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Utilizing
the Gemco Porta-Hopper
A manufacturer of ceramics and catalyst materials needed a semi
continuous blending system to produce a support media that is used
in the oil industry. The function of this ceramic catalyst is to
displace the oil that is pumped out of the earth. This catalyst
is injected into the oil well and prevents cave-ins or "Sink Holes"
after the oil is extracted.
The manufacturer decided to expand their facility for producing
this ceramic and they were looking for a versatile blending machine
designed specifically for batch processing. Gemco was contacted
for processing assistance and introduced the Gemco Porta-Hopper
to the ceramics company.
The Porta-Hopper blending System combines blending with transportation
and storage to create a versatile, highly productive system. The
lower half of the blender separates from the drivetop and becomes
a hopper, thereby simplifying material handling, serving storage
requirements and providing ease of cleaning. With the Porta-Hopper,
multiple hoppers allow simultaneous loading, blending and discharging.
The Gemco Porta-Hopper was selected by the manufacturer as a key
machine due to its unique, internationally patented design. The
Porta-Hopper fit very well into the overall design concept of their
new facility was designed around the Porta-Hopper system. At this
plant, the powder blending process is broken down into a four-station
operation. The hopper is placed on a conveyer track and it moves
from station to station. This saved labor cost as the entire process
can be conducted by one operator.
Step one of the operation is the primary component filling station.
The hopper is loaded with five ingredients from screw conveyers.
The amount added is controlled by a weigh scale, which lies underneath
the conveyer track. Moving on to station two, the hopper gets additional
material from an overhead ring that is fed by nearly 20 other overhead
bins. These are the minor ingredients to the process. As the hopper
is moved along, the next step it encounters is blending. The hopper
is placed under the Porta-Hopper drive-top, raised by four pneumatic
cylinders and rotated at 13 rpm by a 3 horsepower motor. The internal
agitator, driven by a 7.5 hp motor, facilitates particle sizing
as well as further mixing of the material. Once the material has
been thoroughly blended, the hopper is lowered back onto the conveyor
track and moved to the final station. Here, the material in the
hopper is discharged by way of vacuum to the ceramic blender where
liquid is added.
This entire process is completely automated and requires only one
operator. The system is capable of processing 6000 lbs. per hour
utilizing only one 20 cubic foot Gemco Porta-Hopper drivetop with
five hoppers. The Porta-Hopper was chosen for its versatile ability
to blend various densities and act as a uniform homogenizer.
Efficient blending, material handling, versatility with minimal
operator interface were the most important questions. Asked of their
process. The answer, Gemco's Porta-Hopper Blending system.
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