materials, the packer accommodates loads of up to 4500 lb. and is available with several options. Witte Company, Inc., Washington, NJ 908-689-6500  www.witte.com

Low-Energy Classifiers The new c-series of classifiers is specifically designed to tightly control the particle size distribution of finer products and particularly for cut-points in the range of 10–160 µm, although dedicated models can also be used effectively for finer material applications. These robust, high throughput air-stream units can accommodate the requirements of most fine powder production applications and are capable of maximizing separation efficiency without compromising system energy requirements. The c-series construction comprises a classifier body and wheel that are aerodynamically formed to reduce system pressure drop, maintaining the power demand of the system fan at an optimum level. Additionally, they have no secondary airflow requirement that can increase power consumption and affect system efficiency. International Innovative Technologies, Gateshead, UK +44 (0) 191 491 3136 www.iituk.com

Bulk Bag & Drum Filling System This system offers patented technology including a horizontal pivoting and rotating bag fill carriage for rapid and “reach-free” operator connection of bag loops and the bag fill spout. The pallet dispenser automatically dispenses two-way, four-way, or nestable OSB pallets into the filling system. After operator bag connection, the bulk bag is automatically inflated, filled by weight to a programmed set point, and densified with the push of a button. Once the fill cycle is complete, the bag inlet spout and straps automatically release, the fill head raises, and the filled bag is automatically discharged via a three-zone powered accumulating conveyor. Equipment also provides automatic, dust-tight filling of lined drums. Filling system features Allen-Bradley Control-Logix PLC controls with a color PanelView operator interface for quick and easy access to system status and operational parameters. Systems are custom designed for your application requirements. Material Transfer & Storage Inc., Allegan, MI 800-836-7068 www.materialtransfer.com

Cylindrical Blender/Dryers These cylindrical blender/dryers are ideal for high-temperature processing of slurries, pastes, granular materials, pellets, and powders under vacuum, atmospheric, or positive pressure. Custom built specifications, they are offered in sizes from ½- through 515-cu-ft-capacities, in either industrial or sanitary construction. Pictured is a 10-cu-ft unit designed to blend and dry materials at 775ºF and equipped with paddle/ribbon agitator, 200-psig baffled jacket, heavy-duty high-performance mechanical seals and RTD thermocouples, pneumatically-operated inlet and discharge valves, filter assembly, and vent condenser. Wetted parts of this blender are Type 316 stainless steel. Units in carbon steel, Type 304 stainless steel and special alloys can also be supplied. Charles Ross & Son Co., Hauppauge, NY 800-243-7677 www.mixers.com