A twin-screw anti-clogging feeder

Abstract

This utility model discloses a twin-screw anti-clogging feeder, comprising a machine body, a feed hopper, a discharge port, twin screws, a drive device, and a control system. Its key features are: the twin screws are co-rotating self-cleaning meshing screws, with at least one screw having a gradually changing pitch; the inner walls of both the machine body and the feed hopper are highly polished and coated with an ultra-low friction coefficient non-adhesive coating; a vibration device is installed on the outside or bottom of the feed hopper; the drive device is equipped with a variable frequency speed-regulating motor, connected to a current sensor via the control system. When an abnormal increase in motor load is detected, the control system automatically triggers a short-term reverse or reciprocating motion of the screws. This utility model effectively solves the problems of clogging and wall adhesion of easily adhering and bridging materials inside the feeder, improves feeding stability and accuracy, reduces maintenance costs, and expands its application range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of material conveying and metering equipment technology, specifically an anti-clogging feeding device for conveying powdery or granular materials that are prone to adhesion, bridging, and clogging. Background Technology

[0002] In industries such as chemical, food, pharmaceutical, metallurgy, and building materials, the precise and stable conveying of granular materials is a crucial aspect of the production process. However, many granular materials, such as kaolin, starch, activated carbon, clay, and sludge, are characterized by their hygroscopic nature, tendency to clump, high viscosity, and poor flowability. These materials are prone to clogging, bridging, and wall adhesion in traditional single-screw or ordinary twin-screw feeders, leading to discontinuous feeding, poor precision, frequent shutdowns for cleaning, and severely impacting production efficiency and product quality.

[0003] Existing feeders often encounter the following technical challenges when processing this type of material: Blockage problem: Material forms a "bridging" phenomenon at the silo outlet or screw inlet, preventing it from smoothly entering the screw; or during screw conveying, material accumulates and compacts, blocking the conveying channel.

[0004] Sticking to the wall: Sticky materials adhere to the inner wall of the feeder, the screw surface, or the inner wall of the machine casing for a long time, gradually accumulating into a thick layer, reducing the effective conveying space, causing poor conveying or even complete blockage, and making cleaning difficult.

[0005] Although there are some improved twin-screw feeders on the market that attempt to solve the clogging problem by using variable pitch, conical screws, or different rotation directions, their anti-clogging and anti-sticking effects are still not ideal for highly viscous materials or materials that have both bridging and wall-sticking characteristics. They also have high maintenance costs and are difficult to guarantee long-term stable operation.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for an anti-clogging feeding device for conveying easily adhesive, easily bridging, and easily clogging powdery or granular materials to solve the problems mentioned in the background art. Utility Model Content

[0007] Purpose of this utility model: To solve the technical problems of clogging and inner wall adhesion in existing twin-screw feeders when conveying materials that are prone to adhesion and bridging, and to provide a feeder that can effectively prevent clogging and inner wall adhesion.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: A twin-screw anti-clogging feeder includes a machine body, a feed hopper, a discharge port, twin screws, a drive unit, and a control system. The twin screw is a co-rotating meshing screw; The inner wall of the machine body that comes into contact with the material and the inner wall of the feed hopper are both polished with high gloss and coated with a non-adhesive coating with an ultra-low coefficient of friction. At least one vibration device is provided on the outside or bottom of the feed hopper; At least one of the twin screws has a gradually changing pitch, with a larger pitch near the feed hopper and a gradually decreasing pitch towards the discharge port.

[0009] Furthermore, the non-adhesive coating is a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene lining, or a ceramic coating.

[0010] Furthermore, the vibration device is a high-frequency vibration motor or an electromagnetic vibrator.

[0011] Furthermore, the control system monitors the load of the drive device in real time through a current sensor or a torque sensor. When an abnormal increase in load is detected, the control system can automatically trigger the screw to reverse or reciprocate briefly, and then resume forward rotation.

[0012] Furthermore, the twin screws achieve self-cleaning through mutual scraping of the blades.

[0013] Furthermore, the interior of the machine body has an "8" shaped cross-section, with a very small gap between it and the outer diameter of the twin screw threads.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: The variable pitch screw design provides more space in the feeding zone, and together with the vibration-assisted arch-breaking device, effectively solves the bridging problem of materials at the hopper and screw inlet. The intelligent anti-clogging control system can intervene in time at the initial stage of clogging, actively eliminating the potential for clogging through reverse or reciprocating motion, avoiding downtime caused by complete blockage. The high-gloss polishing of the inner wall of the casing and the inner wall of the hopper, combined with the ultra-low friction coefficient non-adhesive coating and the self-cleaning characteristics of the co-rotating meshing screw, fundamentally prevents the adhesion and accumulation of sticky materials inside the equipment, ensuring smooth material flow. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the internal structure of the body of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the internal side structure of the body of this utility model.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Machine body; 2. Feed hopper; 3. Discharge port; 4. Twin screw; 5. Drive device; 6. Vibration device. Detailed Implementation

[0019] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid confusion with the present invention.

[0020] Reference Figure 1-3 This utility model relates to a twin-screw anti-clogging feeder, which includes a machine body 1, a feed hopper 2, a discharge port 3, twin screws 4, a drive device 5, and a control system (not shown in the figure).

[0021] The machine body 1 has an "8" shaped cross-section, with two interconnected screw channels inside to accommodate the twin screws 4. The feed hopper 2 is connected to the top of the machine body 1, and the discharge port 3 is located at the bottom.

[0022] The twin-screw 4 consists of two meshing screws installed in the screw channel within the machine body 1. The two screws rotate in the same direction (co-rotate), and their threaded blades scrape against each other during rotation, creating a self-cleaning effect that effectively removes material adhering to the screw surface. To better guide material into the screws and prevent bridging, at least one (or both) screws employ a variable pitch design. Specifically, the pitch is larger near the feed hopper 2 and gradually decreases as the material is conveyed towards the discharge port 3. This design provides a larger volume and more spacious material flow area in the feeding zone, effectively preventing material accumulation and bridging at the inlet; the reduced pitch also facilitates material compression and stable conveying. The blade surfaces of the twin-screw 4 are finely polished to achieve a high gloss finish, further reducing material adhesion.

[0023] To completely resolve the issue of internal wall adhesion, all internal wall surfaces of the machine body 1 that come into contact with materials, as well as the internal wall surface of the feed hopper 2, are first subjected to high-gloss polishing, and then uniformly sprayed with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating of appropriate thickness. PTFE has an extremely low coefficient of friction and excellent non-adhesive properties, effectively preventing the adhesion and accumulation of sticky materials. Alternative solutions could be ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) linings or high-hardness, smooth ceramic coatings.

[0024] One or more vibration devices 6 are installed on the outside of the feed hopper 2, preferably on the side wall or bottom. In this embodiment, an electromagnetic vibrator is used, and its periodic or continuous vibration is controlled by a control system to transfer vibration energy to the feed hopper 2 and the material inside, thereby effectively breaking up material bridging and ensuring that the material can fall smoothly from the feed hopper 2 into the conveying area of ​​the twin screw 4.

[0025] The drive unit 5 includes a motor and a reducer, providing power to the twin screw 4. The motor is preferably a variable frequency speed control motor, whose speed can be precisely adjusted according to process requirements and material characteristics.

[0026] The control system (not shown in the figure) consists of a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). The control system monitors the load of the drive unit 5 in real time using current or torque sensors connected to the motor circuit. When the sensors detect abnormalities in the motor current or torque (e.g., reaching a preset threshold, indicating that material blockage is causing increased motor load), the control system immediately executes a preset anti-blocking strategy: for example, briefly controlling the motor to reverse (screw rotating in the opposite direction) to loosen the initially blocked material, then quickly resuming forward rotation; or performing multiple small-amplitude forward and reverse reciprocating movements to clear the blockage. Simultaneously, the control system issues audible and visual alarm signals to alert the operator. This intelligent control strategy eliminates potential blockages in their early stages, significantly reducing the risk of equipment downtime.

[0027] In practical applications, this invention can adjust the gradient of the variable pitch, the type and thickness of the coating, the frequency and amplitude of the vibration device, and the blockage judgment threshold and reversal strategy of the control system according to the specific characteristics of the material, so as to achieve the best anti-blocking and anti-sticking effect.

[0028] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that it can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of this invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within this invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A twin-screw anti-clogging feeder, comprising a machine body (1), a feed hopper (2), a discharge port (3), twin screws (4), a drive device (5), and a control system, characterized in that: The twin screw (4) is a co-rotating meshing screw; The inner wall of the machine body (1) that comes into contact with the material and the inner wall of the feed hopper (2) are both polished with high gloss and coated with a non-adhesive coating with an ultra-low coefficient of friction. At least one vibration device (6) is provided on the outside or bottom of the feed hopper (2); The pitch of at least one of the twin screws (4) is designed to be gradually varied, with a larger pitch in the area near the feed hopper (2) and a gradually decreasing pitch towards the discharge port (3).

2. A twin screw anti-jam feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The non-adhesive coating is a polytetrafluoroethylene coating, an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene lining, or a ceramic coating.

3. A twin-screw plug-free feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration device (6) is a high-frequency vibration motor or an electromagnetic vibrator.

4. The twin-screw anti-clogging feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system monitors the load of the drive device (5) in real time through a current sensor or a torque sensor. When an abnormal increase in load is detected, the control system can automatically trigger the twin screw (4) to reverse or reciprocate for a short time, and then resume forward rotation.

5. A twin-screw plug-free feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The twin screw (4) achieves self-cleaning by scraping the blades against each other.

6. A twin-screw plug-free feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The body (1) has an "8" shaped cross section inside, and the gap between it and the outer diameter of the thread of the twin screw (4) is extremely small.

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