Safe and reliable conveying of sensitive pellets
Task definition
An ammunition manufacturer produces pellets made of a red phosphorus mixture for the production of smoke grenades. The pellets are pressed under stringent safety standards and then stacked in the grenade shell in an interlocking pattern.
Due to the very brittle and fragile material as well as its high flammability, special demands were placed on the conveyor technology for internal transportation. The pellets have to be conveyed from two presses to a manual assembly workstation where final assembly takes place. During the conveying, fine to coarse material residues are produced, which must be safely collected.
In addition to gentle transportation, it was also important to prevent electrostatic charging. The conveyor solution therefore had to be fully ESD-compliant and ensure safe, clean and reliable operation. There were no ATEX requirements.
Solution from mk
A conveyor line based on the Versaflex P08 flat top chain conveyor in ESD design was used to achieve the conveying task. The system is specially designed for sensitive and safety-critical products.
In order to reliably prevent electrostatic charging and sparks, all the conveyor technology was designed to be ESD compliant. The system comprises an antistatic conveyor chain, ESD-compatible plastic components with a maximum surface resistance of < 10⁶ Ω and wear strips made of ESD material. A comprehensive grounding concept with an earth terminal and a sliding contact in the tail area ensures the controlled dissipation of electrostatic charges. The implementation was documented with appropriate measurement logs.
The pellet residues generated during transportation fall through the conveyor chain into the conveyor frame. The residues are continuously extracted and collected by several integrated extraction nozzles. This ensures both the return of the material and clean and trouble-free operation of the conveyor chain.
Customer benefits
- Safe and reliable conveying of highly sensitive, flammable pellets
- Reduced ignition risk thanks to consistent ESD measures
- Clean system operation thanks to targeted collection and extraction of material residues
- High process reliability and system availability
- Fulfilment of stringent safety standards without additional ATEX design
Products used
> Versaflex P08 flat top chain conveyor
