Feeders Focus - September 09

Volumetric Feeder
The redesigned MetaTech feeder provides simple, economical, and reliable feeding of dry bulk materials. The new design features only two moving parts (drive and screw) to ensure years of reliable performance with minimal process downtime and maintenance expense. The feeder also features a compact, space-saving design, low-maintenance o-ring sealed inline direct drive, new Delrin bushing, and an agitator/conditioner screw to maintain consistent product density and completely fill the feed screw for highly accurate (±1–1.5%) feeding. Interchangeable screw/tube combinations are available in ½- to 6 in.-sizes and permit feed rates from 0.05 to 550 cu ft/hr. The feeder is also available in a wide range of models including space-saving mini, sanitary, and combination feeder/conveyor units.
Metalfab Inc., Vernon, NJ 800-764-2999 www.metalfabinc.com

Split-Shaft Seals for Screw Feeders
Meco air-purged seals effectively contain dry, abrasive, bulk powders, pastes, and slurries in single- or twin-shaft screw feeders and other rotating equipment. The seals can reduce equipment downtime by a factor of four or more over packing, and can be quickly rebuilt on-site. The fully split versions permit installation and maintenance without disturbing the bearing or drive assembly. The patented Meco concept is based on the use of a driving elastomer, which corotates with the shaft. Since this self-compensating driving elastomer is the seal’s only contact with the shaft, the seals accommodate significant radial shaft misalignment and shock loads, while protecting the shaft and bearings from abrasion damage.
Woodex Bearing Co., Georgetown, ME 800-526-8800 www.mecoseal.com

Continuous Loss-in-Weight Feeding System
Most pellets, regrind, and powders can be metered into the process with the AccuMeter series continuous loss-in-weight feeding system, even at levels as low as <50 g/hr. This system will improve overall product quality and reduce material usage caused by over-feeding, resulting in reduced product costs. The unit features a modular, compact design that provides complete flexibility for changes in a process. Pellets, micropellets, powders, and regrind are all accurately metered, while twin-screw feeders and special agitators are also available for non-free-flowing materials. Self-calibration eliminates the need to take manual weight samples or calibrations. Material changeovers are quick and easy, saving time, labor, and money.
AEC Inc., Wood Dale, IL 847-273-7700 www.aecinternet.com

Dust-Free Bag Dumping and Precision Feeding
This bag dump station confines product within the production cycle and, when coupled with a PosiPortion feeder, provides consistent precision dispersion of powders and bulk solids into the process. The bag dump station solves the problems associated with working with large bags of materials. A bag compactor may also be attached to extend dust control to bag disposal.
Hapman, Kalamazoo, MI 800-427-6260 www.ideasthatmove.com

Abrasion-Resistant Ceramic Feeder
This ceramic feeder offers heavy-duty design and construction. Features include: longer life; 0.100-in-thick ceramic bore; Tungsten carbide throat protection; heavy-duty fabricated eight-vane rotor; Tungsten carbide rotor vane and shroud tips that are 0.100-in. thick; air purge seal connections; air gap between seals and bearings; outboard-sealed ball bearings; and a maximum operating temperature of 350°F. Abrasive applications include fly ash, gold ore, rutile ore, sand, feldspar, alumina, kaolin clay, raw limestone, lignite, cement, diatomaceous earth, and copper concentrate.
FLSmidth Inc., Bethlehem, PA 800-523-9482 www.flsmidth.com

Air-Activated Feeder
The Dyna-Slide high-precision air-activated feeder with dribble feed control will provide up to a 100:1 turndown ratio when feeding most fine (30 mesh to sub-micron) fludizable powders and granules. In addition, it has completely variable feed rates, from as low as a few grams per minute to hundreds of pounds per minute. It is ideally suited for feeding weigh scales or other process equipment where close, high-tolerance feed rates are required. The feeder efficiently combines low-pressure compressed air and gravity to fluidize and convey most fine, dry granular materials. The low-profile design is totally enclosed and dust-free, making it ideal for conveying from silos to weigh scales, hoppers to weigh scales, or feeding from multiple discharge points to mixers.
Dynamic Air Inc., St. Paul, MN 651-484-2900 www.dynamicair.com/products/dynaslidehp.html

Plastics Feeder
The high feed rate Model 6000 ProFlex C feeder was designed specifically for extruder manufacturers and compounders. The unit provides maximum versatility in a cost-efficient package that’s easy to operate, reconfigure, clean, and service with feed rates up to 212 cu ft/hr. The ac drive motor assembly and material discharge positions can be exchanged, optimizing the feeder’s ability to accommodate different mounting and clustering requirements for up to eight feeders. Additionally, the gravimetric unit comes equipped with an angular cut discharge nozzle, which improves accuracies by reducing pulsation at low speeds. The unit offers an asymmetric flexible PUR (polyurethane) feed-hopper and an eight-point external agitation system that can be adjusted without influencing screw speed. Servicing the feeder can be done from two different sides.
Schenck AccuRate, Whitewater, WI 800-606-9248 www.accuratefeeders.com

Continuous and Batch Weigh Feeders
This company offers continuous or batch weigh solutions for dry bulk feeding problems ranging from main silo discharge to microingredient feeding. Accurate weighing of dry bulk solids requires reliable and consistent flow of material from storage into the feed mechanism itself. Use of controlled vibration promotes flow, uniformly densifies the material, and completely fills and empties each flight of the feed screw. As a result, these weigh feeding systems start as accurate volumetric feeders, eliminating inaccuracy during the refill cycle. Weigh feeders are available in screw sizes from ¼ to 18 in. and in a range of belt-, pan-, and tube-feeder-based systems.
Vibra Screw, Totowa, NJ 973-256-7410 www.vibrascrew.com

Recirculating Spreader-Feeder
This recirculating spreader-feeder evenly distributes powder and bulk coatings onto food products as they pass between the unit’s longitudinal discharge hopper and its lower collection hopper. The mobile unit is positioned so a wire conveyor belt with items to be coated passes above the unit’s lower collection hopper as a uniform curtain of the coating material descends from the upper discharge hopper. A small-diameter rotating agitator promotes uniform discharge through an adjustable screen that spans a gap along the hopper bottom. A centerless auger along the bottom of the longitudinal collection hopper feeds material into the intake adapter of a side-mounted flexible screw conveyor. This elevates the material into a horizontally oriented conveyor positioned above a longitudinal discharge hopper. The conveyors can move both free- and non-free-flowing materials, such as seed mixes and spices, with no separation of blends.
Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, PA 888-353-9426 www.flexicon.com

Silo Arch Breaker
The patented silo arch breaker features a vertical spindle fitted with flexible blades. This ensures the mechanical discharge of dry solid materials from silos, rigid bins, or hoppers, while preventing the bulk material from jamming, bridging, compacting, or rat-holing caused by vibration or fluidization systems. The mechanical arch breaker not only gently discharges and efficiently dries solids from silo, bins, and containers, but it also integrates up to four precise volumetric screw feeders. Each screw feeder is totally independent and can feed up to 15,000 lb/hr with different lengths and throughput variations.
Sodimate Inc., Chicago, IL 312-588-3348 www.sodimate-inc.com

Volumetric Feeder
The Model BDF-1.5-2 high-performance volumetric feeder incorporates two independently driven metering augers to provide versatile metering and hoppering capabilities over a wide feed range. Suitable for both continuous and batching applications, the feeder eliminates the task of changing the size of the metering auger whenever a wide feed range is required. Additionally, the unit provides both high (rapid feed) and low (dribble) feed outputs for batching applications. In a batching mode, a larger metering auger feeds the majority of the material for the selected batch weight and a smaller metering auger provides the final dribble amount so that the highest degree of batch cut-off accuracy can be achieved.
Acrison Inc., Moonachie, NJ 201-440-8300 www.acrison.com

Quick-Change Feeder
The T35/S60 Quick Change feeder is designed for applications requiring fast cleaning with maximum possible material handling and changeover flexibility. This unit is available in volumetric or loss-in-weight configurations. The single-screw feeding elements handle free-flowing powders, granules, pellets, and other nonflooding materials, while the twin-screw elements control floodable powders and more difficult sticky or hard-to-flow materials. This feeder is now available with ActiFlow, a new patented material flow aid that prevents bridging or rat-holing of cohesive bulk materials in hoppers.
K-Tron America, Pitman, NJ 856-256-3265 www.ktron.com/QC

Vibratory Feeder
This company provides manual, semiautomatic, and fully automatic batching systems in both gain-in-weight and loss-in-weight configurations. The GeoMate vibratory feeder is ideally suited to batching applications by eliminating the plopping associated with screws, and thereby providing a high degree of batching accuracy. Systems include a combination of screw, vibratory, and rotary feeders, as well as PLC-based controls. Capacities range from 2 g to tons.
3Sigma, Charlotte, NC 704-846-1617 www.3sigma.biz

Ceramic and QTA Rotary Airlock Feeders
When encountering alumina, coke, fly ash, glass frit, and other highly abrasive products, the Ceramic series rotary airlock feeder sustains its durability and achieves 3–5 times longer life compared with most other valves. A high-performance, thick wear layer of alumina ceramic coating maintains the valve’s precision tolerances longer. The quick-take-apart series (QTA) is made for applications where frequent removal of the valve internals is required. This valve permits tool-less removal of the rotor and end plate as one piece, eliminating the time-consuming step of gapping the rotor during reassembly.
Prater-Sterling, Bolingbrook, IL 630-759-9595 www.prater-sterling.com

Vibratory Feeders
BEST vibratory feeders are designed to smoothly convey products. Flow of material is adjustable and the flow rate can be variable or fixed. Available in electric- or air-operated models, the heavy-duty feeders can be designed with above-, below-, or side-mounted drives and can be arranged for base mounting or overhead suspension. The machines are available in several basic models including air-operated light-duty, air-operated heavy-duty, twin-motor vibrating pan and grizzly feeders, electromagnetic, twin motor, and special application feeders.
Metso Minerals Industries Inc., Brunswick, OH 800-827-9237 www.bestvibes.com