Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on DAZIC: Mining and Processing of Mined Materials
Mined industrial materials are used to make thousands of commodities: building materials, electronics, detergents, medications, plastics, ceramics, paper, glass, and many more. Some minerals are used in processes — such as bentonite for gas and oil extraction, and kaolin for fracking operations.
Many production facilities will process tons of mined materials a day. For example, Barnes Concrete Co. is a manufacturer of ready-mix concrete based in the Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey tri-state area. In just one hour, up to 250 tons of gravel are loaded into their feeders. Imagine the kind of volume in much larger companies that have more products and wider distribution.
Problems and Risks
Working with high volumes of heavy materials can cause several problems in production that can cost millions of dollars if it is not properly managed. Any failure in equipment can lead to tons of materials being spilled—causing delay and possibly injury.
If companies do not manage this risk by incorporating safety devices, they are vulnerable to serious and long-term financial and legal problems.
Safety Compliance
Regulatory bodies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require employers to keep the workplace—whether it is the mining or the processing facility—free of serious recognized hazards.
If a plant inspection reveals negligence or failure to comply, the company can be slapped with large fines and a suspension of its business license.
Production Delays
Barnes Concrete Co.’s plant supervisor Joe Kruzewski estimates that if there were any material spills, it would take three people at least three hours to shovel one ton of gravel.
Since the feeder loads 250 tons of gravel per hour, or about four tons a minute, even a 10-minute delay in response time after a machine fails could result in 30 hours of downtime. “We would have to shovel for days!”
Worker Injury
Manually shoveling heavy material also creates another problem: worker safety. Any work that is outside of what a worker is trained and hired to do increases the risk of injury. Other minerals can also be dangerous if they are spilled, because of the weight, creation of flammable or other hazardous environments, or health problems caused by exposure to either the mineral or the chemical compounds combined with it.
Any worker accident can incur both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include regulatory fines, hospital and litigation costs, and insurance penalties. Indirect costs can be even larger, because of loss of business contracts and long-term damage to reputation.
Manage Risks with a DAZIC® Zero Speed Switch
Barnes Concrete Co. has never had any incidents of material spills because of a simple safety device: the DAZIC Zero Speed Switch.
DAZIC Zero Speed Switches are interlocked into a conveyor system so that operations stop if any equipment runs outside of pre-set speed limits. It prevents material pile-up and all of its disastrous consequences.
They installed the DAZIC Zero Speed Switches on all of their 12 conveyors several years ago. The oldest one is 18 years old, and it is still working.
At that time, Barnes Concrete Co. was still a smaller company with a limited budget for equipment investment. However, the DAZIC Zero Speed Switches cost less than $900 each—a very affordable investment that has paid off.
“It’s really a safety issue,” said Kruzewski. “Any equipment malfunction or failure in the production line could lead to an avalanche of material. It would be a trainwreck [to be] buried with that amount of gravel.”
The speed switches have also proven to be very durable and reliable. “They have never quit. The mounting eventually fails from wear and tear, but that’s more of maintenance on our part, not from the unit failing,” says Kruzewski.
How a DAZIC works
DAZIC Zero Speed Switches are used by both small, local businesses and industry leaders that operate all across the globe.
To find more information on how DAZIC works, visit the product page, which has a simple video explaining its operations, and the different models that can meet your process needs.
You can also contact us for consultation, where we can answer your questions and customize a proposal.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on How to Reduce Material Handling Costs
Plants can manage tons of bulk powders and solids every month. In order to manage production costs, it is important to efficiently store, move, and process the materials without waste or delays.
However, many materials have intrinsic properties that can affect how they react to the environment or flow in a vessel. Powders can settle in storage or draw moisture to form clumps. Particles can segregate, and moist or heavy materials can cling to equipment. Bridging and ratholing are also very common.
Improve material handling efficiency
AirSweep pneumatic flow aids can prevent many problems that can increase material handling costs. Its powerful air pulses promote on-demand, first in/first out flow. It is effective for tough materials and has been proven to be more effective than vibrators, fluidizers, and other kinds of flow aids.
Many companies have used AirSweep to reduce material handling costs. One client even said, “The AirSweep paid for itself in just two weeks!”
Reduce waste
A food company that uses flax and cocoa powder had to throw away up to 40 pounds of mixture a day and even had to pay to have it hauled away.
When they tried using vibrators and fluidizers, they not only spent more on energy consumption, but also had to spend one hour each day manually clearing out residue with sticks and hammers. However, AirSweep was able to solve 90% of the material retention problem, which significantly increased production and reduced waste.
Increase production speed
Poor material flow can affect production efficiency and the overall output of the plant. One paint company had issues with titanium dioxide, a fine powder that has a tendency to segregate. Since it did not completely empty out during the batch cycle, it would take 50 minutes to transport it a distance of 325 feet.
However, with the AirSweep system, the paint company was able to shorten batch time to 15 minutes.
Prevent spoilage
Stagnant material that is left in the vessel can spoil or affect product size, color, and texture. In order to protect quality and safety, and maintain a consistent formula, it is important for materials to achieve first in/first out flow.
One of the world’s largest manufacturers of infant formulas trusts AirSweep to flush material build-up between production runs of regular and lactose-free milk. The USDA-accepted model also meets sanitation requirements and is so effective that it reduced cleaning time from 40 hours to 10 hours.
Prevent equipment damage
To reduce material handling costs, plants need to choose a flow aid that will not cause structural stress on the vessels. Hammering leaves deep dents and cracks, and air cannons and vibrators cause metal fatigue. Eventually, the vessel will need to be repaired or even replaced.
In contrast, AirSweep does not damage vessels, and can even be used on vessels with very thin walls.
Use energy efficiently
Another key factor in reducing material handling costs is to use energy-efficient equipment.
Though it taps the same level of air pressure as fluidizers and air vibrators, the AirSweep system does not run continuously. It starts and stops with the discharge cycle, and runs in a sequence with one pulse at a time. So overall, it uses less plant air and electricity than flow aids that run continuously.
The energy savings can be very significant for plants located in countries that have a high cost of electricity—such as this cement company in the Philippines.
AirSweep: the most cost-effective flow aid
The AirSweep system can improve material flow and prevent material handling costs. Contact us to find out more about how you can use AirSweep in your process.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on AirSweep in the Food Industry
Product quality and safety are critical to the food industry. Product recalls can cause millions of dollars, permanently destroy brand reputation, and can even civil and criminal liabilities.
Unfortunately, the rate of food recalls is increasing, and can be one of the biggest threats to a food company’s profitability, says Food & Safety Magazine.
The cost of product recalls
According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) in the United States, food recalls cost companies an average of $10 million in direct costs, and even larger indirect costs from lost sales, insurance, lawsuits, and compliance penalties. The following are some indirect costs a company can experience:
Stopping production
Removing and destroying contaminated products
Investigating and testing to identify the source of the problem—as well as other recall tasks that will require additional manpower and technology
Lost sales from pulling both contaminated products and even the entire product range
Insurance impacts, including increased annual fees and possible cancellation of the plan
Legal fees, settlements, and damages
Penalties from regulatory boards, including fines, shutting down of operations, suspension of registration
Drop in the company’s stock value
Aside from this, a company will often suffer a media backlash, intense public scrutiny, and overall loss of brand confidence. Customers may decide to switch to another product, or even avoid all products by the manufacturer.
This can lead to a long-term sales depression that can take years to shake off, and only with an extensive marketing and public relations campaign.
Quality control requires material control
Poor material flow can have a huge impact on product quality and safety. Stagnant material can become spoiled and rancid, and develop mold, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Inconsistent flow can cause inconsistent flavor, texture, and nutritional value.
However, many food materials have inherently problematic flow properties. Powders can bind to form a cohesive arch. Flax, cocoa or other materials with a high fat content can cake or clog pipes or filters. Other materials can also settle during storage, and absorb moisture from the air to form hard clumps.
So to get their process going—and ensure that they get first in, first out flow—food companies need a reliable material flow aid like AirSweep.
AirSweep in the Food Industry
AirSweep’s powerful bursts of compressed air sweep stagnant material back into the flow stream, and flush the vessel completely clean. It improves productivity, saves time and money from manual hammering and cleaning, and protects product quality.
A commercial bakery had issues with flax oils caking in the discharge up to the filters. They had to throw away 40 pounds of mixture a day, and even had to pay to have it hauled away. Vibrators hardened the discharge—“practically turned the flax into concrete,” the maintenance head described. Fluidizers were too weak to activate the material. AirSweep was the only material flow aid that worked. “’it gets 10 out of 10!”
A spice manufacturer also uses AirSweep to clean its flush ribbon blenders between batch runs. The system has helped them save $200,000 from flushing material alone.
By pulsing the AirSweep units during and after the batch runs, they found that the powerful air pulses swept the vessel walls and inner surfaces of residual powder buildup. This made a significant, positive impact on blend uniformity and dramatically lessened the labor and time needed to clean after the batch runs were completed. This allowed them to add batch runs and increase production output.
Proven effective for the food industry
AirSweep is used in the factories of some of the biggest food manufacturers in Asia and North America, and has been proven for various bulk solids and powders, including:
The AirSweep USDA-accepted models are specially designed to meet the highest standards of sanitation and hygiene. The air-tight nozzle prevents material retention and bacterial growth, and the modular construction is made for easy cleaning and inspection. For convenience, the tri-flange mount allows removal without tools.
Contact us for more information about the use of AirSweep in the food industry, and the best system for your needs.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on AirSweep Installation FAQs
AirSweep can solve even the most challenging material flow problems—and it’s so easy to install and maintain too. The system can be set up in just a few days and can be attached with simple tools on any kind of vessel.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that people ask about installing an AirSweep system and integrating it into their process.
Where is the AirSweep Installed?
AirSweep is attached outside of the vessel. Only the nozzle tip comes in direct contact with the material, and the nozzle closes after each short pulse to minimize material feedback. This makes the system more hygienic and prevents damage to the rest of the system.
How is the AirSweep Installed?
AirSweep can be installed in four simple steps.
CUT holes where the couplings will be welded. It can also be retrofitted into existing holes in vessels that previously used other flow aids.
WELD the couplings into place
INSTALL the AirSweep by threading into coupling, and tightening the lock nut once the proper insertion depth is reached.
CONNECT the pulse valve with a flex hose to a rigid header that connects to the air supply
The only tricky part is aligning the vessel, and making sure that the nozzle reaches the proper depth. This video demonstrates it clearly.
Is There an Option to Install AirSweep Without Welding It to the Vessel?
You can use the AirSweep outside-in mounting bracket. The kit has all the parts you need, and it can be installed with just a spanner wrench and a small 1-3/8″ diameter hole.
The brackets are available in three sizes, to accommodate the different models. This option is available for all AirSweep models: VA-06 for small vessels, VA-12 for medium to large vessels, and VA-51 for large vessels.
The bracket is recommended for people who want to:
Minimize modifications to the vessel
Easily remove the nozzle for cleaning
Install the flow aid as quickly as possible
Can AirSweep Be Installed on Different Kinds of Vessels?
Yes. AirSweep can be installed in any vessel or area where material has a tendency to hang up. Aside from silos, hoppers, and other material storage containers, it can be placed in gravity chutes, fine grinding mills, extruders, pneumatic convey lines, cyclones, pipes (including elbows and bends), cyclones, and more.
AirSweep can also be installed on:
Thin vessels that would normally be damaged by agitators, vibrators, or air cannons
Concrete vessels
Very small vessels—even as small as 300 millimeters
Very large vessels
In short, AirSweep can work on any type, size, and material of vessel. We just adjust the system’s pressure and pulse frequency to accommodate any constraints.
How Do I Prepare the Vessel Before Installation?
You do not need to make any changes to the vessel before installing the AirSweep system. It does not require any vessel coating or lining to work. It has such powerful activation that it can move material even on a rough surface.
If your vessel has material, empty it out below the level of where you are installing the nozzle. It can prevent material from spilling while you are drilling the hole and welding on the couplings. However, if you are using aggregate material that won’t spill out, you can actually install the units on a full vessel—if you don’t mind the installation debris.
If sanitation or contamination is a concern, clean out the debris with water or flushing material. You can also use high-pressure cleaning since it won’t affect the AirSweep in any way. The air nozzles are tightly sealed and no water can get in them. In this video, we actually submerged the unit in water to demonstrate its dust-tight, waterproof design.
What Kind of Air Supply Do We Need?
AirSweep can work with any type of pressurized plant air. We recommend treating the air before it goes to the system to avoid introducing moisture into the product.
The key factor is not the type of air that is used but maintaining the correct air pressure and volume. This video explains why.
Where Should I Place the AirSweep Units?
It depends on your material and process. Our engineers will analyze your material flow problem, recommend the best solutions, and then provide a diagram that shows the proper placement, air pressure, and pulse frequency and intervals.
They can also answer any questions you may have about installation—and typically reply in one business day. You can also find the installation guides for your AirSweep model, or watch the installation videos.
Contact us if you have any questions about AirSweep and how it can be integrated into your process.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on 7 Companies that Switched from Vibrators to AirSweep
Have you ever shaken a ketchup bottle because the ketchup was stuck? Industrial vibrators work the same way. The movement breaks apart the material and loosens it from the vessel walls.
But as you’ve probably noticed, there will always be a little bit of ketchup left in the bottle. Vibration can never completely flush a vessel completely clean, especially if the material is damp or dense.
In some cases, industrial vibrators can actually make the material more compact, which is why it is sometimes used to compress materials before packaging. But as a material flow aid, it has limited capability and a lot of trade-offs—such as the need to manually clean material residue, or repair vessels because of metal fatigue.
That’s why many companies who tried industrial vibrators looked for a more effective solution, and found it in AirSweep.
Food Industry
To prevent spoilage, food manufacturers need to achieve first in/first out, on-demand flow. Any stagnant material can degrade and contaminate an entire batch.
The food industry also works with materials with problematic flow properties which don’t respond well to vibration.
Dense, Sticky Materials
Ingredients with a high-fat content will stick to vessel walls, and form a dense bridge or arch that cuts off the flow of material.
A cheese company had similar issues with protein concentrate (WPC). Vibrators only packed the sticky material and worsened the problem. Unfortunately, the stagnant material sparked a fire in their baghouses, creating an urgent safety concern.
They switched to the USDA-accepted AirSweep system. The powerful air pulses sliced through the blocks just like an “air knife”, leaving no residue that could compromise both plant safety and product quality. They now use AirSweep in all their plants in the United States.
Fine Powders
A candy manufacturer processes hundreds of pounds of cocoa a day. However, production would stall because the fine powder would pack, bridge and rathole in the hoppers. They tried vibrators, fluidizers and bin aerators—all of which failed. Workers still had to scrape the vessels every 3 days.
But when they switched to AirSweep, success was sweet. “AirSweep works,” said the coatings manager. “We had no breakdowns, replacements or problems whatsoever.” AirSweep also used less plant air and had lower maintenance costs, leading to savings that recovered the system’s cost after two months.
High Moisture Content
A pet food company used a meat, vegetable and grain mixture with a high moisture content. They tried vibrators and pneumatic hammers, but workers still had to climb two stories of stairs to manually clear the bins.
With AirSweep, they were able to achieve on-demand flow. They even use the system to clear out kibble fines as part of the automated clean-outs.
Chemicals
Chemical compounds are used in many industries, such as the dyes and pigments in paints and ceramics, the anti-bacterials in household cleaners, the emulsifiers in food, or the catalyzing agents in pharmaceuticals, and the polymers and plastics in manufacturing.
However, chemicals can have challenging flow properties, and they can react to the environment or with other materials in the process.
Clumping
An aviation company that deices gates, ramps and other airport equipment had issues of their formula forming rock-solid clumps. The company’s process engineer suggested vibrators. But after the maintenance supervisor saw its description of “gentle vibration,” he knew it wouldn’t work.
When they saw how AirSweep worked, they knew they had found the right flow aid. “AirSweep has made a 100% difference to our materials flowing,” he said.
Bridging
A global manufacturer of carbon black additives suppliers over 2 million tons to paint, plastic, rubber, tire and ink industries every year. However, carbon blank has a tendency to form deposits on conveyors, cake while unloading, and bridge in the hoppers.
When vibrators proved ineffective, they switched to AirSweep. Installation took less than 48 hours, and since then, they never had to worry about process delays.
Cement Industry
Cement uses some of the most challenging bulk materials, including fine or moist limestone, slag, clay and bauxite. The cohesive and adhesive properties that make them so ideal for construction also create issues like bridging, ratholing, and flooding.
AirSweep is used in the factories of some of the biggest cement manufacturers in Asia and North America.
A regional manufacturer of asphalt had been using electric vibrators for years. But over the weekend, the asphalt would settle, forcing workers to spend most of Monday clearing out thick layers of compact material.
Once they switched to AirSweep, they never had this problem again. “After four years, we finally have the right solution! We are very happy with the system,” said the plant manager.
AirSweep also helped a cement company in Asia dramatically improve production. Cement materials would solidify because of plant humidity, forcing long plant shutdowns and a loss of $12,000 per hour of downtime.
They had tried vibrators and air knockers, but only AirSweep was able to create on-demand flow—while using half as much energy as other flow aids.
AirSweep is More Effective than Vibrators
Flow tests and case studies have shown that AirSweep is more powerful and cost-efficient than vibrators and other flow aids that use agitation. For more comparisons of AirSweep vs Vibrators, check out these links:
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on 4 Ways to Improve Material Handling Efficiency
Material blocks can slow down production, increase costs, and compromise product quality. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy problem to solve.
Many materials have challenging flow properties. Some powders have a tendency to attract moisture and will clump or cake in high humidity. Damp or sticky materials can stick to vessel walls. Others will settle during storage, or aggregate during mixing.
AirSweep is a pneumatic flow aid that can clear material blocks and create on-demand, first in/first out flow. It’s proven effective for even tough materials—and has helped thousands of companies improve material handling efficiency.
Increase Production
Whenever your material flows slowly (or even stops completely) it affects all downstream processes and increases total production time. Sometimes, workers have to stop what they’re doing to clear out the vessel.
This was the problem faced by a minerals processing plant that handles 120,000 tons of material a year. The powders and pebbles would plug the outlets, reducing the flow to a trickle. It took an hour to fill a supersack.
AirSweep eliminated all plugging in the outlets and reduced the filling of supersacks from one hour to two minutes for a 3000% increase in production.
Lower Cost
Poor flow can increase costs because you end up having to throw away entire batches of material. A food company that uses flax and cocoa powder had to throw up to 40 pounds of mixture away a day, and even had to pay to have it hauled away.
Vibrators and fluidizers were ineffective; workers still spent up to one hour a day clearing out material with hammers and sticks.
After AirSweep, everything changed. The system solved 90% of the material retention problems, reduced waste, and improved production speed.
Prevent Safety Hazards
Material handling problems may compromise plant safety, especially if workers have to manually clean out stuck material.
Before, workers had to use a bar to break the material, but this was tedious and potentially hazardous. It took just one day to install the AirSweep, and they never had to worry about clogged clinker again.
Improve Quality Control
Companies may decide to use new materials to improve product quality. This is part of innovation and creating a competitive advantage—but it can introduce new problems during production.
An international paint company needed to use a new grade of titanium dioxide. However, the material, which had finer and lighter particles, had a tendency to bridge above the feeder system and on the pneumatic transport vessels.
AirSweep was installed at these critical points, clearing out the blocks and cutting batch time to just 15 minutes.
Find Your Flow and Improve Material Handling Efficiency
Every material, and every stage of production, can present its own flow challenges. AirSweep can help. Contact us for a customized solution and clear material blocks for good.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on AirSweep in the Pet Food Industry
The pet food industry is growing, reaching a record $103.6 billion dollars in 2022, and is expected to rise in the coming years. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, owners actually spent 20% to 25% more on their fur baby’s food.
It’s a big opportunity for pet food manufacturers, but unprecedented growth does come with substantial challenges.
Plants have to keep up with the higher production, and meet strict quality standards—not just from discerning pet owners, but industry and state regulatory boards. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has even tightened its requirements for the animal food industry, including a hazard plan to prevent spoilage and contamination, and regular plant inspections.
Problems that Affect Pet Food Production
Proper material flow is essential for meeting those goals. It can prevent many problems that can slow down production, and compromise the quality and safety of the product. Sluggish flow and stagnant material can:
Cause contamination and spoilage. Microorganisms and bacteria can grow in trapped material, or grow on the vessel itself.
Compromise blend uniformity. Sluggish and erratic flow compromises the proportion of materials, affecting the pet food’s quality and nutritional value.
Lead to production delays. Any clogged vessel affects downstream processes and can lead to shutdowns for manual cleaning.
Increase costs. Delayed production can increase manpower hours. Spoiled material and off-spec batches need to be thrown away, and even a single “bad batch” that escapes quality control can lead to product recalls.
Bulk Powders and Solids Used in Pet Food Manufacturing
Pet food is made from meat and meat by-products, cereal grains such as soybean meal and cornmeal, and liquids such as broth, blood, or water. Other materials may be added to improve palatability, consistency, and texture:
Cereal grains such as cornmeal, soybean meal, barley, bran flakes, cracked wheat
Starches and thickeners like cellulose, carrageenan
Flavor enhancers such as fat, fish solubles, protein, or concentrated flavors
Vitamin and mineral supplements
Proteinaceous adhesives such as collagen and casein
Plasticizing agents
Binders
Emulsifiers
Antioxidants to slow down oxidation and rancidity
Preservatives to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold
Unfortunately, many of these materials can be very difficult to handle, because of a tendency to form fines, segregate during mixing, or clump when exposed to moisture.
These materials can become compact during storage, and form problematic flow patterns in silos and hoppers. Bridging, arching, and ratholing are very common. And for moist or sticky formulas such as canned food, caking and material residue can plague every step of production.
AirSweep®: The Best Flow Aid for Pet Food
Pet food companies – as well as food and agriculture companies that have similar concerns – use AirSweep to improve material flow.
AirSweep releases high-pressure, high-volume air pulses that sweep all material back into the flow stream. It can be used during production to prevent material blocks and ensure blend uniformity, and between runs to flush vessels completely clean.
AirSweep works with some of the biggest manufacturers of pet food and treats, including one of Canada’s largest dry food manufacturers.
Elmira Pet Products had issues with feed blends bridging in the bottom of the bins. Vibrators and pneumatic hammers didn’t work. Operators still had to hit the bins with sledgehammers and climb into the two-story vessel to clean the receiver.
AirSweep provided on-demand flow and even shortened their cleaning time. They use AirSweep VA-12 units to clear material hang-ups in the dry mix bins, and AirSweep VA-06 units to clear kibble fines above the airlock.
The Proof is in the Flow
AirSweep’s precise air pulses are effective for bulk powders and solids used in the pet food industry. Watch the videos:
AirSweep is also used in other industries to promote on-demand flow of even the most challenging bulk materials. Contact us for more information, or to request a material flow test.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on Yoda Would Love the AirSweep Force
Happy Star Wars Day!
Today, let’s talk about The Force since Yoda would love the AirSweep Force.
You use force when you hammer your vessels, and some flow aids like vibrators and bin activators will also physically agitate the material.
That’s brute force: strong, but not precise. You still have leftover material. The constant abuse wears out the vessel, and the noise stresses out your workers.
AirSweep also uses force but in a more efficient way. The nozzles release powerful air pulses, when and where you need them. These break up the material blocks and sweep stagnant material back into the flow stream.
And when you use the force, everything flows with ease: your material, your process, and your entire workday. Watch how easy it can get – and if you want to see how it will work in your plant, we can send you more information and a customized proposal.
As Yoda would say, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Read about how AirSweep succeeded where all other flow aids failed.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on Happy (Less) Labor Day!
This International Labor Day, we’d like to thank all our distributors for all your hard work. You have helped us bring AirSweep to all parts of the world, and serve thousands of clients from every industry.
The Control Concepts team is here to help you succeed and make your job easier. If you haven’t already, please check the distributor portal for resources like:
AirSweep Certificate Course to help you familiarize yourself with the system and confidently answer your customers’ questions
Ready-to-use sales presentations in PowerPoint and PDF formats
Product brochures, competitor comparisons, and case studies you can email to your prospects
Videos that demonstrate how the AirSweep works on different materials
We hope these resources can help you with your sales and marketing efforts. Please let us know if your customers have questions or objections that aren’t currently covered. This can help us improve our content, and give you what you need in order to succeed.
Posted by Control Concepts USA on | Comments Off on The Most Cost-Effective Way to Improve a Material Handling System
Anyone who works in material handling—or the process of moving, processing, and storing materials—knows how even a small issue can snowball into a bigger and more expensive problem. One machine breaks down, and production stalls. One ingredient spoils, and the entire batch is compromised.
What material handling issue gives you the biggest problems? What are some “quick fixes” that you can make that can make a big difference in production speed, quality, and cost? In this post, let’s look at how some companies improved their material handling system and its impact on their bottom line.
Frequent Downtimes
A US-based utilities company uses bituminous waste coal, a mining by-product, to produce clean energy. The thick material—which contains sandstone, clay, and moisture—had a tendency to cake in the feed chutes.
Workers had to enter the chutes to chip at the blocks. This occurred 15 times during each 12-hour shift, taking 20 minutes each time.
Manual cleaning caused downtime and increased labor costs. Workers were also unnecessarily exposed to dust, which can cause damage to the respiratory system through prolonged or repeated inhalation.
The company replaced manual cleaning with an AirSweep system. The AirSweep VA-51 can activate 6 to 8 feet in diameter of material and is effective even for heavy materials such as sandstone and clay.
After installing AirSweep, the plant no longer experienced plugging concerns in the feed chute. They experienced improved productivity and had lower energy costs compared to previous flow aids. “The AirSweep units paid for themselves within 2 weeks!” said the plant engineer.
Poor Product Uniformity
One of the world’s largest tire manufacturers uses carbon black to improve durability and performance. It conducts heat away from the tread and belt area and can reduce rolling resistance.
However, carbon black has a tendency to pack and leave deposits. Bridging above the hopper discharge caused frequent delays, and the material residue led to off-spec batches that had to be discarded.
The company tried fluidizers, but despite running continuously (and consuming a lot of plant air), these still left material residue.
AirSweep proved to be the more cost-effective solution for material handling efficiency. The system flushed away all carbon black residue and used less energy because the pulses were pulsed in a specific sequence and positioned at problem spots.
“AirSweep has provided us with reliable flow and reliable batch uniformity,” said the manufacturer’s engineering technology specialist.
Slow Loading Times
One of the biggest challenges of bulk material handling is loading the final product for transportation to the end-user.
For many years, a major distributor of granulated sugar with multiple locations across the United States had issues with unloading sugar from railcars. Sugar has a tendency to attract moisture, and cake or clump during storage.
The company tried industrial vibrators, which actually made the material more compact. Operators had no choice but to enter the car or do rodding. This affected loading times and worker safety.
Finally, the company found a faster and safer solution: AcoustiClean Sonic Horns. These devices focus sound energy that pushes material in a fast, steady flow. The horns were attached to the railcar’s top access hatch, so all workers had to do was open the hatch and the discharge gate.
Material Pile-Up
If equipment fails, any material that is being loaded or processed can overflow and lead to a material pile-up.
If that occurs, it can take hundreds of manhours just to clean up the mess. A concrete company that processes 250 tons of gravel per hour calculated that it would take 3 people at least 3 hours to shovel one ton. “We would have to shovel for days!”
To prevent the problem, the company installed DAZIC zero speed switches on their conveyor system. Once equipment runs outside of pre-set speed limits, the switches send an alarm to the operator to stop operations.
The DAZIC Zero Speed Switches used by Barnes Concrete cost less than $900 each, and have not broken down after more than a decade of use.
Can We Help You?
Small fixes can give big results. Your material handling system can be improved without very expensive investments or complicated installations and changes to your process. In fact, our AirSweep ROI calculator will show you how our system can actually help you save money, compared to your current flow aids.
Contact us and we’ll be happy to work with you to find a material handling solution and a customized ROI.
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