How to improve product flow
The solutions of KSE
Getting ingredients out of a silo is not always as easy as it seems. Some products will flow more easily than others. Silos that haven’t been used for a while, may have internally compressed product blocking the output. Screw dosing systems may have pushed a lot of the product against one of the sides thus creating more blockages. Small output surfaces may cause bridging inside the silo, complicating the dosing process. An often-seen remedy is using a big hammer and beating the side of the silo to remove blockages. However, KSE has come up with several ways to improve product flow.
The most important way to improve product flow is to have a dosing slide at the end of the silo/bin. There are also some additional modifications that can be added to the product inlet funnels that will loosen product inside the funnel. Finally, one of KSE’s specialties is the use of flexible silos.
The ALFRA dosing slide
The heart of any ALFRA dosing equipment is the ALFRA dosing slide. It consists of 2 grids on top of each other. The top one opens and closes – powered by hydraulic piston – thereby creating a gap which leads into the weighing hopper. First, the surface of a dosing slide is much bigger than for a conventional screw dosing system. This will result in less bridging inside the silo. Furthermore, the product inside the silo will drop as gravity pulls it out of the silo as soon as the dosing slide opens. And finally, the oscillating movement of the dosing slide when operating, activates the material directly above the grid which will then start the major flow of product.
Helping the flow
Over time, KSE has developed additional tools to help product flow, such as agitators inside the product inlet funnel. These agitators look like flour mixers that are powered by an electric motor. These mixers will loosen up any caked powders and/or disturb bridges to the point of collapsing.
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Flexible silos with air bellows
The final stage to improve the product flow that KSE can offer are flexible silos. These silos are made from a synthetic fabric that has been strengthened with steel wire and can be coated to keep out humidity. These flexible silos are then suspended in a structure and keep their form (square-ish) thanks to a steel frame. Additionally, between the flex silo and the steel inlet funnel, there is room for air bellows that will agitate the product at the bottom of the silo as the dosing slide is activated.