Sold : Quadrant Acquires Poly Hi Solidur

Reading, PA -- Quadrant has signed an agreement with Menasha Corporation to purchase its Poly Hi Solidur, Inc. business, the world's leading manufacturer of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) semi-finished products for machining and fabrication. The transaction will be completed in August of this year. This external growth step is the second largest in Quadrant’s history and significantly extends the company’s product range and its lead in the market for engineering plastic products.

Poly Hi Solidur, based in Fort Wayne, IN, US, operates production facilities in the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Japan and South Africa, and has dedicated R&D, sales and business development resources among its workforce of over 1000 employees world-wide. In 2004, the company posted total sales of US$ 169 million; approximately two-thirds of which were generated in the US.

UHMW-PE products display very high non-stick characteristics similar to Teflon and high resistance to corrosion from chemicals and to abrasive environments such as sand and slurries. In machined and fabricated part form, their uses include applications in material handling, agricultural, power transmission and food processing machinery, as well as in medical devices, shipping and recreational equipment. Poly Hi Solidur’s branded UHMW-PE products include the well-known TIVAR and QuickSilver trademarks.

Glen Steady and Michael Koch, the two Co-CEOs of Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (QEPP), commented on the benefits of the combined companies. “Poly-Hi / Solidur’s impressive materials’ line-up and leading position in polyolefins fill a long-standing gap in Quadrant’s global product line,” according to Mr. Steady, who is based at QEPP’s North American headquarters. “The two companies’ products offer complementary performance levels for different applications in the major industries we both serve. The combination affords a single, far more complete product portfolio and range of value-added application solutions for the unique performance needs of equipment design and maintenance engineers.”

Mr. Koch, who is located at QEPP’s European headquarters, also added, “As is the case with Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products, market recognition and strong preference for Poly-Hi Solidur’s major brands, including TIVAR® and QuickSilver® is second to none in their field. This further strengthens our ability to offer the market a full line of shapes materials that are well-recognized for proven performance and quality in machined and fabricated components.”

“This acquisition is another significant growth step for Quadrant in the context of our strategic focus on high-performance plastics”, commented Arno Schenk, member of the Board and Co-CEO of the Quadrant Group. “Poly High Solidur is an excellent fit for us in terms of its products, complementary geographical presence, management and personnel, corporate culture and clear market leadership philosophy. Previously we held only a very limited position in UHMW-PE, but have always considered it a strategically important complementary product line. This acquisition does not just fill a gap in our product family, it does so with the global leader.”

Mark Yde, Poly Hi Solidur President, outlined other opportunities for synergy. “There is significant overlap in market segment focus and we share many of the same distribution partners. We have long seen the potential benefits of a merger of this type to these partners in areas such as transactions, logistics and joint development work in the field. In addition, marketing, sales and development resources can now be applied more effectively across a broader product line in the development of new business growth. ”

Source: http://www.quadrantepp.com/

Small Vibrator for Pharmaceutical and Food Applications

Cleveland, OH -- Cleveland Vibrator's Model VM-25, the world's smallest air-piston vibrator, is now available in all stainless steel. It can be used to promote the free flow of materials from small, thin-skinned (minimum 28 gauge) bins and hoppers to 2 cubic feet (57L) capacity.

It is ideal for pharmaceutical or food-grade applications, or in corrosive environments. This energetic little unit produces 16,000 vibrations per minute while only consuming 2.0 SCFM (57 lpm) of compressed air at 80 psig (5.4 bar). Normal force output is 15 lbs.

The Cleveland Vibrator Company offers one of the most complete lines of vibratory bulk handling equipment available to industry today. Being a small, privately held corporation, we take pride in what we do and how we do it. Our equipment line is not relegated to just the stock standards. Our greatest strength is our ability to modify our standard line to meet the most demanding applications.

We have successfully applied our vibrators and material handling equipment to such industries as foundry, chemical, food, construction, pharmaceutical, concrete, mining, textile, ceramics, petrochemical, steel, and sand and gravel.

For more information contact:
Cleveland Vibrator
2828 Clinton Avenue
Cleveland, Oh 44113
Telephone: 800 221-3298 or 216-241-7157
Fax: 216-241-3480
Email: sales@clevelandvibrator.com
Web site: http://www.clevelandvibrator.com/

PIAB Offers Silicone-Free Vacuum Conveying System

Hingham, MA -- PIAB Vacuum Conveyors, manufacturer of industrial vacuum conveyors and components, offers a silicone and textile-free vacuum conveying system designed for handling paint powders in a variety of industrial applications such as automotive coating and painting.

PIAB’s vacuum conveyors are particularly effective for transmitting powered paint, which then convey the powder into spray guns that are used to paint vehicles, automotive parts, appliances, furniture, cabinets, etc. These hygienic conveyors prevent dust and fine particles from escaping into the air and can also be used to collect residual powder that falls from the vehicle or part surface.

Both modular and flexible, PIAB’s vacuum conveyors are powered by the company’s pneumatically driven vacuum pumps and can safely and quietly transport up to 15 tons of material per hour. Additionally, PIAB’s conveyors improve the vacuum-assisted flow by 25 percent when compared to traditional alternatives.

Made of AISI 316L stainless steel, these conveyors include filters capable of trapping particles down to 0.3 microns and compatible module interfacing allows all models, available in diameters of 21, 33 and 56 cm, to be interchanged with each other.

PIAB Vacuum Conveyors is a global leader in developing innovative technology for use in automated material handling and factory automation processes. PIAB provides innovative solutions designed to help improve productivity and efficiency in manufacturing processes around the world.

For more information about PIAB’s complete line of conveyors, contact:
PIAB USA, Inc.
65 Sharp Street
Hingham, MA 02043
Telephone: 1-800-321-7422
Web site: http://www.piab.com/

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Scorpio Conveyor Announces Plans for New Facility Scorpio Conveyor Products, the subsidiary of Martin Engineering in the Republic of South Africa, has announced an agreement to acquire a new office and factory complex.

Extended Shear Cell Capabilities Software
The latest additions to the data analysis suite for Freeman Technology’s FT4 Powder Rheometer further extend the range of data analysis procedures available for the system.

New "Mega Mill" Granulators for Large & Heavy Parts Hellweg Maschinenbau GmbH presented at FAKUMA 2005 the new 600 series granulator ("Mega Mill") for the first time.

More headline news...

People post their requests for help and offer their suggestions to others in our open forum.

Mr. Harland wants a powder feeder:

I need to control the flow rate of the powder that we are conveying. I am currently using pneumatics to push powder out of a hopper and into an air flow where it becomes fluidized and travels down about 20' of hose before exiting a nozzle. The problem is that we have discovered the powder properties change with temperature and the flow rate that the powder enters the air flow varies because of this. We need to keep this under fairly tight control as the powder is mixed with water at the nozzle tip and the mixture ratio is important.

My first idea was to add a small screw at the base of the hopper (moving ~23 ft^3/hr) to control the volumetric flow into the air stream. I imagined the screw to be about 1" dia x 3" long, moving horizontally out of the base of the hopper. Because the hopper is connected to a pressurized air flow hose, the hopper is a sealed unit so the screw would have to be as well.

In my research of different companies I only found large screws connected to bulky feeder funnels. As our unit is for military application, we must be able to disassemble the components by hand (no tools) and lift them in and out of the truck bed by hand. The best solution would be to have a small screw that is connected to the base of the hopper, and can be easily connected to our air line and an electrical cable.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,   (to post reply, click here)

Thanks,
Charlie Harland
Davtair Industries
charland@davtair.com

Mr. Swinton needs low-temperature pneumatic conveyor:

I am looking to source a vacuum system to operate at minus 30 degrees C for 3-4 tonnes/hr of hydrated lime. Does anyone have experience of this?
(to post reply, click here)

Thank you,
Peter Swinton
PS Technical Sales
pswintonsales@aol.com

Click here to share your expertise with others in our Help Forum.

Chicago Conveyor Corp. needs Sales Reps

Chicago Conveyor Corporation specializes in the design and supply of pneumatic conveying systems and components as well as project management, feasibility studies and engineering analyses of existing systems. These services are provided to the chemical, food, minerals, plastics, pharmaceutical, and power industries.

Chicago Conveyor Corporation has an immediate need for representatives in several territories.

Please visit our web site www.chicagoconveyor.com to view the open areas.  Visit the "What's New" section for an overview of our recent sales successes in pneumatic conveying of various materials.  If interested please reply to sales@chicagoconveyor.com

Basil Enochs
Chicago Conveyor Corp.

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Manual on Test Sieving Methods
by ASTM Manual Series
Manual 32 by ASTM

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Agglomeration in Industry : Occurrence and Applications
by Wolfgang Pietsch
Hardcover: 834 pages
January 2005

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Mixing of Solids
(Powder Technology Series, No. 12)by Ralf Weinekotter, Hermann Gericke
Hardcover, 176 pages, February 2000

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Find more books for the materials handling professional online, visit our Reading Room.

Designing a Belt Feeder Interface-Transition
by Joseph Marinelli, Solids Handling Technologies

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This week's homepage photo is of an in-line pneumatic batching system from Flexicon Corporation that allows simultaneous weigh batching of major ingredients supplied in bulk bags and manual dumping of pre-weighed minor ingredients.  The materials are blending while a subsequent batch is accumulated.

Photo courtesy of www.flexicon.com

Send us your photos:  We would love to have your photo of a bulk materials process, packaging, conveying or handling "action shot" for our home page.  Send your photograph and description to: news@powderandbulk.com