Fabric coatings can offer improved durability, strength and resistance to environmental factors, which presents useful applications in industries such as transportation, aerospace, and protective clothing.
Coated fabrics are made by coating or laminating fabric with materials such as rubber and polymer. Depending on the the application, the fabric coating can deliver a range of benefits, such as being anti-static, antibacterial, anti-fungal, as well as enhanced elasticity, high visibility, and fire resistance.
Background / Requirements
A large textile and chemical manufacturer approached Quadro to provide a solution to their fabric coating manufacturing process.
The dry ingredients, alginate and starch needed to be added to approximately 300 us gal of water at a concentration of approximately 8%. The final viscosity of the product ranged from 17,000 – 25,000 cps.
An eductor style, high-shear mixer was tested. As the viscosity increased, the eductor on the high-shear mixer stopped sucking in powder well before all the powder was introduced. The unit was incapable of introducing all the powder and therefore, never achieved the desired results and viscosity.
Quadro's Approach
The Quadro Ytron® Powder Disperser with its single-pass technology overcame the issues faced by the manufacturer. By custom designing a powder inlet, the Disperser was able to achieve the desired concentration and therefore, target viscosity in a single-pass. The single-pass dispersion of powders during the vessel fill cycle eliminated the recirculation that was required with the eductor style high-shear mixer.
Other advantages of using single-pass technology include:
- Repeatable and consistent product, batch-to-batch.
- Batch times reduced by 90%.
- Elimination of over-processing to eliminate "fish-eyes".
- Less air entrapment, eliminating time required to deaerate and/or install expensive deaerating equipment.
Summary
By using the Quadro Ytron® Disperser, the manufacturer was able to produce the fabric coating at the viscosity desired, something the eductor style, high-shear mixer was unable to do.
Our R&D Test Center can develop a solution tailored to your needs.
ZC Powder Disperser Advantages
The Quadro Ytron® ZC Powder Disperser incorporates a close tolerance high-shear slotted rotor/stator design. The rotor is designed to create a liquid ring generating significant vacuum in the reactor head. This vacuum ensures that powders from the hopper above are drawn into the reactor head where they are sheared into the liquid phase before hydration takes place. The result is a smooth consistent, lump-free slurry without recirculating and over-shearing the product after hydration takes place.
