Many bulk materials, especially fine powders, are cohesive and do not flow consistently out of the supply hopper during feeding. Such poor flow properties can lead to the formation of rat holes or even material bridges, making it difficult to accurately deliver these materials to the process. The Coperion K-Tron ActiFlow™ Smart Bulk Solid Activator is the perfect solution to avoid this problem. This technology ensures maximum possible optimization of material flow, is easy to clean and has no adverse effect on material properties.
Act instead of react
Coperion K-Tron’s unique ActiFlow Bulk Solid Activator reliably prevents the formation of rat holes or bridges with even the most poorly flowing materials. It consists of the ActiFlow device attached to the outside of the stainless steel hopper and the ActiFlow control module which closely interacts with the KCM-III feeder control module. The ActiFlow device gently activates the material in the hopper with an optimized amplitude and frequency, while the KCM-III, in combination with the ActiFlow control module, continuously adjusts the vibrations as needed to proactively maintain an optimal material flow in the hopper. Thanks to continuous monitoring of the system weight, the feeder control module has the ability to recognize deteriorating material flow in the hopper before a possible mass flow error occurs and take appropriate action. This in turn provides for consistent and highly accurate feeding.
The advantages of ActiFlow over traditional vertical agitators are not only time savings and cost reduction but also improved end product quality. The device is completely non-product-contact which eliminates cleaning and hygiene concerns.
Successful applications
The ActiFlow Smart Bulk Solid Activator has been installed in many different industrial applications around the world and has proven to be a successful alternative to traditional vertical agitation solutions.
ActiFlow can be used with all Coperion K-Tron loss-in-weight feeders equipped with a Coperion K-Tron Control Module (KCM-III) and standard asymmetric hoppers up to 180 dm3 (6.4 ft3).