An original equipment manufacturer are using DN150 AKO Manual Pinch Valves (OV150.03.30M) as vital parts to some of their vacuum machinery. Their most popular vacuum collection vessels are Filter Hoppers.
Dispensing Material into Bags & Drums Controlled with Pinch Valves
Valves for Vacuum Filter Hoppers Application Details
Product: Cement or granules or aggregates or dust
Temperature: Ambient
Pressure: 500mB of vacuum pressure
Position of Valve: Horizontal
Pinch Valve is normally closed
AKO Pinch Valves for Vacuum Filter Hoppers Replace Slide Valves
Material is vacuumed into the Filter Hopper where it can then be dispensed into 1-Ton FIBC Big Bags, Drums etc.
The OEM normally install a sliding valve to the Hoppers, but for use with abrasive product like shot blast etc, this can wear the valve plate away. Therefore, for use with abrasive product the OEM have been fitting Hoppers with AKO 6”/DN150 rubber pinch valves instead, to reduce wear.
The OV type manual Pinch Valve is supplied epoxy powder paint coated in orange, but this company have painted the valves red to match their branding and equipment.
Pinch Valve used within this application: OV150.03.30M
OV range, manually operated via hand wheel, aluminium body, aluminium flanges PN10/16, natural rubber sleeve.
Pinch Valves for vacuum filter hoppers have been used here for 20-30 years due to the simplicity of the product. The knife gate valves that were previously being used were also not giving a 100% tight seal of the product.
Valves for vacuum hoppers and filter vessels are vital parts of machinery for the process of bag or sack filling. The choice of valve used needs to be reliable to ensure a tight shut off of the product and to avoid any spillages.
The term ‘fit and forget’ is often used by engineers with Pinch Valves, because the valve can be installed and simply forgotten about while it is left alone to do it’s job.
There are no additional parts such as rings, seals, packing etc to the Pinch Valve, making it’s total cost of ownership very good. In comparison to other conventional style valves such as ball valves, slide gate valves etc, more spares are required.
For further information about the OV type hand operated pinch valve, as well as other types, please see manual pinch valves.