Micropumps at the cutting edge of specialist glass manufacturing 31 July 2012

Specialist Glass Products says that a micropump and inverter, supplied by Michael Smith Engineers, has met production process requirements where mechanically sealed pumps had failed.

The Huddersfield firm manufactures reinforced laminated double-glazed panel sections, in sizes up to five metres. The interior sandwich is filled with UV-sensitive urethane based acrylic monomer via a batching pump and metering system.

Flow rate is adjusted during the process to ensure that the UV resin is introduced at the right speed. If the flow is fractionally too fast, the mix picks up air bubbles caused by drag on the glass surface and the surface tension of the liquid resin.

The design brief for Michael Smith Engineers was: provide a pumping system that would deliver a smooth and accurate output; incorporate a seal-less magnet coupling so resin is not exposed to air; be easy to use for the operator; and provide automatic slowing down at batch end to prevent overfilling.

The system installed comprises a micropump with an inverter-controlled motor having an integral dual-channel encoder for operating at speeds up to 2,100 rpm.

Following installation, the pumping system's filling accuracy was measured at +/-1% of batched volume, and, thanks to the smooth and accurate delivery of the resin, combined with optimum speed control, the problems of entrained bubbles have been eliminated.

A second system has subsequently been supplied to batch meter a similar acrylic monomer resin, but with a viscosity of 0.8 to 2 cP.

Brian Tnham

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