GEA launches its R55 industrial rotary press for powder compaction
April 17, 2019
GEA’s new R55 industrial rotary press (Courtesy GEA Group AG)
GEA Group AG, Düsseldorf, Germany, debuted its new R55 industrial rotary press during Powtech 2019 in Nuremberg, Germany, April 9–11, 2019. The fully-automated R55 is capable of compacting a range of materials for the production of products including hard metals, nuclear fuel pellets, batteries, confectionary and pharmaceuticals.
The new press is said to incorporate the latest technologies to help ensure flexibility, precision, operator safety and minimal maintenance requirements. It is available with a number of optional features designed to improve and expedite the production process while providing higher levels of control, and is reportedly capable of outputting more than 30,000 products per hour at a maximum compression force of 130 kN.
The system’s top and bottom air compensators are designed to enable truly symmetric constant-density compression, while a hold down/hold up system provides a method by which to control vertical stresses during ejection. This enables the R55 to emulate the functionality of both hydraulic and electric single-stroke presses while providing a higher output.
To reduce the risk of damage to products, the press also incorporates a takeoff wheel, replacing the conventional ejection bar, for the removal of fragile parts horizontally from the press directly onto a conveyor belt. In addition, continuous powder flow is said to ensure a narrow weight distribution. Gentle pre-compression also facilitates powder deaeration, and prepares the formulation for its final compression between two large compression rollers.
During press operation, GEA’s In-line Density Control (IDC) measures the diameter and height of all tablets and weighs up to 100 products per minute. Where variations are identified, through instant density calculations, the press will adjust its compression force and fill depth to keep the average part density and height constant.
