News from Powder Processing & Technology, LLC

PPT Makes Investments to Support Growth

We believe that this is an exciting time to be in the materials business and PPT is investing to support new clients and the growth associated with existing customers. In the last 12 months PPT has added the following capability:  

• Newly Acquired Equipment Capability

              PPT is in the process of acquiring the following equipment:
                     1.   Two Rotary Indirect Calciners - Both are 61 cm (24 inch) diameter by 9 m (30 feet) long with a maximum firing
                                    temperature of 1100 °C (2010 °F).
                     2.   One Stainless Steel Double Cone Blender - It has a 3.4 m³ (120 ft³) working capacity.
              One of the calciners will be installed by the beginning of April to support growth in our electronic powders business.
              The remaining calciner and the blender will be held in reserve for future opportunities

• A New Powder Production Facility

A growing new business required specialty and dedicated processing equipment. PPT has completed the installation of a 0.6 m (24”) diameter x 7.3 m (24’) rotary calciner capable of firing to 1100 °C (2010 °F) and expects final qualification this month.

At the end of 2010, PPT set up in a dedicated plant space of 525 m² (5650 ft²), a spray drying facility, including a 3.4 m (11’) diameter Anhydro spray dryer and several slurry preparation and storage tanks and mixers. With the addition of the calciner this product will be processed entirely within this new facility with enough capacity to support our customer for the next three years.

• Wet Ball Milling System – Alumina

PPT has seen an increasing need for alumina milling capability in the last few years. Over the last 12 months we have been installing a series of alumina lined ball mills with dimensions of 1.5 m diameter x 1.8 m long (5’ x 6’). The last of the 6 mills was installed earlier this year. To support this investment, PPT also installed a 1000 liter (264 gallon) capacity ball mill with high alumina media in our pilot plant. We can conduct trials on a pilot scale before moving on to production. The production mills are in close proximity to our 4.9 m diameter (16’) and 5.5 m diameter (18’) Niro Spray Dryers for flexibility in processing conditions and scheduling of milled slurry spray drying.

• New Blending Facility

PPT completed in September the installation of a new blending facility. This stand alone facility of 260 m² (2800 ft²) includes a 4.4 m³ (155 ft³) double cone blender and associated material handling. The facility can handle one metric ton (2200 lbs.) super sacks and the blender has a load capacity, depending on density, of up to 2 metric tons (4400 lbs.). This facility was installed to support new customers and provides a new capability for PPT.

• Shuttle Kiln

To support mid capacity firing projects, PPT recently purchased and installed a Nabertherm Shuttle Kiln. The kiln has a 5 m³ (180 ft³) firing capacity and can fire up to 1340 °C (2450 °F). Located in our Pilot Plant, the kiln is sized to handle initial technology commercialization and mid-volume production.

• Particle Size Analyzer

Particle size analysis is a critical requirement for many of the development projects in which PPT is engaged. It is crucial that we maintain state of the art capabilities to ensure we can keep up with the analytical demands of our customers. PPT acquired in July a new Cilas 1090L Dual Laser High Resolution Analyzer. This system also includes a Cilas ExpertShape Image Analysis System.

The Cilas Analyzer has particle size measurement capability of 0.04 to 500 microns. This equipment is a substantial improvement over our previous measurement system and will enable us to more effectively translate the needs of customers to process performance. The Analyzer is fully implemented.

• Dust Control Equipment

PPT is committed to Health, Safety and Environmental compliance. Powders, and the dust they can cause, can be difficult to control and can become a safety concern, as well as a source of contamination.

Over the last 12 months PPT has acquired a total of 6 new dust control systems to monitor dust in various process areas. They come in different sizes and configurations, but all were purchased to meet the demands for dust control in the areas in which they are located.