Material agglomeration is used in a wide range of industries, from corporations manufacturing special chemicals to agricultural and mining organizations. The process provides plenty of benefits that help companies to stay on top of the demands of the ever-growing global economy. To keep your company at the forefront of your industry, explore the benefits of material agglomeration and the importance of this process.
What Does Material Agglomeration Mean?
Material agglomeration encourages the collectivity of fine materials refined via pressurization or tumbling. This tumbling process helps to force material into a well-rounded granule, similar to how snowballs form in the sky. An essential part of agglomeration is that the particles bonded together are still visible after the process is complete.
Agglomeration can include a cluster of particles held together by a physical bond, a chemical bond, or a scrambled assembly of products otherwise isolated from one another. The process is also referred to as pelletizing, tumble-growth agglomeration, or non-pressure agglomeration and is relied upon by many industries to ensure the strength and integrity of their products.
What Tools Are Used to Agglomerate?
With so many different ways to agglomerate material, various tools are used to get the job Tumbling requires products to bind the particles together and is one of the ways that products like small candies are created. Pressurization requires compacting particles and powdered materials into specific shapes, which is usually how more complex developments like tablets are created. Chemical forces like heating require products that can withstand extreme heat and melt these materials together. Some common tools used to agglomerate products include:
- Agglomerators/Granulation or Rotary Drums
- Pugmill Mixers
- Disc Pelletizers
- Pin Mixers
Why Agglomeration Is Important
The purpose of agglomeration processes is to provide a safe and stable environment to control the molding and blending of products into desired densities and shapes. Previous methods were much more uncontrolled, leading to dusting, caking or sticking, and dangerous working conditions. Additionally, agglomeration allows waste material to be converted into effective or essential products. Overall, this unique and advanced process provides safety, ease of production, and improved profit margins for organizations in various industries. Explore some more of the benefits of agglomeration below.
Reduce Health Risks Associated With Dusting
Powder-based products — the ones more commonly used during the agglomeration process — present health risks to workers in manufacturing environments. Instead of inhaling dangerous chemicals and fumes, a controlled agglomeration ensures a safer and more comfortable working environment.
Product Density
Manufacturers are granted much more control over their products’ dissolution properties. This is highly beneficial for products like water treatment chemicals that demand lengthy periods to dissolve thoroughly.
Maintain the Integrity of the Product
Product integrity during the manufacturing process is the only way to ensure adequate product performance on a small and large scale. Agglomeration properly compacts materials, and avoiding this process leaves your items at risk of premature failures.
Control Flowability
During uncontrolled agglomeration, products are at risk of sticking and caking as they lay unbothered for extended periods. During controlled agglomerations, manufacturers can ensure products are in the proper sizes and shapes to avoid the annoyance of sticking and caking.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
As discussed, agglomeration keeps waste material out of landfills or worse — bodies of water used for drinking or natural purposes — it can even turn this waste into a valuable and marketable product. Things like sludge and unsalable limestone fines can become useful products for years to come.
Proper Material Agglomeration Requires the Right Tools — Secure Yours From JERSEY CRUSHER
Having the right tools is the only way to ensure that your agglomerations goals are completed successfully. Get yours from JERSEY CRUSHER! We offer high-quality products like our Lump Abradors and Particle-izers that use advanced technology to reduce and agglomerate material for your industry’s needs. Contact us today to learn more about the capabilities of our appliances and how they can help you reach your goals.