Factors to Consider Before Purchasing Flow Aids for Your Grain Milling Business
The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) that was recently signed by the Australian and Indonesian governments promises growth for grain milling companies. Therefore, if you are thinking of setting up a wheat milling business, this is the time to take action. However, you need to invest in the right flow aids to facilitate the smooth flow of grains in processing hoppers. Before scouring industrial equipment stores for flow aids, you need to consider a few factors to buy the right flow aids for your business.
Hopper Surface Material -- You cannot operate a grain milling plant without hoppers. The equipment is the inverted pyramid shaped bin into which flour flows for packaging. Therefore, it is essential to know the type of material a hopper is manufactured from; for example, if a hopper is made from tile, installing a pneumatic hammer as a flow aid would be a bad idea. The repetitive blows of the flow aid will damage the tiled surface of the hopper. If you want a pneumatic hammer for a flow aid, make sure that the hopper's material is durable.
Structural Integrity of Hopper Joints -- Criss-crossing overhead pipes and chutes are a common sight in grain milling plants. The tubes are usually joined with either welds or fasteners. Therefore, your choice of flow aid will depend on the structural ability of the joints. If your hoppers are joined to other parts of the milling machine via welds, you need to choose flow aids that use limited movements such as air pads.
The air pads discharge bursts of air inside the hoppers to keep grain flour moving. If you choose flow aids that operate through constant movement such as agitators, the welded joints on the equipment will dislodge after a while. You should only use agitators where a hydraulic mechanism controls the hopper's joints to control the amount of flow aid movement and protect the integrity of the joints.
Size of Discharge Point -- For ground grain to flow at a sufficient rate into sacks for packaging, hoppers need the right size of discharge points. However, different manufacturers make hoppers with different discharge point sizes. If you buy hoppers with a narrow opening, ratholing will be a common occurrence, and it will significantly affect the flow rate. To avoid the issue, you need a flow aid that prevents ratholing. Air pads or air cannons are the best options. A pneumatic hammer, on the other hand, is best for hoppers with broad discharge points.