Precision Gear Metering Pump Provides Scented Plastic Bag Manufacturer Accurate and Consistent Continuous Pulse-Free Process

Pump buy return on funding may be measured in days

By Mike Libbey, Area Sales Manager CIRCOR and Bob Limper, Business Development Manager CIRCOR

A international manufacturer of scented plastic garbage luggage was in search of a substitute for using pre-scented plastic pellets. A serendipitous encounter at a tradeshow led them to a precision gear metering pump resolution that gave them accuracy and consistency at the low flow rates required, whereas also lowering their costs and enhancing worker well being. Yearly savings are so high that the return on funding for the pump system can be measured in days.
Seeking another for pricey pre-scented plastic pellets

A global manufacturer of scented plastic garbage luggage was in search of an alternative selection to using pre-scented plastic pellets, which required a devoted silo for every of the 20 available fragrances. The pellets are pneumatically conveyed to each silo from either tanker vehicles or rail automobiles and the manufacturer was experiencing logistical issues related to maintaining the silos stuffed. They additionally had to carry high costs for sustaining the inventory of the pre-scented pellets.
In addition, the closely concentrated scents had been causing health considerations for the employees who complained of headaches. To mitigate this problem, each extruder line was fitted with a vacuum exhaust hood to expel the fumes to the outdoors. On occasion, these emissions led to complaints from neighbors and citations from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The company was in search of a way to use plain plastic pellets and apply scented oil directly to the plastic sheet instantly after the extrusion process to reduce costs, logistical challenges, and power use. They had tried to construct such a system in-house however had struggled to achieve accuracy and consistency on the low move rates they required. They determined to hunt a pump-based resolution that would directly spray fragrance on the warm melted sheet plastic because the in-house answer could not meet rigorous quality control standards requiring the spray-on scent to exactly match that of pre-scented pellets.
Finding an answer on a tradeshow floor

Design engineers from the plastic bag manufacturer attending the PackExpo present noticed a working demonstration of precision gear metering pumps made by Zenith and asked utility experts if the pumps could be a fit with their software. After collecting data on the application, an space manager for the pump manufacturer with intensive experience in dosing and mixing methods visited the plant to get a firsthand view of present operations and collect extra info.
Working with ไดอะแฟรม ’s design group they developed a system resolution using a Zenith B-9000 Series rotary positive displacement pump particularly designed for single stream chemical obligation functions. The pump features an accurate, repeatable, pulse free flow in a compact design best for dosing components such as colors, flavors, and fragrances.
This sort of pump is defined as rotary as a end result of the drive shaft is rotated as compared to different types of pumps utilizing a reciprocating movement and can additionally be thought of to be a optimistic displacement kind as a outcome of the displaced volume is fixed and doesn’t differ.
Pumping action is achieved by filling the gear enamel spaces and transporting the fluid across the outer diameter of the gears. When the gear enamel mesh, the fluid is displaced and compelled to the outlet side of the pump. The circulate rate can only be adjusted by increasing or lowering the speed at which the shaft is rotated. The pump chosen presents precision grinding and lapping processes that end in a precision metering instrument, producing precise, pulse-less, and repeatable fluid circulate.
The pumps offer extremely tight operating clearances to reduce fluid slip. Manufacturing tolerances on many components are to +/- 50 millionths of inch with floor finishes as smooth as four micro inches or higher. The pumps are provided with an AC “closed loop” motor pace controller to maintain zero.1 percent pump speed accuracy.
The Zenith 9000 series pump is out there in 11 sizes with capacities ranging from .003 to 300 GPH. Wetted components can be found in via hardened 440C series chrome steel, specialty handled 316 chrome steel, and prime quality device steels similar to D2, M2, M4 and CPM-M4 to offer good corrosion and abrasion resistance.
The bag producer selected a model with a magnetic drive (mag-drive) sealing option, which can remove shaft leakage of fluids, increasing plant safety and reducing unstable natural compound emissions. The use of a magnetic coupling additionally eliminates downtime as a end result of mechanical seal failures and eliminates the need for buffer fluids.
New resolution reduces prices and offers uniform fragrance distribution

The new Zenith pump system gave the scented bag manufacturer a continuous, pulse free course of, which guarantees equal and uniform perfume distribution. By including the scent directly to the baggage after leaving the extruder, the plastic bag manufacturer not solely eliminated the necessity to have separate pellet silos for each scent, but also eliminated the necessity to vent the fumes that come from the pellets as they travel from the silos to the extruders.
The producer bought the primary system and after profitable trials, ordered six extra systems. Over the previous two years they’ve purchased greater than 30 systems, with plans to order extra. The producer can be thinking about having Zenith conduct annual area calibrations of every system.
After two years of operation, the producer estimates a yearly financial savings of approximately $480,000 per skid in operation. With 30 skids now operating, the return on funding for every system buy could be measured in weeks. To date, there have been no odor complaints since the buyer put in the Zenith systems

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