Screening Fine Metal Powders

A manufacturer of metallic pigments for paints and coatings was looking for a solution to check-screen copper / zinc alloy. The powder paint particles needed to be separated into a defined particle size to pass through the spray nozzle. Any oversize particles would cause blockages in the paint nozzle, resulting in production downtime and reducing productivity.

Using a conventional separator, the mesh apertures would quickly block up resulting in reduced flow rates and loss of good product. As demonstrated in the video at http://youtu.be/E0y6AaMrFXI, using the high performance Finex Separator™ fitted with the Russell Vibrasonic® Deblinding System allows the manufacturer to screen the alloy consistently and effectively.

Production begins with the product being ground in a ball mill before being transported into a cyclone. From the cyclone the product is fed via a rotary airlock into the Finex Separator™. Any oversize goes back to the mill where it is re-ground and fed through the process again.

All the good product is dropped in the hopper or drum below the vibratory separator. It is important for the material to be of a particular size so that it can be fed through the paint nozzle and will not cause blockages. A uniform material size also ensures fewer irregularities when the spray is applied to the surface of another material.

Russell Finex have been working within the powder coatings industry for 80 years. Our experience ensures that we can provide the ideal machine for all processing needs.