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Processed powders: chemical additives
Tanning product
This customer manufactures various chemical additives for tanneries worldwide.
The products involved in the manufacturing process are very varied both in density (0.10 kg/l to 1.3 kg/l) and in PH (2.7 to 11.2).
Examples of raw materials used: Sodium bicarbonate, Magnesium oxide, Potassium chloride, Adipic acid, Sodium sulphate, Bisulphite and Ammonium sulphate, etc. The packaging of the substances used in the mixtures can be sacks, big sacks, containers or drums.
Objectives:
The great diversity of the products and their varied packaging meant that this plant had long been looking for a system that would reduce the points of introduction into the process, provide good protection for operators and very low dust emissions, while optimizing batch traceability. As some products may agglomerate, it was important to reduce any clods in order to ensure good dispersion/dilution in the mixing tanks.
These loading stations were not very convenient.
Palamatic Process designed a combined unit from one of the sack automatic opening machines in its Varislit® 6000 range. The advantage of this machine lies in its compactness, its high throughput (up to 600 sacks per hour) and the modularity of its design. In order to facilitate handling and optimize the ergonomics of the station, a Palamatic Process sack manipulator has been installed in the picking area. The operator can then effortlessly place the sacks on the machine's infeed belt.
This belt, inclined at 20°, is equipped with a photoelectric cell allowing the timing of the sending of the sacks into the cutting area and the counting of them.
The sacks are conveyed into the cutting area by four profiled belts that prevent product retention in this area.
The cutting principle is based on the use of sharpened discs with an anti-abrasion coating. The sacks are turned upside down by inversion discs (to ensure almost complete emptying) and conveyed directly into a sack compactor. This sack compactor reduces the volume of empty sacks and contributes directly to the excellent containment of this machine
The big bags are placed by means of a hoist on a deposit tray, the operator then simply undoes the tie of the big bag cuff. The chemical additives then begin to flow.
A massage system consisting of four jacks working in opposition allows to force the descent of particularly difficult materials. A sleeve closure valve also stops the descent of the material thanks to its servo control on the weighing platform.
The rigid containers are positioned directly on the tray with the discharge flap manually opened. The other containers (cardboard boxes, drums and barrels) are introduced directly into the hopper.
A lump breaker installed at the junction of the powder inlets reduces the product agglomerates to the size of the passing mesh (25x25 mm in this case). Its high torque combined with a relatively low rotational speed and a large passage width overcomes all the materials used in this plant.
A collecting chute is positioned under the machine. This chute is extended by a tubing that connects to a weighed dispersion tank. A flexible connection sleeve between the dispersion and the discharge chute prevents interference.
Due to the wide spectrum of PH of the different products, which can be either very basic or very acidic, the machine is made of 316 stainless steel for all parts in contact with the material and 304 stainless steel for the external parts.
Outcomes achieved:
The great variety of bags processed and the great modularity of this machine mean that the operator has managed to overcome a major production constraint in the factory.
A single operator manages to carry out all the raw material introduction operations safely and with an excellent level of containment (the entire installation is connected to the plant's collection network).
