Feeder Selection for the Color Concentrate Process

Walt Folkl
Brabender

The challenge to reliably handle and feed dry ingredients into the twin screw extruder, or other continuous processing device, requires careful selection. This paper presents an overview of the mechanical devices and controls available for metering both dry and liquid ingredients to the Extrusion Process. The feeders for this process can be volumetric or continuous loss-in-weight. Principle of operation with some helpful dos and don’ts will be presented. Feeder sizing, refill frequency and, refill rates. Dust collection to preserve ingredients in the feeder, flexible seals and other issues. Cleanout and quick ingredient changeover considerations along with quick cleaning concepts. On-line Feed rate verification a recent development providing quality assurance testing without disturbing the Production Process will also be reviewed.