Powder Jam On Line 3…Stop Production!
By Robert G. McGregor, Sales and Marketing Manager, Brookfield Engineering Laboraties, Inc.
“Quick, get the hammer. Hit the hopper until you can see the powder coming out again. Once you get it going, stay there for a few minutes in case it jams again. Check the fill level and make sure that we have plenty of powder in there. Let me know if you see anything else.”
These words are spoken every day throughout industry when powder feed operations suddenly stop or behave erratically. The brute force solution to bash the hopper may ultimately work, but doesn’t really get to the heart of the problem. Why does the powder stop flowing? Is there a way that this could be predicted beforehand?
Production supervisors know that things seem to start off ok when the hopper is full. But as the hopper empties, flow can become erratic. Is there something that causes things to change with how the powder flows?
Get unlimited access to:
Enter your credentials below to log in. Not yet a member of Food Online? Subscribe today.