Archive July 2016

Control screening for ensuring the product quality of fertilizers Mixed fertilizers such as NPK or LAN (Limestone Ammonium Fertilizer), which is called CAN (Calcium Ammonium Fertilizer) in Europe, are subject to changes of the grain distribution caused by transportation or temporary storage after granulation. Due to the hygroscopic behavior of the fertilizer, agglomerates (lumps) are formed during storage. Whereas the transport produces abrasion that appears as undesired dust in the packaging unit. Both lead to difficulties in spreading the fertilizer. The end customer recognizes these unfavorable product features immediately with the unaided eye without performing measurement of the grain distribution. However, the particle size distribution is a guaranteed quality characteristic of the product. In order to avoid expensive claims, more and more fertilizer producers start installing a so-called control sifting directly before loading or packaging. This ensures that the guaranteed product quality is given at the time of handing…

Downtime is lost time – and it is also boring. This is why the busy engineers at REMBE are constantly working to develop new products. They love finding answers to their customer’s unsolved problems. Recent innovations include sound insulation solutions which are integrated into explosion safety products, e.g. for mills or similar plants, and devices for protecting suction lines in pneumatic conveyors. Both these areas are top priorities in the bulk materials industry. The former is particularly of interest for plants located close to residential areas or other buildings where noise reduction is a major issue. Until now, suction lines have been protected using air filters to prevent the entry of particulate contaminants and heavy non-return valves or explosion isolation valves, which lead to a significant loss of pressure. A modification to the Q-Rohr changes all that: the filter and isolation valve can simply be replaced by the Q-Rohr – a more cost-efficient…

Recently, the new website of M.I.P. Tanks & Silos has gone online and is now available. Please take a look around using the link below, and discover some new applications as well, such as the online application tool.

NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik GmbH, with facilities in Bobingen and Hanau, is the first company of the Business Unit Grinding & Dispersing within the NETZSCH Group to implement an energy management system pursuant to DIN EN 50001:2011. For many years, the company has set the standard for superior quality in the toll grinding sector. Implementation of the energy management system pursues responsible use of energy. Through monitoring and optimization of the energy flows, energy efficiency is increased over the long term and costs are reduced. The system supports the logical development of efficiency measures and their coordination across different locations. In the future, the certification will contribute substantially to international competitiveness by improving economic efficiency. A great deal of time and preparation was necessary to meet the requirements of the certification: energy consumption analyses, energetic ratings, the development of energy efficiency…

Powders play an important role as raw materials or intermediate products in the manufacture of many everyday products, whether, for example, in plastics, ceramics, detergents, batteries or printing inks. Therefore, the particle properties of these powders have a direct effect on the processing and thus on the quality of the end product. In order to more precisely identify these properties, NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik in Bobingen held a joint seminar with Malvern Instruments on June 14, 2016 on the topic of particle size, form and flow characteristics of powders. NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik specializes in services for powder processing in the micron and submicron range. Malvern Instruments is a leading manufacturer of analytical measurement technologies for particle measurement and material characterization. The seminar addressed modern methods for particle characterization and potential applications. New combined processes were demonstrated for determining the characteristics…

Which process equipment is best for you? When faced with an array of options for your processing equipment, how do you know which one to choose? Introduction to the Processing of Dry Solid Materials: 2 day short course This course will clarify the pros and cons of each type of hardware and help you to make an informed selection. The following topics will be considered: • Formation / agglomeration of powders • Blending operations (tumbling vs high shear) • Particle size reduction (mill types) • Drying or moisture modification • Classification • Particle coating Is this course for me? If you are a plant designer, plant manager or work in maintenance, this course will improve your ability to deal with the design and troubleshooting of plants. You’ll also benefit if you are from operational staff or senior management through a better understanding of potential pitfalls and how to make your plant as efficient and trouble-free as possible.

WinProcess represents AVA in the Benelux AVA supplies horizontal batch mixing reactors as core production plant components for the manufacture of insulation boards and insulating materials made from rubber and cork granules. In addition to the excellent moistening of the rubber and cork granules with the binding agent, a particular feature is the complete emptying and good cleaning characteristics of the machine. For this purpose, AVA developed a special discharge flap based on test mixes undertaken at the AVA technology centre in Herrsching, which serve to guarantee the complete emptying of the mixer in a very short time. In addition, the inner side of the mixing drum is equipped with a coating which prevents sticky granules and binding agent from adhering. This coating increases the availability of the mixer and therefore of the entire production plant by several times the guaranteed period of time. The expectations of our customers were exceeded by far. AVA continuous mixers are used for larger…

Laser Diffraction | Size and Distribution The proven HELOS series – with its classical laser diffraction setup deploying a parallel beam – offers a powerful technology for particle size analysis of powders, granules, suspensions, emulsions, sprays and numerous other disperse systems. A size range from below 0.1 μm to 8,750 μm is mastered. The modular system design, together with a great variety of dispersing and dosing units, provides a flexible adaptation to the most diverse industrial and research applications. In the early 1980s, Sympatec introduced a breakthrough innovation which was leading laser diffraction to another dimension: dry powder dispersion for even the finest, cohesive powders with RODOS. And with the R-series of our laser diffraction sensor HELOS, new benchmarks for precision and accuracy have been achieved. Latest improvements comprise the enhanced application of parameter-free Fraunhofer evaluation down to the submicron regime (below 1 μm), a great measuring signal frequency…

The Polytec group is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-quality plastic parts, with 25 sites and over 4,200 employees worldwide. The Austria-based company is a full-service provider in the field of injection moulding, a specialist in fibre-reinforced plastics and a manufacturer of original accessory parts made of plastic and stainless steel. As a competent partner Polytec offers customised industrial solutions using polyurethane, along with the machinery required for their production. These sandingtables are very sound, but more importantly, they comply measure up with the current CE standards and health and safety legislation.

Explosion Proof, UL, ATEX, en IECEx The new explosion proof and flameproof Model LP35 from BEI Sensors is the first low profile hollow shaft encoder that features a slim 2.01 inch profile and is designed to meet UL, ATEX, and IECEx standards allowing for operation directly in Division 1, Zone 1 environments. Many oil and gas applications are subjected to extreme conditions where ignitable concentrations of flammable substances are likely to exist under normal working conditions and where space is limited. Using ultra-rugged and reliable products that are designed to meet the high standards required for use in these potentially explosive environments is crucial for running cost effective drilling operations. BEI Sensors truly understands the needs and has engineered the new LP35 incremental encoder to fit into space-restricted applications with the thinnest possible explosion proof hollow shaft design, saving on size without sacrificing performance. To simplify installation and minimize time spent in…

Brady’s premium click-on pipe markers are very durable Brady’s new premium click-on pipe markers are very durable and easy to apply or switch out. Adaptable to any existing standard, the new click-on pipe markers support plant safety and efficiency by clearly communicating pipe contents and flow direction, even in tough conditions. No adhesive The new click-on pipe markers are ideal for pipes with a diameter of 20 cm and larger and do not require an adhesive to attach to pipes. The pipe marker is applied to a fibreglass carrier which can easily be clicked onto two straps. This makes replacing or switching out pipe markers a lot easier. The click-on system also enables fast re-application after pipe marker updates. Because there is no need for an adhesive, click-on pipe markers are more practical to identify cold, hot, painted or oily pipes. Durable materials Brady’s click-on pipe marker is made out of stainless steel and fibreglass. Those durable materials will prevent the pipe marker from peeling, and they should…