New Sponsor : International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference/Exhibition

IRD: Drying Process for Bulk Solids Gets Rolling

Vormwald, Germany -- A revolutionary new industrial technology is preparing to take the market for the drying of bulk solids by storm. The Infrared Rotary Drum (IRD) has achieved substantial success in the plastics industry, already operating in more than 50 facilities worldwide. Urban Stricker, the inventor of the technology, is convinced that this new process will soon be used in heating processes for bulk solids of all kinds in many other industrial fields, as well. The prospects in markets such as foods and pharmacy are indeed promising.

The process, which was first introduced in 1998, takes the opposite approach to traditional techniques used for drying. Instead of heating the particles from the outside for an extended period of time by means of hot air and then expelling the water at immense cost and effort, the new technology employs infrared radiators that heat the given material from within in mere seconds. The water escapes without noticeable resistance into the normal ambient air.
The result is an extensive reduction of both time and energy.

The drying process takes only minutes, as opposed to hours, while energy consumption goes down by approximately 80 percent. This technique can be coupled with an individually synchronized rotating-drum-technology, leading to the additional possibility of a direct and continuous conveyance of material in processing.

The procedure was perfected over several years of development and has now been in use in industrial application of all kinds for approximately 2 years. Over the course of the last year, Stricker has made the technology available to several partners by the means of licensing.

It has been the inventor’s experience that “competition between different technology- manufacturers guaranties a fast accommodation of the needs of the clients. An open licensing assures better market penetration.” Distinct advantages for partners: Stricker’s company, 42INVENTIONS, from Vormwald near Siegen/Germany, delivers specially constructed infrared-radiator-modules, who’s efficiency and reliability are substantially greater than any available elsewhere in the market.

One of the first IRD-licensees is the up-and-coming Kreyenborg Machine-Construction-Group from Germany’s Mьnster. Jan-Udo Kreyenborg, the managing partner of the mechanical engineering firm, draws first conclusions after almost a year: “The overwhelming response in the market has more than met our expectations.” Kreyenborg will be showing the IRD at German trade fairs this October, among them being „Powtech“ in Nьrnberg and „Fakuma“ in Friedrichshafen.

The UK based UPM Group, who will celebrate 30 years of serving the world wide plastics Industry in December 2005 have made significant investment over the past two years in R & D for IRD to perfect the fully automatic operation based on all new software and controls which has been reflected in their success in both the UK and European market place. UPM has also manufactured IRD for the Japanese License Partner Sojitz who reports growing interest.

The material scientist sees the foods and pharmaceutical industries as especially promising. “We already have excessive experience in the drying of powders, as are necessary in the production of pills, for example. And materials such as coffee or rice are very similar in shape and texture to granulates. Customizing the technique to the given material is a relatively simple process,” says Stricker regarding further prospects. Opportunities for more partners that will supply the given industries will arise: “the potential is almost overwhelming!”

For more information contact:
Stricker IRD
Am Steimel 18
D-57271 Vormwald
Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)2733-813396
Email: info@ir-drum.com
Web site: http://www.ir-drum.com/

Forberg : Mixers for Cappuccino with Chocolate Chips

Larvik, Norway -- The Forberg mixers are installed for production of instant coffee/cappuccino with chocolate chips. The unique mixing action, the very high accuracy in mixing and the extreme gentleness are some of the reasons for using the Forberg mixers in mixing these challenging recipes. Small portion packs require high accuracy in mixing.

The size of the mixers is 200 liters nominal filling volume. The finish of the mixers is high and they are produced according to the 3-A Sanitary Standards. Low investment costs and minor power consumption makes these mixers very cost efficient and the maintenance of the mixers are minimal.

The products are weighed into a pre-bin above the mixer and are thereafter filled into the mixer through an opening in the top of the mixer. The mixing action itself only lasts for maximum 60 seconds (normal mixing time from 30 to 60 seconds) and then the product is discharged into a bin. The total cycle time is less than 2 minutes, which means that this relatively small mixer has an impressive mixing capacity of 6 m3/hour.

FORBERG is the synonym for twin shaft paddle mixers. As the inventor of the mixer with the weightless zone we have diversified the principle in a wide range of exciting products like Batch Mixers, Rotating Vacuum Coaters/Mixers for maximum liquid addition, Continuous Mixers, Drying Systems and the Heat Treatment System. We offer solutions for almost every industry.

For more information contact:
Forberg International AS
Hegdal
N-3261 Larvik
Norway
Telephone : (+47) 33 13 34 34
Fax: (+47) 33 13 34 35
Email: sales@forberg.no
Web site: http://www.forberg.no/

Whitewater, WI -- For batching micro-ingredients into polyethylene bags, AccuRate has a proven application utilizing its MECHATRON feeders, DG-2000 Group Manager control, and an indexing conveyor used in the processing of rubber products for the automotive industry.

The system is set in motion by entering a recipe and the proper number of batches into the DG-2000 Group Controller. Based on the recipe chosen only the feeders that are necessary to complete the recipe are enabled.

Next, the operator places a bag in an empty bucket on the conveyor. A sequence number, ingredient serial number, time, date, and zero totalizer are displayed on the DG-2000 screen. The operator then visually verifies if there is an empty bag in the bucket at the load/unload station. If the bag is empty, the operator then starts the system beginning the batching sequence, which results in the conveyor indexing to the first feeder station. If material is part of the batch, the designated MECHATRON feeder will be displayed and begin batching. After the batch is completed, the bag is removed and an ingredient inclusion label is printed and placed on the bag by the operator.

From there the bag and its ingredients are placed into a mixer. Because the bag is made of a low melt polyethylene it is added to the mixing and extrusion process for manufacturing the required automotive rubber products.

This method of batching and bagging materials has enabled the customer to reduce the time needed to prepare an entire shift of recipes from six hours down to 45 minutes, eliminated hand weighing of materials, and reduced the amount of dust in the production area.

For additional information on AccuRate products, contact us at (800) 558-0184, by fax at (262) 473-2489 or visit www.accuratefeeders.com

I

K-Tron Merges Pneumatic Conveying & Feeder Groups K-Tron International recently announced the formation of the K-Tron Process Group, merging the Company’s Pneumatic Conveying Group into the K-Tron Feeder Group.

Hoover : Engineering America to Represent Line
Hoover Materials Handling Group, Inc. has signed an agreement with Engineering America, Inc. (“EAI”) to be a manufacturer’s representative.

Kason : Sanitary, Gap-Free Batch Sifter A new Vibroscreen Sanitary Batch Sifter from Kason Corporation features gap-free screen frames, radius corners, continuous ground and polished welds.

More headline news...

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

Mr. Harland needs help metering powder flow:

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

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

Process Sales Manager (Eastern Region)

Job Summary:
Malvern Instruments, the worldwide leader in Particle Size Analysis equipment, is looking to fill the newly created Process Sales Manager-Eastern Region position to further augment its role as the in-process market leader throughout the Americas. This key individual in Malvern's Process Systems Group will be expected to improve growth and profitability of the process products, assist in motivating our sales force/channels, help to improve customer satisfaction, and will be accountable for achieving the process sales targets assigned by Malvern Instruments

Education:
- Continue the process of education existing/prospective customers on the use and utility of Malvern's In-Process Particle Sizing Instrumentation, and work with this group to determine application specific process enhancements.
- Effectively transfer these findings to field sales force and the broader commercial audience by preparing and disseminating materials such as application notes, technical bulletins, commercial presentations, journal articles, and press releases.
- Provide pre/post-sales support to the sales team by means of customer visits, demonstrations, and seminars
- Compile and maintain detailed documentation on competitors, and communicate to the salesforce strategies to sell effectively against them.

Account Management:
- Effectively manage Key Account and Target Account activities in Territory.
- Coordinate account activities across regional/national borders.
Market Development:
- Identify potential process markets, and develop strategies to address their requirements.
- Forge and manage OEM relationships, strategic partnerships, and product development projects.

Business Growth:
- Accountable for achieving the regional process sales targets established by Malvern Instruments Inc.

Job Requirements:
- Bachelors or Masters degree in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience required.
- Minimum 5 years industrial sales experience required, sales/key account management experience a plus.
- Must be willing to travel 30 - 40%.

To Apply:
Qualified applicants should e-mail their resume and salary history to:
Regan.Sullivan@Malvernusa.com
or mail/fax this information to:
Malvern Instruments, Inc.
Attn: Human Resources - Process
10 Southville Rd.
Southborough MA 01772
508-460-9692 (fax)

Malvern Instruments is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Pneumatic Conveying of Solids:  A Theoretical and Practical Approach
by G. E. Klinzing, et al.
Hardcover: 599 pages, 1997

.

Solid-Liquid Filtration
and Separation Technology
by A. Rushton, A. S. Ward, R. G. Holdich, Paperback
539 pages, May 1996

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Food Plant Engineering Systemsby Theunis C. Robberts
Hardcover, 288 pages, 2002

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

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