Extrusion International USA 5-2020

25 Extrusion International 5/2020 The Process Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (PEMA) and the Bulk Solids Innovation Center (BSIC) at Kansas State Uni- versity announced the establishment of a partnership. “PEMA members will have access to unique educational, consulting and testing services through this partnership,” explained PEMAPresi- dent Rod Henricks. “Likewise, PEMA members will be a first line resource for the BSIC when needs arise.” Opening five years ago, BSIC is the only university facility and staff inNorthAmerica dedicated to helping industrial companies with education, consulting, testing services, and research related to bulk solids. BSIC’s 12,000 square feet facility includes six labo- ratory rooms with test bench equipment for measurement and characterization of material properties, while providing addi- tional room for client research projects. BSIC features a full-scale bay with a large variety of equipment for testing and studying hopper flow, chutes, conveying, filtering, flow aids, blending, separating, and the like. The facility is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation, most of it donated by more than 25 companies, many of which are PEMAmembers. BSIC Services Available: The Bulk Solid Center provides essential services to industrial companies, and therefore all of its services are fully operational, even during COVID-19 shutdowns. The following services are available to assist industrial companies. • Material Testing Services – Tests are used to evaluate mate- rial properties and make recommendations relative to stor- age, flow, conveying, segregation, mixing, fluidization, air fil- tration, and more. Test examples include flow function, wall friction, particles size and shape, moisture analysis, and wear/ abrasion. • Full-Scale Research and Consulting Projects – BSIC provides facilities and university staff expertise to help companies trouble- shoot material or process issues, conduct trial runs, or plan how to scale-up from the lab or pilot plant. • Education Short Courses – BSIC short courses, valued for the combinationof theory, practical application, andhands-on learn- ing, and not available at most colleges, will be offered again in- person in 2021. BSIC is launching an online Bulk Solids Academy in November. These online courses will be comprised of 50% lecture and 50%demonstrations on real equipment, with discus- sion and questions and answers. Through this partnership, PEMA members will receive discount- ed education; access to material testing, consulting, advice, and troubleshooting; access to equipment testing facilities; a place where customers can do full-scale testing or scale-up of pro- cesses; and information on latest technology or trends. Using the resources provided by BSIC, and independent laboratory, will provide additional credibility for PEMA members, and with permission, PEMA members can use the BSIC name and logo on their websites and in advertising to demonstrate this affiliation. PEMA members are, and will continue to be, a valued resource for BSIC. BSICwill seek counsel first fromPEMAmemberswhen it needs help, advice, or equipment to help solve a customer’s spe- cific issue. Additionally, PEMAmembers will be BSIC’s first source for new equipment for the Center and for course instructors. Cooperation PEMA www.pemanet.org BSIC at Kansas State University https://bulk-solids.k-state.edu/index.html Expansion of Tooling Capabilities Announced Rinco Ultrasonics has announced a significant expansion of its tooling capabilities for ultrasonic welding at its U.S. manufactur- ing headquarters here. The company has made a sizeable invest- ment with the addition of 4000 sq ft to its operations, hiring of three newemployees, and purchase of keymachinery and equip- ment. The expansion is in response to growing demand for faster de- liveries and highly complex welding applications for the automo- tive and medical markets. Rinco has brought ultrasonic tooling in-house in order to assume complete control of documentation, testing, and other key program functions for its customers. “The continual need for highly complex, and precise tooling re- presents a major opportunity for our company,” said Steve Pot- pan, on-site manager for Rinco Ultrasonics. “We’re confident that this investment in personnel, space, and manufacturing re- sources will give us a huge amount of flexibility to meet market demand.” Rinco took over existing space at its Danbury site to accommo- date rawmaterials and newequipment. The company purchased a Haas CNC milling center, a Trak lathe with a Proto Trak SLX controller, and several Trak K3 knee mills. Theultrasonicweldingmarketiswit- nessing greater demand for large composite horns that have multiple elements. These include mother horns (up to 300mm) with multiple extenders(rangingfrom2-20)which incorporate three-dimensional con- tours and milled geometries. A key challenge is designing a tool that not only matches the part ge- ometry but also runs efficiently, according to Potpan. Rinco is also supplying contour milled fixtures and tooling refurbishment. Rinco reports strong interest in its new tooling capabilities from leading U.S. processors andmanufacturers. materials developments andmarket updates, regulatory and leg- islative impacts, trade and tariffs, and sustainability and the circu- lar economy. Air Control Industries (ACI) www.aircontrolindustries.com