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A producer of food grade plastic bags and packaging wrap for foods was in search of a solution for a problematic application. At one point in the operation hot, sticky plastic pellets are required to be diverted from a receiving hopper to either of two process lines. Diverters previously utilized were problematic in the fact that they had to be removed from service and cleaned frequently. Downtime was a major expense.

After reviewing the application, The Vortex engineering team determined a Seal Tite Gravity Diverter could be modified to provide the best solution to the customers needs.

A Vortex 2-way Seal Tite Gravity Diverter was engineered and manufactured to meet many application criteria. Food grade Viton rubber vane seals and Florisant 207 shaft seals were used to accommodate the 232°C to 260°C temperatures present.

Special sight glasses were crafted in the legs of the Seal Tite. Through these, maintenance personnel make regular checks during the day to see if a sticky build up is occurring inside the diverter. Once build up occurs, the sight glass is removed and the leg not being conveyed through is cleaned. This can be done while pellets are being transferred through the other leg. There is virtually no down time once production begins. Periodically, the internals of the valve are accessed through the clean-in-place panel to do a more thorough cleaning.

The customer credits Vortex for making their operation much more efficient and profitable. Easy access and cleanliness of the Seal Tite made it a problem solver for this manufacturing process.