Solids handling equipment maker, Ajax Equipment, has supplied research instrumentation producer, IGI Systems, with a stainless steel conical hopper with gas purge capability, as part of a prototype Sublimation System for a Low-Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition application.
Ajax Equipment
The hopper includes a variety of features to ensure best performance including manufacture in stainless steel to provide excellent corrosion resistance, while the hopper’s highly polished internal surfaces enhance wall slip which promotes material flow. An external vibrator provides a further aid for flow should it be required.
“It was a pleasure to work with Ajax. Their eagerness to engage with our needs and impressive solids handling expertise helped develop a practical storage solution for our system. The hopper’s fabrication is of high quality, and we are very happy with the finished product,” said Trevor Ingham, director at IGI Systems.
Lewis Shaw, senior technical engineer, Ajax Equipment, said: “Although size limitations meant this hopper is one of the smallest Ajax has ever produced, its design ensures a reliable flow of the granular material being handled. Ajax worked with IGI Systems to provide the best wall angle, construction and surface finish for their application within the available headroom and interface needs. Normally Ajax recommends measuring the bulk solid’s flow properties as one of the first steps of any handling project; in this case testing wasn’t possible due to the solid’s toxicity, but we still utilised our knowledge of best flow practice to develop a suitable design.”