PATENTED - The plastics and silicone rubber extrusion molding industry (US $16-billion) has been plagued for decades by a problem approaching crisis proportions in light of health care, safety and the expense due to frequent plant shutdowns and maintenance.

 

Molders using rubber or silicone extrusion as part of their manufacturing process use a dusting process to speed production. As the extruded material exits the die plate of the extruder, it is hot and tacky. Dusting the extrusion with a powder coating of talcum or cornstarch enables the manufacturer to move the product quickly to the next phase of production without having to wait for the product to cool completely. The problem is that existing commercial dusting equipment is extremely inefficient leading to a loss of a high percentage of the free dust into the atmosphere coating not only the extrusion, but also the entire factory and workers. The resulting contamination of the manufacturing area results in expensive cleanup costs, costly downtime for the production line and potential safety fines along with increased health costs due to respiratory and other problems caused by airborne contaminants.

 

Our patented TurboStatic Vortex Duster™ is revolutionary in that it captures and recycles all dusting material which doesn’t adhere to the product as it passes through the dusting head. In addition, the design allows for the thorough dusting of complex extrusions of any shape…all without releasing dusting material into the atmosphere…while providing the extrusion with efficient and uniform coatings — no other product in the market can do this!

 

The dusting head creates a vortex effect similar in concept to a tornado. The vortex draws residual dusting material to the center of the head where it is recirculated through the filter system. The vortex created by the dusting material coats extrusions at all radial angles, ensuring optimum coatings, even on difficult applications. The vortex effect is so powerful that it pulls in and filters clean 325 cubic feet of factory air per minute during operation. The filters are capable of filtering below 0.05 microns -- all never need cleaning or purging.

 

The TurboStatic Vortex Duster™ operates at the maximum extrusion speed of currently available molder up to four inches in diameter. Larger sizes are accommodated through different head designs. The TurboStatic Vortex Duster™ is mobile and can be moved around the plant as required. The dusting head rotates to any angle and is mounted on an adjustable boom which can be set to any angle from 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

 

The TurboStatic Vortex Duster™ easily pays for itself and more through recovery of previously lost dusting material, much higher efficiency in difficult dusting applications, and the elimination of having to shut down manufacturing lines each shift in order to clean dust contaminates from work areas. Plants utilizing the TurboStatic Vortex Duster™ will realize a benefit from having healthier workers that are no longer exposed to lung-irritating dusting materials.