Cleaning out material lines running from central dryer to press
By joeprocess
Published: June 10th, 2009
Published: June 10th, 2009
We currently only dry suck our material loading lines by removing the end connected to the dryer and turning on the loader to draw out any pellets that may be in the material line during a changeover. We are looking to improve this process. I've heard of Nerf balls being drawn or pushed through the lines or tennis ball with rag taped to it. What works for you folks? Anything out of the obvious I should be careful of? Any horror stories of things getting stuck in the lines, etc.?
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Joe, Look for the 'skinless
Joe,
Look for the 'skinless ones' they work best. If you can't find them, get with ones with skin and gently get rid of the skin by using a belt sander. It doesn't have to be completely round, it only needs to completely fill the tub when you load it.
If Nerfs don't work, get a piece of low density open cell foam that is thicker than the tube's diameter (home depot sells it as cushion material). Make a "Pig", cut a square sausage four to six inches long. Get it damp and load it through.
Get it soaking wet and then squeeze it as dry as you can.
The dampness holds onto the dust, the sponge wipes the dust off the inside of the tube.
When you turn on the air, the tub is dry in seconds.
Bill
So far we are experimenting
So far we are experimenting with a nerf-type ball. It is one that has a soft, skin-like outside though, not porous. Using it dry right now, but we are going to experiment with static spray as well.
Joe Tell us what you
Joe
Tell us what you did?
Bill
Joe I vote for the wet Nerf
Joe
I vote for the wet Nerf Ball (if you're a tree hugger, a natural sponge also works). Wet it in the sink, squeeze it out, load it into the hose. Since the lines are bout 2" in diameter and the Nerf ball is 4" in diameter there's enough pressure to 'wipe' everything as it passes through the system then spring back as soon as it's done.
The rags, tennis balls and other plugs don't like to go around corners and tend to get jammed up in the hoses. Ugly.
The PIPELINE PIGS have been developed were for municipal pipes to clear out buildup on the walls of pipes. These will scrape, abraid, and/or wipe.
You're only interested in getting the fines and dust out of the hose. Nerfs work well, are cheap, and easy to purchase.
To minimize dust in your hose, buy the ones with electrical grounding wires in them. Less static buildup means less dust to catch.
hope this helps.
Bill
GOOGLE "PIPELINE PIGS" ALOT
GOOGLE "PIPELINE PIGS" ALOT OF COMPANIES MAKE THEM FOR CLEANING PIPELINES.