MATERIALS HANDLING | FEEDING AND DOSING
Right: The Mini Vent Filter from Schenck Process is designed to simplify dust management
processing operations,” says Felix Jakob, Head of Chemicals & Performance Materials EMEA, at the company. Schenck Process recently extended its
CONiQ Control system for its line of loss-in-weight gravimetric feeders. The control, first introduced in 2020, serves as the company’s standard, common controller platform for a wide variety of processes. “The controller combines a modular, web-based design with intuitive operation,” says Jakob. The combination of powerful controller hardware and optimised control system ensures continuous high dosing accuracy while feeder data is available at any time and from any terminal device. The development follows the introduc-
tion of CONiQ Cloud, Schenck’s cloud based IoT solution that is connectible to any customer system or other IoT clouds, allowing for real-time condition monitoring and intelligent process control for output optimisation and exact resource planning. At the same time, it also launched CONiQ Monitor, which manages all sensors, performs edge analytics, and securely delivers relevant data into CONiQ Cloud. Schenck Process offers several gravimetric feeder product lines, including the MultiGrav loss-in-weight system designed for continuous feeding of granules. This consists of one to five system modules that can be arranged on a joint bracket around a central blending hopper. It also offers its ProFlex C line of loss-in-weight feeders for plastic compounds and masterbatches, the MultiDos continuous gravimetric weigh-feeders,
and certain models of its MechaTron Coni-Flex gravimetric feeders for bulk solids. Schenck also offers its AccuRate line of volumetric feeders, MultiFlex screw weigh-feeders and vibrating feeders for transporting material from silos. Recent hardware developments include a new Mini Vent Filter system for gravimetric feeder applications that separates dust from displaced air when a vessel is filled with bulk solids. It is used to mitigate dust sock blinding and is claimed to result in lower maintenance costs and a cleaner
production area. Its automated pulse-jet device cleans the filter media and simplifies maintenance and operation. The Mini Vent Filter mounts directly to the vent outlet of a bin in low airflow situations. Disassembly is carried out by loosening the bolt on the lid to allow access to the filter, tube sheet, and hopper. The unit is construct- ed in 304 stainless steel and offered with 4 or 10-inch process connections. US-based Hillenbrand, owner of Coperion and
Milacron, recently entered a definitive agreement to acquire the Schenck Process Food and Perfor- mance Materials business for $730m and aims to close the deal in the first half of this year.
Left: Coperion has added a powder handling option to its
ProRate Plus gravimetric feeder system
Powder handling The latest development from Coperion is an expansion of the recently introduced Coperion K-Tron portfolio of ProRate Plus of gravimetric screw feeders to include powder handling capa- bilities. The original ProRate product line com- prised three single-screw feeder models suitable for feeding pellets, granules, and other free-flow- ing bulk materials. The new ProRate Plus-MT features a horizontal agitator with twin-screw feeding, extending its use to difficult-to-handle powder additives such as talc, calcium carbonate or carbon black. Use of the self-cleaning twin screw technology has the advantage of reducing pulsations, the company says. The steep design of the hopper walls allows most poorly flowing bulk solids to be fed reliably without an additional vertical agitator. The unit also features a space-saving trapezoidal shape which allows up to six ProRate Plus feeder models to be easily grouped around an extruder outlet within a 1.5m radius. The ProRate Plus MT model handles feed rates from 40 up to 1,800 dm3
hr depending on bulk material characteristics. Coperion K-Tron has also developed an add-on
48 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2023
www.compoundingworld.com
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IMAGE: SCHENCK PROCESS
IMAGE: COPERION
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