In
the highly competitive and rapidly expanding metal powders industry, plant
efficiency and flexibility is key to maintaining a market-leading position.
To this end, a leading Romanian powder metallurgy supplier has recently
made a substantial investment in a completely new production facility.
Formulation "Street"
(Click to enlarge)
The
client had to ensure accurate and dust-free formulation of various grades
of Zinc Stearate, Wax, Graphite and Carbon Black. These ingredients then
had to be added to a
major
component, Iron Powder, prior to mixing.
Repeatable accuracy is
a critical factor as small deviations can lead to unacceptable shrinkage
rates in the finished sintered components.
To solve the problem of both dosing accuracy and dust generation, Matcon
proposed a Formulation "Street".
Ingredients are initially transferred from their bags and drums into
Matcon IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers). These IBCs are then positioned
on the Formulation "Street" where the ingredients can be dosed
into a receiving container below to the required recipe.
In order to achieve the required accuracy of +/- 100g, a Matcon
"Vari-Stroke" Discharge Station was incorporated
into the weigh trolley. The variable lift allows the lift-height of
the cone within the IBC above to be constantly
Weigh Trolley
(Click to enlarge)
varied
during discharge to match the flowability characteristics of each ingredient.
The modular nature of the system means that future expansion can be
achieved economically as it is a simple case of adding an additional
ingredient position. It also provides production flexibility as ingredient
changes can be accommodated quickly, without the need for cleaning or
risk of dust creation.