News items July 2016

Control screening for ensuring the product quality of fertilizers Mixed fertilizers such as NPK or LAN (Limestone Ammonium Fertilizer), which is called CAN (Calcium Ammonium Fertilizer) in Europe, are subject to changes of the grain distribution caused by transportation or temporary storage after granulation. Due to the hygroscopic behavior of the fertilizer, agglomerates (lumps) are formed during storage. Whereas the transport produces abrasion that appears as undesired dust in the packaging unit. Both lead to difficulties in spreading the fertilizer. The end customer recognizes these unfavorable product features immediately with the unaided eye without performing measurement of the grain distribution. However, the particle size distribution is a guaranteed quality characteristic of the product. In order to avoid expensive claims, more and more fertilizer producers start installing a so-called control sifting directly before loading or packaging. This ensures that the guaranteed product quality is given at the time of handing

Downtime is lost time – and it is also boring. This is why the busy engineers at REMBE are constantly working to develop new products. They love finding answers to their customer’s unsolved problems. Recent innovations include sound insulation solutions which are integrated into explosion safety products, e.g. for mills or similar plants, and devices for protecting suction lines in pneumatic conveyors. Both these areas are top priorities in the bulk materials industry. The former is particularly of interest for plants located close to residential areas or other buildings where noise reduction is a major issue. Until now, suction lines have been protected using air filters to prevent the entry of particulate contaminants and heavy non-return valves or explosion isolation valves, which lead to a significant loss of pressure. A modification to the Q-Rohr changes all that: the filter and isolation valve can simply be replaced by the Q-Rohr – a more cost-efficient

with MPERIA™ and the VIAjet™ T-Series Problems with the Previous Printing System The Südstärke GmbH produces potato starch for the food, paper, textile and technical industries. It looked for a new solution to label sack goods quickly and legibly. The requirements for labeling continuously increase; due to internationalization, Asian and Arabic characters as well as detailed descriptions are necessary, among other things. Single-line labeling was no longer sufficient and the print height was limited to 50 mm with the current system. Forklift operators and others taking part in the logistics process should be able to quickly recognize, scan and process the goods. The cartridge printing system used until now made an extremely muddy imprint and had to be guided along the product very closely. Also, because of these stipulated requirements, ink consumption was very high. The Matthews Solution Matthews recommended a solution with the MPERIA™ universal printing platform combined with

Maintenance-free rotor series MBA800 complies with ATEX In the bulk materials segment, the use of certified devices is of particular importance given the risk of dust explosions. Inadequate protection against explosion can result in consequential damage in silos, mills and other contained facilities. Combustible dusts, encountered, for instance, during the manufacture and storage of grain, feed and fertilizers, frequently ingress into the hazardous range, even reaching the explosive limit. It is specifically fine dusts that generally react with greater intensity than do those with larger grain diameters. Aside from the respective bulk material properties, further factors, such as structural specifics, potential sources of ignition and the quality of the devices deployed, are important aspects to consider during risk assessment. The fact that explosive dust mixtures can occur in various parts of a facility is exemplified by concentrated feed plants. Here, among other things, dust mixtures can occur during vertical, pneumatic

Recently the Norwegian based company Sensor Technology AS (S-Tec) has joined BERTHOLD TECH S-Tec is a specialist for nucleonic gauges as well; with their vast experience in the oil & gas industry they perfectly fit into Berthold’s growth strategy. S-TEC’s products and the close cooperation with major customers and research institutes will continue. BERTHOLD’s products and services -including the unrivalled experience and facilities for radioactive source production and handling- and leading sensing technologies will complement S-Tec’s scope of supply for the Norwegian market. The acquisition will be of significant benefit to both current and future customers.

Recently, the new website of M.I.P. Tanks & Silos has gone online and is now available. Please take a look around using the link below, and discover some new applications as well, such as the online application tool.

Powders play an important role as raw materials or intermediate products in the manufacture of many everyday products, whether, for example, in plastics, ceramics, detergents, batteries or printing inks. Therefore, the particle properties of these powders have a direct effect on the processing and thus on the quality of the end product. In order to more precisely identify these properties, NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik in Bobingen held a joint seminar with Malvern Instruments on June 14, 2016 on the topic of particle size, form and flow characteristics of powders. NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik specializes in services for powder processing in the micron and submicron range. Malvern Instruments is a leading manufacturer of analytical measurement technologies for particle measurement and material characterization. The seminar addressed modern methods for particle characterization and potential applications. New combined processes were demonstrated for determining the characteristics

NETZSCH Lohnmahltechnik GmbH, with facilities in Bobingen and Hanau, is the first company of the Business Unit Grinding & Dispersing within the NETZSCH Group to implement an energy management system pursuant to DIN EN 50001:2011. For many years, the company has set the standard for superior quality in the toll grinding sector. Implementation of the energy management system pursues responsible use of energy. Through monitoring and optimization of the energy flows, energy efficiency is increased over the long term and costs are reduced. The system supports the logical development of efficiency measures and their coordination across different locations. In the future, the certification will contribute substantially to international competitiveness by improving economic efficiency. A great deal of time and preparation was necessary to meet the requirements of the certification: energy consumption analyses, energetic ratings, the development of energy efficiency

Comsol, the leading provider of multiphysics modeling, simulation, and application design software, today announced the latest release of the Comsol Multiphysics® and Comsol Server™ simulation software environment. Hundreds of user-driven features and enhancements to Comsol Multiphysics®, Comsol Server™, and add-on products have been implemented with an emphasis on accuracy, usability, and productivity. From new solvers and methods, to application design and deployment tools, Comsol® software version 5.2a expands the electrical, mechanical, fluid, and chemical design and optimization capabilities. In Comsol Multiphysics 5.2a, three new solvers deliver faster and more memory efficient computations. The smoothed aggregation algebraic multigrid (SA-AMG) solver has proven to be particularly efficient for linear elastic analysis, but is also applicable to many other types of analyses. The domain decomposition solver has been optimized for handling large multiphysics

The installation is capable of filling both 25 kg bags and 800-1000 kg bulk bags To replace an existing weighing, bagging and palletising system without enlarging or modifying the plant can sometimes be a challenge but it also represents an opportunity for an entrepreneur. Concetti of Bastia, Umbria, Italy recently supplied just such a turnkey solution combining a fully automatic bagging system IGF600 designed for woven PP open mouth bags and a bulk bag filling system to a South American manufacturer of pig and cattle feed. The customer had requested a high quality bagging solution, robust, reliable and flexible, but adapted to the tight space already available in the plant and capable of filling both 25 kg bags (55lb) and 800-1000 kg (1700-2200lb) bulk bags, required by the local market. The technical solution offered by Concetti spa has optimized the space, to make the most of the selected machinery, in addition to reducing the capital investment. The installation, for example, uses a single net weigher, meeting the requirement of the customer

Which process equipment is best for you? When faced with an array of options for your processing equipment, how do you know which one to choose? Introduction to the Processing of Dry Solid Materials: 2 day short course This course will clarify the pros and cons of each type of hardware and help you to make an informed selection. The following topics will be considered: • Formation / agglomeration of powders • Blending operations (tumbling vs high shear) • Particle size reduction (mill types) • Drying or moisture modification • Classification • Particle coating Is this course for me? If you are a plant designer, plant manager or work in maintenance, this course will improve your ability to deal with the design and troubleshooting of plants. You’ll also benefit if you are from operational staff or senior management through a better understanding of potential pitfalls and how to make your plant as efficient and trouble-free as possible.

WinProcess represents AVA in the Benelux AVA supplies horizontal batch mixing reactors as core production plant components for the manufacture of insulation boards and insulating materials made from rubber and cork granules. In addition to the excellent moistening of the rubber and cork granules with the binding agent, a particular feature is the complete emptying and good cleaning characteristics of the machine. For this purpose, AVA developed a special discharge flap based on test mixes undertaken at the AVA technology centre in Herrsching, which serve to guarantee the complete emptying of the mixer in a very short time. In addition, the inner side of the mixing drum is equipped with a coating which prevents sticky granules and binding agent from adhering. This coating increases the availability of the mixer and therefore of the entire production plant by several times the guaranteed period of time. The expectations of our customers were exceeded by far. AVA continuous mixers are used for larger

Mass flow, Density Measurement, Level and Moisture Measurement BERTHOLD TECHNOLOGIES‘ measurement systems are used in pulp mills all over the world to monitor critical processes and to improve production efficiency. As technology leader in radiometric and microwave technology we bring benefits to the pulp and paper industry by provi­ding highly accurate, highly repeatable online measurements – the base for major cost savings, plant availability and reliable process management.

The Polytec group is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-quality plastic parts, with 25 sites and over 4,200 employees worldwide. The Austria-based company is a full-service provider in the field of injection moulding, a specialist in fibre-reinforced plastics and a manufacturer of original accessory parts made of plastic and stainless steel. As a competent partner Polytec offers customised industrial solutions using polyurethane, along with the machinery required for their production. These sandingtables are very sound, but more importantly, they comply measure up with the current CE standards and health and safety legislation.

Laser Diffraction | Size and Distribution The proven HELOS series – with its classical laser diffraction setup deploying a parallel beam – offers a powerful technology for particle size analysis of powders, granules, suspensions, emulsions, sprays and numerous other disperse systems. A size range from below 0.1 μm to 8,750 μm is mastered. The modular system design, together with a great variety of dispersing and dosing units, provides a flexible adaptation to the most diverse industrial and research applications. In the early 1980s, Sympatec introduced a breakthrough innovation which was leading laser diffraction to another dimension: dry powder dispersion for even the finest, cohesive powders with RODOS. And with the R-series of our laser diffraction sensor HELOS, new benchmarks for precision and accuracy have been achieved. Latest improvements comprise the enhanced application of parameter-free Fraunhofer evaluation down to the submicron regime (below 1 μm), a great measuring signal frequency

Explosion Proof, UL, ATEX, en IECEx The new explosion proof and flameproof Model LP35 from BEI Sensors is the first low profile hollow shaft encoder that features a slim 2.01 inch profile and is designed to meet UL, ATEX, and IECEx standards allowing for operation directly in Division 1, Zone 1 environments. Many oil and gas applications are subjected to extreme conditions where ignitable concentrations of flammable substances are likely to exist under normal working conditions and where space is limited. Using ultra-rugged and reliable products that are designed to meet the high standards required for use in these potentially explosive environments is crucial for running cost effective drilling operations. BEI Sensors truly understands the needs and has engineered the new LP35 incremental encoder to fit into space-restricted applications with the thinnest possible explosion proof hollow shaft design, saving on size without sacrificing performance. To simplify installation and minimize time spent in

Blue Springs, MO, July 5, 2016 – Looking to fill a key position to address a rapidly expanding global market, Fike has promoted David Kemp to Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, effective immediately. In this role, Kemp will head sales and marketing efforts for all Fike product lines worldwide. Kemp, who previously served as Fike’s Executive Director of Sales for the Americas, will now manage a global sales and distribution network focused on expanding market share with current customers as well as building business in underserved industries. “There’s a lot of opportunity for growth using the market intelligence we’re gathering and applying that to our sales strategy,” said Kemp. “We have a great lineup of expertly manufactured safety solutions. The key is helping the customer see we have what they need and making Fike easy to do business with.” Fike uses a global network of professional distributors and representatives to

Brady’s premium click-on pipe markers are very durable Brady’s new premium click-on pipe markers are very durable and easy to apply or switch out. Adaptable to any existing standard, the new click-on pipe markers support plant safety and efficiency by clearly communicating pipe contents and flow direction, even in tough conditions. No adhesive The new click-on pipe markers are ideal for pipes with a diameter of 20 cm and larger and do not require an adhesive to attach to pipes. The pipe marker is applied to a fibreglass carrier which can easily be clicked onto two straps. This makes replacing or switching out pipe markers a lot easier. The click-on system also enables fast re-application after pipe marker updates. Because there is no need for an adhesive, click-on pipe markers are more practical to identify cold, hot, painted or oily pipes. Durable materials Brady’s click-on pipe marker is made out of stainless steel and fibreglass. Those durable materials will prevent the pipe marker from peeling, and they should

The packing system can deliver a precise number of seeds into a bag Concetti have designed and supplied an extremely novel feature on a seed packing system for a client in Romania. The customer wanted to have the facility to deliver a precise number of seeds into a bag rather than the fixed weight that is normal on a Concetti IGF machine with gravity fed net weigher. Because of seasonal and local variations in the size and weight of individual seeds, using a fixed bag weight can result in a wide variation in the actual number of seeds supplied. Counting the very large number of seeds into each 20-30Kg bag was impractical and would result in an extremely low packing rate. So, Concetti engineers designed a neat and innovative solution using an off-line counting system. The proprietary device operates by feeding seeds between 1mm and 25mm in size, past a detector head, which counts up to 10,000 pieces at relatively high speed. The system is mechanically independent of the Concetti packing line but is controlled by it and receives