Flexicon bag dump stations have become a ‘must-have’ at Ameron International’s manufacturing plant which produces protective PVC lining products for large concrete sewer pipes. The bag dump stations with their high velocity fans and two-stage filtration system have dramatically improved the working environment, drawing airborne dust away from the operator whilst also reducing build-up on machine surfaces. In addition, the performance of a Flexicon screw conveyor for handling a difficult paste-like material has improved transfer rates six-fold.
Production of the PVC linings require precise quantities of titanium dioxide (TiO2) to be weighed and blended with a PVC resin prior to extrusion of the compound, to impart UV resistance and a translucent white colour. With the company’s previous mixing process it was difficult to contain dust. Plant personnel cut open bags of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and shoveled the powder into a bucket on a scale. When the net weight of TiO2 reached 2.7kg it was dumped into a blender containing 137kg of PVC – a 2 per cent concentration.
Handling the powder in an open environment produced dust. “If you open a bag of titanium dioxide and dump it, the powder can become airborne,” explains James Gross, a product engineer at the Ameron plant. TiO2 powder is difficult to handle since it is cohesive and compressible, tending to pack, cake, bridge and otherwise resist flow. “It’s a powder that acts almost like a paste, so it’s problematic to move,” says Gross. With the Flexicon system an operator can empty the filled bucket into the blender without removing it from the dust-containment box, titanium dioxide is thus contained throughout the system. “The system has effectively contained dust,” Gross reports. In addition to protecting workers and keeping the surrounding plant area clean, the system reduces material waste and eliminates the need to clean a remote dust-collection site.
