Clamped sleeves on equipment in their primary screening room were unable to effectively contain the product inside the process.
Health and safety concern with excessive product leakage.
Old-style hose clamped silicone flexibles were being used to feed soy powder from a large silo, into rotary sifters and then onto a screw conveyor.
The clamped connectors leaked so severely that the product was constantly being spread throughout the sifter room and the resulting dust in the environment was so extreme that staff simply couldn’t enter the room without a mask.
This was not only a serious concern for the health of the staff, but the constant presence of dust in the plant atmosphere represented a potential explosion risk.
Connectors frequently failed, and staff were also spending hours each day cleaning up the wasted powder that leaked continuously from the equipment transitions. This was not ideal from a production efficiency point of view.
The company were particularly concerned about the potential health and safety risks for their staff, so they contacted local authorized BFM® fitting Distributor Emborio (Shanghai) Ltd, to help solve the problem.
BFM® fitting system provided dramatic improvements.
Emborio recommended installing BFM® fitting’s Seeflex 040E connectors on the transitions to and from the sifters. Due to the BFM® fitting snap-in connectors sitting inside the pipe, their internal fit seals the transition 100% making it a perfect solution for this company’s product leakage problem.
The results have been dramatic.
Since installing the BFM® fittings in the primary screening room, the whole area has become a cleaner and healthier overall working environment. Staff can enter the room without wearing masks and no longer need to spend hours cleaning up spilled product.
The drastic reduction in dust in the environment has also helped reduce the risk of a combustible dust explosion occurring.
Production efficiency and overall staff morale have risen significantly following these changes.
“We are really impressed with how much cleaner and more efficient the sieving room is since installing BFM®,” the production manager commented.
“Staff are much happier and safer working in the environment and there’s no time or money lost cleaning up waste product.”
Connectors are also lasting significantly longer than the previous silicone versions, so there is less downtime needed for replacements.
