How must silos and conveying systems suitable for PLEXIGLAS^® molding compound be constructed?

PLEXIGLAS^® molding compound is usually employed to manufacture highly transparent, brilliant moldings. Even the tiniest impurities (e.g. fines from feed piping) may reduce the brilliance or optical properties. It is therefore very important to select the optimum material for building silos.

Since PLEXIGLAS^® pellets are very hard and therefore have an abrasive effect, silos made of plastics should not be used. All feed pipes to the silo and from the silo to the consumer equipment (e.g. drier, machine, etc.) should be made of stainless steel (V2A 1.4541 or V4A 1.4571). The air used for conveying the material should be cleaned via a 5-micrometer filter.

Special recommendations:

• All bends in the feed pipes should have a radius = 10 D
• It must be ensured that no gaskets protrude into the pipes.
• Silo throat cone: The cone should not be too flat, so as to ensure regular product discharge (so-called mass flow). An angle of 60° has proved suitable. Flatter angles pose a risk of core flow, and finely dispersed compound (fines) accumulates along the sides. These fines then enter the product flow in batches, and may cause clogging or processing problems, especially when the silo is emptied.

We assist our customers with special, detailed advice and planning for the construction of silos.

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