Vol. 12 - No. 472  
March 15, 2010  
ISSN: 1526-9051  
Copyright 1998-2010  

 In the News
  This issue

PTXi International Powder & Bulk Solids 2010

Rosemont. IL -- Join us to celebrate 35 years of PTXi International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference/Exhibition, May 4-6, 2010 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, your premier event for providing access to the full range of equipment, technology, information, and expertise you need for every phase of this complex process. Whether your company manufacturers plastics or chemicals, food or pharmaceuticals, building products or paper goods, you need to transport, analyze, weigh, bath, mix, grind, dry, and shape raw materials — and then package them for market.

Combining the world’s most comprehensive showcase of solutions for dry processing and bulk solids handling with the world’s foremost conference on powder technology, International Powder & Bulk Solids will show you how to: Improve product quality, eliminate costly mistakes, reduces waste and rejects, minimize downtime, maximize productivity–and profits!

Find Solutions for Your Specific Industry

-ChemProcess is for process engineers, chemical engineers, production engineers, plant and operations managers who process, pre-treat, convert, separate and purify raw materials to produce a range of chemicals.
-PharmaProcess is where R&D, process engineers, production engineer, plant and manufacturing managers can find a comprehensive range of suppliers dedicated to their industry.
-FoodProcess is for R&D professionals, process engineers, production engineers, and plant and manufacturing managers to find the most comprehensive range of products and solutions dedicated to the food industry.
-ProcessPack is for process packaging engineers and packaging professionals who are responsible for packaging bulk powders, granules, and fluids across the full spectrum of process industries.

Attend PTXi International Powder & Bulk Solids for a quick and convenient way to learn what’s new, what’s improved, and what’s coming next. See live demonstrations, Perform “hands-on” evaluations. Make side-by-side comparisons of similar products and get the information you need to make wise purchase decisions.

The PTXi International Powder & Bulk Solids Conference offers you the chance to hone your skills, broaden your industry perspective, and meet suppliers who can help you implement exciting new technologies — all in just a few short days. No matter what it is you need to achieve — develop a new product or process; integrate new materials; retrofit or upgrade your existing facilities; or design a new plant — the conference in your best place to get started.

Your International Powder & Bulk Solids badge provides access to all four shows and if you pre-register on-line or bring show material with you on-site, admission to the shows is FREE! Otherwise, you will be charged the expo-only registration fee ($45) in order to register on-site. Online registration is available throughout show days.

Don’t miss this opportunity to access the complete world of processing solutions and resources you need to compete in today’s competitive manufacturing environment.  All the processing solutions & resources you need…all in one place...all at one time!

For more information visit: http://www.powdershow.com/PTXi

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Olds Elevator : Impressive Heat Exchanger for Hot Sand

Hudson, NH -- Olds Elevator LLC of Hudson, NH and Palmer Mfg. and Supply Co. of Springfield OH collaborated on a series of trials using an Olds elevator as a heat exchanger for hot foundry sand by running tap water through the hollow shaft of the Olds elevator’s static screw. During normal elevation of hot sand, heat is extracted through the screw by running a stream of low-flow (2 gpm) tap water through the screw shaft.

The elevator/heat exchanger was tested under a range of conditions of sand flow, sand temperature and water flow rates.  Refer to photo of test equipment configuration. A description of the equipment setup is:

Left to right: Olds elevator: 12 foot tall, 5.875 inch ID rotating casing, 5.25” OD static screw with 1.25” hollow shaft. Screw flighting continuously welded to shaft top and bottom. Water line feeds tap water into bottom of screw shaft. Flow is regulated by a valve with in-line flow meter. Elevator controlled with VFD to allow regulation of sand flow rate to a maximum of 5.58 tons/hour

Sand Heater: Electrically heated elements in fluidized bed by compressed air supply. Sand supplied from Olds elevator discharge. Heated sand fed directly to Olds elevator feed hopper.  Sand Heater Controls: Air flow and temperature controls

Examples of the effectiveness of the elevator/heat exchanger at different flow rates:

Hollow flighted screws, in addition to hollow shafted screws, which will triple the surface area of the chilled screw surface in contact with the moving sand.

The Olds/Palmer elevator/heat exchanger will be demonstrated at the upcoming CAST EXPO 2010 in Orlando, FL from March 20-23. The CAST EXPO serves the nations foundry industry.

Source: http://www.oldsusa.com/Olds Elevator

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Hosokawa : Agglomerator for Crop Protection

Summit, NJ -- To ensure good flow properties, a longer shelf life, good dispersibility and wettability (when reconstituted into the liquid phase prior to spreading in the field), pesticides are nowadays mostly produced either as dry agglomerates or as dry, extruded product, having the appearance of either small cylindrical shaped or, after an additional treatment in a Spheronizer, spherical particles.

Agglomerates are produced by thoroughly mixing the micronized, powdery premix with a liquid binder, such that the particles will stick to each other to form larger particles. The eventual grain size (0.3 – 1.4 mm) of the agglomerates depends among others on the ratio of the binder to the powder.

In case of the extruded product, a low-pressure extruder is used, in which an extrudable mass will be pressed through a screen (orifice plate) with perforations of 1-2 mm. The low pressure in which this extrusion takes place ensures, that the extrudates remain relatively porous and therefore maintaining the required good dispersibility.

A humidified feed product with very homogeneous moisture content is essential to achieve optimum extrusion results with a maximum yield and minimum of clogging of the extruder.

For both agglomeration and extrusion process, Hosokawa’s Flexomix is the most suitable equipment. The Flexomix, a high speed, continuous instant mixing equipment, ensures very even, homogeneous humidification of the particles.

In case of agglomeration, the homogeneous mixing in the Flexomix ensures efficient formation of agglomerates with uniform quality, resulting in a high process yield. These agglomerates are porous and slightly irregularly shaped ensuring a good wettability and dispersibility.

The Flexomix has a self cleaning mixing chamber, which minimizes adherence of moist product to the mixing chamber wall, allowing a relatively high liquid addition ratio as required.  The agglomerates formed in the Flexomix fall from the Flexomix into a Fluidized Bed Dryer and are dried to the required final moisture content.

In new plants, the Flexomix is the equipment of choice for both a direct agglomeration process as well as the wetting / humidification step in case of an extrusion process to ensure a maximum extrusion performance.

In a lot of cases, the installation of the Flexomix in existing plants to replace existing (less effective) agglomeration or humidification devices has also proven to be very successful to significantly increase the yield and reduce the down time due to e.g. clogging to a minimum.  The Flexomix is used by major water dispersible granular crop protection agent producers world wide.

For more information contact:
Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems
10 Chatham Road
Summit, New Jersey 07901
Telephone: 908-277-9205
Website: http://www.hmicronpowder.com/HosokawaMicron

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Bemis acquires Alcan Packaging Food Americas

Neenah, WI -- Bemis Company, Inc. U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and New Zealand which recorded 2009 net sales totaling $1.4 billion. These facilities produce flexible packaging principally for the food and beverage industries and will augment Bemis' product offerings and technological capabilities. The transaction is expected to be accretive to both diluted GAAP earnings per share and adjusted earnings per share, beginning in 2010.

Under the terms of an order signed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on February 25, 2010, two of these facilities, located in Menasha, Wisconsin and Tulsa, Oklahoma, must be divested. The 2009 net sales associated with the facilities to be sold was approximately $100 million.

"We are pleased to welcome our newest Bemis employees and look forward to integrating these new facilities into our business," said Henry Theisen, Bemis President and Chief Executive Officer. "During the next two years, we expect to generate strong cash flow which we will use to invest in growth opportunities, pay down debt, and deliver attractive total returns to our shareholders. This acquisition complements our manufacturing capabilities and technological expertise around the world. We are looking forward to an exciting and successful 2010."

Source: http://www.bemis.com/

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Other News : More Headlines from our News Center
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Cargotec to Refurbish Singapore Cement Terminal
Cargotec wins a substantial new refurbishment contract from major cement importer Sin Heng Chan Cement Terminal in Singapore.

Vortex Valves International Opens in Switzerland
Oliver Kung has been named the Sales Manager of Vortex Valves GmbH.

Abresist Corporation achieves ISO 9001:2008 Certification
Abresist Corporation announces that its Quality Management System has been certified as compliant with ISO 9001:2008.

More headline news...

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Powder and Bulk Weblog                     Don Dunnington, Moderator

An industrial blog for the bulk materials handling professional, offering the latest developments, technology and opinions of our readers.  The "process engineer's treehouse".
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8 Seminars on Material Handling Now Available in
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"Material handling expert Joe Marinelli recently completed his eighth video in the lecture series Bulk Solids Handling, which can be viewed on this website at the Online Training Center. .."
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"Essentials of Modern Measurements" - Book Review
"I was intrigued by the fact that someone took the time to put a new book together that was about process measurement, not control automation.."
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More Fabulous Things Are on the Way
"This week, two possibly world-changing launches took place: Seth Godin introduced his latest book Linchpin The next day Apple introduced the iPad..."

...enter Powder and Bulk Weblog

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S. Howes Power Grater

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Help Forum : Hot Messages from the Help Forum

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

 

Mr. Lee needs help characterizing material lumps:

Is there a standard for the designation and characterization of material lump size?

For example I am working on a project with material lump sizes specified as +12mm to -35mm and +35mm to -65mm. Is this correct and what does it actually mean?

I thought that when characterizing and specifying material lump size it would be something like +12mm to -35 micron stating that max lump size is 12mm, minimum 35 micron?

Thanks,
Ian Lee
LeeWeigh
(Click here to post a reply)

 

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

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From the Job Fair

Director of Sales and New Business Development

Engineer with sales experience to develop new customers and support existing customers for use of our powdered metal in the medical and depositional (LASER & EB) for aerospace/defense. Using a proprietary process we manufacture fine and ultra fine powdered metals already selling to most medical device use and many aerospace companies in the US and internationally with an almost 40 year history of providing quality product. We are the only manufactures using this process and produce the most pure, nonporous and spherical powders.

Your position would primarily be developing a new customer base and occasionally contacting existing customers. Compensation would be based on salary and commission that would produce a six figure income with full benefits. We are looking to fill this position by the end of February and have already reviewed quite a number of resumes.

The successful candidate would receive complete training and introduction to existing customers who are primarily fortune 100 companies.  This is a great mid-level position for someone eager to develop a long-term career in sales and rapidly advance to a management position. Experience in nonferrous metal powder a plus.

You may view our website www.asmpowders.com

Send your resume to pmtemployment@comcast.net or directly to me at geraldrhoolahan@asmpowders.com

 

The Job Fair is a free service of Powder and Bulk Dot Com.  You can post job opening for managers, engineers, sales, reps or other talented people you need. ...Or one can post their resume for companies who are looking to add talented people to their staff.

Do you have a position you need to fill?  Visit the Job Fair.

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About Us : Powder and Bulk Dot Com Newsletter

© 1998-2010 Powder and Bulk Dot Com
Home page:  http://www.powderandbulk.com/

Joseph Taylor, Editor
Powder and Bulk Dot Com Newsletter
3948 South Third Street, No. 121
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Phone: 904-280-4656
Fax: 904-273-1399

Email:  jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

Powder and Bulk Dot Com's Newsletter is a 100% opt-in e-mail list of information for the materials handling professional.  Do you have company news, a new product, new service or other information you would like to share with our subscribers?  Please submit articles via e-mail, only to: news@powderandbulk.com

:: PTXi International Powder & Bulk
   Solids 2010

:: Olds Elevator : Impressive Heat
   Exchanger for Hot Sand

:: Hosokawa : Agglomerator for
   Crop Protection

:: Bemis acquires Alcan Packaging
   Food Americas

:: From the Powder and Bulk Weblog
:: The Ask Joe! Column
:: Help Forum
:: The Job Fair
:: Top Picks at Amazon.com
:: Find more books and journals
:: From the Online Training Center
:: Featured Case History
:: Advertising
:: Call For Photographs!
:: Subscribe, Unsubscribe
:: Past Issues
:: About Us
 From the editor
Hi Everyone,

Is the worst of winter over yet?  Hang in there!  The PTXi (Powders) Show is coming in May.  It's time to make your plans to attend, Read on!

With over 8,500+ subscribers, our goal is to provide information to improve your business by using the resources available on the Internet.

Very Truly Yours,
Joe Taylor, Editor
jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

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 From the Reading Room
Click here "...technologies involved in the storage and handling of particulate materials from large grains to fine cohesive materials."

Bulk Material Handling: Equipment Selection and Operation
by D. McGlinchey
Hardcover: 304 pages, 2008

.

Click here "...an essential reference for all concerned with current problems and developments in silo technology..."

Silos:  Fundamental of Theory, Behavior & Design
by C. J. Brown, J. Nielsen (Editors), Hardcover, 864 pages

.

"Great book on the subject where very little information is available. You need this book..."

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

.

 Find more book and journals
 The Ask Joe! Column

Requirements for Biomass Sampling
Guest article by Paul Janze
of Sandwell Engineering

Good quality control relies on proper sampling, which must be accurate and precise and truly represent the main body of biomass. Without good sampling, quality control is based on false information. Bulk materials are difficult to sample properly on a production basis... (Click here for more)

 

We Need Your Guest Articles!
Do you have an area of expertise in bulk materials, have you solved a difficult materials problem? Share your knowledge with others and promote yourself by contributing an article to the Ask Joe! Column.

For more information, please contact Joe Marinelli.

Past Ask Joe! Archived Articles

 Featured Case History

Morphologi G3 "adds new dimension" to Solvay R&D

Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Marietta, GA, USA) was the first company in the United States to install the innovative Morphologi G3 image analysis-based particle characterization system from Malvern Instruments. Having invested immediately after the launch of the Morphologi G3, with installation taking place in January.... (more)

 

More case histories...

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 Action shots wanted!
Call For Photographs

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This week's photo is of an FLSmidth Bucket Chain Excavator (BCE). The BCE is designed particularly for sticky bulk materials. The store consists of two or more longitudinal stock piles stacked according to the Windrow method. While one pile is being stacked, the other is reclaimed at right angles to the direction of stacking.

Photo courtesy of FLSmidth Minerals

 

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

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