Product category:
Compressors and Air Treatment
News Release from: Beko Technologies | Subject: Drypoint M
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 09 June 2003
Air dryer cuts moisture and saves costs
As one of the largest bedroom furniture producers in the UK, Alston Cabinets likes to keep its tools sharp.
As one of the largest bedroom furniture producers in the UK, Alston Cabinets likes to keep its tools sharp That's why its Vollmer QM110 PCD (polycrystalline diamond) grinding tool works all night, some nights to get the factory's diamond tipped cutting tools as sharp as possible
However, up until six months ago this nightly activity was a bit of a grind in more ways than one, with the problems of wasted energy and an impeded performance needing to be solved.
Part of the Alston Furniture Company, Alston Cabinets produces bedroom furniture from a five acre site in Ipswich which employs over 250 people.
Most of the factory's machinery is electropneumatic and powered by three 55kW Worthington compressors.
Alstons' Engineering Manager Gerry Clark explained the tool sharpening procedure and why it needed improvement: "The factory shuts down at five each day, but the grinding tool can be kept running overnight - it does take a long time to sharpen the diamond tipped tools we use here, which comprise mainly woodworking equipment.
We were running one of our three 55kW compressors to power the grinding tool, but the tool only required a fraction of the air the compressor was generating, wasting a lot of money.
"On top of that the shaft and bearing housing of the grinding tool was pressurised with compressed air, which if the air is untreated, brings moisture into the system.
This negates the purpose of the sealed housing and prevents the grinding tool acting at maximum efficiency.
Moisture would also add to the inevitable risk of corrosion and rust to the grinding equipment and the tools it was sharpening".
Gerry Clark contacted Terry Lofts, Regional Director of compressed air equipment dealer Eastern Compressors in nearby Norwich, to discuss the best solution to his problems.
In view of Alston's requirements, Lofts recommended buying a smaller 2.2kW Abac compressor that was dedicated to the grinding tool and used only the power the tool needed.
"As the grinding tool was running through the night, the wasted energy was really adding up", explained Lofts.
"The cost of buying the smaller compressor would soon be recouped in the savings of only using the power needed for the job".
As for the moisture problem, Lofts recommended that a Beko Drypoint M membrane dryer was fitted to the Abac to dry the compressed air that was being supplied to the grinding tool.
"The Drypoint is what I call 'elegant' technology", explained Terry, "so simple but so effective - for a start it uses the air passing through it as a power source.
The moist compressed air enters the Drypoint and flows through a bundle of highly selective hollow fibre membranes.
Water vapour diffuses through the membranes to the outside.
At the outlet of the Drypoint module, a partial flow of the compressed air is diverted through a nozzle and released.
The relative humidity of the purge air falls drastically as a result of the release.
This purge air flows back over the outer surface of the hollow fibres.
As only water vapour is able to penetrate through the membrane, the differences in relative humidity between compressed air and purge air cause humidity exchange to occur - the compressed air is dried".
Alstons has been using the Drypoint M/Abac combination for six months and has been very pleased with its effectiveness.
As well as the cost savings and improved sharpening performance, the Drypoint M also takes up little space on the factory floor.
Alston Cabinets is no stranger to Beko Technologies.
There are already three Bekomats on site, one on each of the main compressors, to remove condensate where it accumulates without any unnecessary loss of compressed air, as well as two Clearpoint's to provide more efficient, cost effective air filtration in the system.
As most of the factory's machinery is electropneumatic, it is essential that power is not lost through the filtration process, which would result in raising production costs. Request a free brochure from Beko Technologies ...
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