The Challenge
Pressing powder into complex shapes requires being able to control several critical components – including the consistency of incoming powder, humidity, dispensing, and distribution – in a reliable and manageable way. When our customer determined that their existing pressing system was neither reliable nor easy to manage and maintain they reached out to Samuel Automation.
System Development
We met with the team to better understand their exact needs, challenges and expectations. Once those had been clearly identified, we worked to identify a vendor with an expertise in hydroscopic powder, our customer’s product, and testing powder dispensing equipment.
They helped us better understand scope and capabilities. We were then able to use those insights to create a solution that met our customer’s unique application needs. We began by modifying the press tooling – reducing process complexity and set-up time – before minimizing powder adhesion, allowing for more controlled dispensing, and developing an alternative tooling solution for more even distribution.
The Solution
During our extensive research and prototyping, we made many modifications and reliability improvements before ultimately developing a multi-pronged solution, focused on reliability and verification.
Reliability Features:
• A custom servo-press with integrated tooling functionality to ensure even filling prior to pressing
• A dispense weight operation loop with a downstream weighing operation
• Controlled environmental humidity for the press area and the incoming bulk powder drums
• Environmental humidity control within the system to ensure powder uniformity for dispensing
Verification:
• Improved press control with process monitoring during production, rather than relying on inspection and rejection
• Vision inspection to verify critical product dimensions
• A weighing scale to verify the pressed product and ensure the correct final weight
• 3D scanners to inspect the thickness and complex geometry of the product
With these updates, we were able to create a more reliable and manageable long-term solution, while simplifying processes for our customer and we could help your business in the same way. Contact us today to get started: https://samuelautomation.com/contact-us/
