Lahti Precision supplied Technistone with a fluid hose system for transporting raw materials in the process. After several years of operating experience, the system is still fully operational – the use of the system has not caused any maintenance costs or downtime. Dust generation in manufacturing facilities and electrical energy consumption have also decreased significantly.
Technistone, Inc. produce high-quality, nonporous, composite material, built-up from hard, inorganic, polishable granulates, compactly bound together with a binder and a filler, colored with various pigments, having a smooth, resistant surface, in a variety of sizes and with a wide range of applications.
Lahti Precision’s fluid system solved the filler transport problem
For slabs production we use different kinds of systems for raw material dosing to mixer. One of these transportations was combination of mechanical and pneumatic transportation of filler (microsilica sand, particle size approx. 0,045 mm) from big silos to hoppers above the mixers.
This kind of transportation always caused troubles with abrasion of mechanical parts on mainly screw conveyor side, dusting from the storage and weighing hoppers on pneumatic transportation side, big abrasion on elbows (even they were made of alumina cement). All these problems needed always investment and time for maintenance to be fixed.
In year 2016 we heard something about “some” fluidization hose system. So, we were searching at the internet and find out company Lahti Precision from Finland. We got in contact with sales representative and very quickly managed to arranged meeting at Technistone in Hradec Kralove. After the meeting and internal testing with our material Lahti Precision confirmed that our filler is suitable for fluid hose system transportation.
So, we decided to install two lines as a pilot project to evaluate fluidization hose system performance. Everything was designed, ordered and built and we were able to start operation in June 2017. Performance was great from the beginning. So, we decided to order another four lines which for new mixer installation, we start to use it from March 2018.
“After several years and six years of operating experience, we can say that the fluid system works perfectly”
After more than one-year operation experience with 6 lines we may say this system works perfect. The investment to maintenance is still zero, time of production line stop because of system problem is zero. By this fluid system have been significantly reduced dusting in material preparation hall and electric energy consumption as well.
As production manager said: “We are happy to have this system here, because nobody knows it’s here”.