Various sizes of AKO pinch valves from the VF range are being used by a powder coating company in the UK.
Pinch Valves used within this application:
DN40, DN50, DN65 & DN80 VF models, air operated, aluminium body, aluminium flanges PN10/16 with mild steel bushings, natural rubber sleeve.
The powder coating company use a spray booth to spray window frames primarily. When the spray booth is in use, any excess powder is sucked out of the spraying chamber and into a holding vessel. When the vessel is full or when there is enough powder built up for the largest pinch valve to open with gravity pressure, the powder drops through into another chamber. The powder is then sucked out once more using a hoover type machine through the smaller sized pinch valve, where it is then either scrapped or reused.
Valve for Powder Coating Application Details
Product: Powder paint
Temperature: Ambient
Pressure: Gravity initially through the largest valve, then vacuum through the smaller valve.
Above: The pinch valve for powder coating is closed, visible through the hole in the bottom of this cone shaped holding vessel. This is where the powder builds up and drops down into the chamber.
Valve for Powder Coating Experience
The AKO Pinch valves used on this site have replaced pinch valves by an alternative manufacturer. They were originally replaced due to too many failures occurring rather frequently. It turned out that the rubber sleeve inside the valves by an alternative manufacturer were not as strong and durable as the AKO sleeves, and would come to the end of their life a lot sooner than expected.
The AKO valves for powder coating have an extremely durable sleeve which folds in the same way every time it closes, handling multiple opening/closing at lightening fast speeds.
So far, this company look to be replacing the rubber sleeve inside the AKO Pinch Valve around every six years. This could be improved to an even longer lifetime if the correct operating procedures are continuously carried out.