Plastics Industry

High Performance Aluminium & Stainless Steel Technical Silos and Pressure Vessels for a Range of Industrial Applications

Barton specialises in the design, manufacture and installation of technical silos and pressure vessels for high volume storage of dry materials (e.g. powders, granules and flake). Barton has supplied its vessels to a wide range of industries.

For the plastics industry (including plastics packaging, plastics recycling, injection moulding, blow moulding) Barton has developed a range of technical solutions. Whether you are looking to store PET, HDPE or PVC flake, powder or granules, virgin or regrind, Barton can offer a bespoke solution. In recent years with growth in the plastics recycling industry and the need for greater raw material homogeneity Barton has developed more complex silo designs. This includes the use of specialised blending cones, and anti-honking / quaking solutions for storage of PET. Below is a summary of some of the factors to consider when purchasing silos for plastic feedstock.

1) Storage Volume and Silo Shape

The storage capacity of a silo is primarily determined by its height and diameter; however consideration needs to be given to how the silo is filled and emptied. When granules or pellets are loaded into the top of a silo, they form a cone. Therefore, additional free space called ullage or headspace is required to accommodate this cone during the filling process. The shape of this cone and therefore the space required is determined by the flow characteristics of the plastic and its granular shape.

At the bottom of the silo, the outlet diameter and flow characteristics / form of the raw material determine the design and angle of the cone shaped outlet section. Barton Fabrications' 30+ years design experience ensures that the optimum angle is selected for free flow of feedstock to reduce the need for mechanical vibrators.

The Barton Fabrications Silo Capacity Calculator tool can be used to calculate an approximate silo storage capacity.

Barton Fabrications Cone Blender

The introduction of recycled materials into plastic processing has driven the need for feedstock blending. In response, Barton Fabrications have produced a unique design which achieves this inside the silo without the need for mechanical mixing. A specially constructed outlet nozzle carrying shaped blades ensures that material is taken from different sections inside the silo during discharge. The novel approach has generated significant global interest and silos have been exported as far afield as Korea. See silos installed by Dong Yang Corporation (select blending silo).

As material characteristics vary considerably, Barton Fabrications have produced a clear acrylic development silo which, when combined with multi-coloured feedstock, demonstrates the mixing capability of the silo system. To request an onsite trial of this system contact sales@bartonfabs.co.uk.

Silo load cells awaiting assembly

Monitoring stock is an important part of inventory management and Barton Fabrications silos can be supplied complete with load cells and remote telemetry systems. For more information contact sales@bartonfabs.co.uk