Page 23 - OHS, May 2022

ahead of rising materials costs, a major paint producer wanted to automatically reclaim and return the captured dust back into the process using a vacuum conveyor.
ThThe process of reclaiming materials with vacuum conveyors is fairly simple. ThThe captured dust included several fifine powders, including Titanium Dioxide, which posed challenges such as sticking, bridging, clogging and ratholing. Aside from optimizing the vacuum conveying system to handle the challenging of the material’s characteristics and customizing the transitions to return the collected dust to tank, the system was fairly standard.
The process is now zero-waste, the operators no longer need to wear respirators (a common benefit of vacuum conveyors) and the vacuum conveyor prevents the dust collector from experiencing a costly backup that requires downtime to remedy. Reducing downtime is a great motivator to automate materials handling with safer vacuum conveyors—especially in industries where frequent cleaning and sanitation is mandatory.
For a global nutraceutical and functional foods contract manufacturer, air-powered mobile vacuum conveyors are the panacea for efficiency and cost savings on their powder filling lines. The ten venturi-powered mobile conveyors at its facility conform to FSMA sanitation regulations and require no tools or special mechanical skills to disassemble for product change-over.
With mobile units, rolling the conveyor away from other machinery and lowering the receiver allows safe simultaneous
cleaning of both the conveyor and machine, instead of one aftfter the other, delivering signifificant cost savings on changeover and assembly. Because vacuum conveyors have no moving parts, maintenance is minimal compared to the screw conveyors and hoppers the contract manufacturer has phased out. ThThe ability for a single mobile conveyor to service multiple processes results in higher equipment utilization rates.
Automating manual materials handling with fully enclosed vacuum conveyors provide a safer working environment by preventing potentially harmful fugitive dusts from escaping and eliminates ergonomic and fall hazards associated with open manual handling. With current labor shortages, rising inflation, and supply chain issues, manufacturers need to embrace every efficiency they can. Automating with vacuum conveyors is an investment that delivers multifaceted cost benefits.
Doan Pendleton is President of VAC-U-MAX. REFERENCES
1. https://business.libertymutual.com/insights/how-automation-in- manufacturing-can-improve-worker-safety-satisfaction-and-productivity/
2. https://business.libertymutual.com/insights/labor-shortage-in- manufacturing-causes-risks-and-solutions/
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MAY 2022 | Occupational Health & S2a/1f/2e2ty5:10 P1M9
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