In the production of friction materials and refractory materials, dust—particularly graphite, carbon fibers, metal powders, and fine fillers—not only affects weighing accuracy and damages equipment, but also poses serious health risks to workers and entails certain hazards.

Wuxi Xielì Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. typically employs the following in its batching system design: " Source sealing +  Process negative pressure +  End-of-line dust removal +  Structural protection " Multiple strategies to address the dust problem:

1.  Fully enclosed conveying and weighing system (source control)

This is the most basic line of defense, designed to keep dust “contained” within the equipment.

Enclosed Hoppers and Interfaces: All storage hoppers and discharge outlets feature a closed design. When the batching cart or conveyor line connects to the hopper, either a flexible connection (such as a canvas sleeve or silicone skirt) or a rigid sealing flange is used to ensure that no material spills during the process of transferring material from the hopper into the weighing hopper.

Double-seal design: For mobile batching vehicles, the top material-loading port is typically equipped with an automatic flip cover or a retractable sealing hood that opens only during the loading process and closes immediately afterward, thereby preventing dust from being stirred up during vehicle movement.

Dust-free unloading: The discharge port is directly connected to the feed inlet of the mixer, or linked via a sealed chute, thereby preventing the material from being exposed to air during transfer to the next process step.

2.  Active Negative Pressure Vacuum System (Process Interception)

Relying solely on sealing is insufficient; positive pressure inside the system can cause dust to squeeze out through gaps, so active suction is necessary.

Built-in vacuum ports: Reserve or directly integrate vacuum pipe interfaces at key dust-generating points, such as the material receiving port of the batching vehicle, above the weighing hopper, and at the discharge port.

Interlocked Control: The vacuum fan is interlocked with the batching operation. When the batching cart moves under the料仓 to start receiving materials or begins discharging materials, the fan automatically starts up, creating a slight negative pressure that draws upraised dust into the dust collection network, thereby preventing it from escaping into the environment.

Centralized dust collection integration: System designs typically take into account integration with the plant’s central dust collection system, or alternatively, they may involve collecting dust centrally in small baghouse dust collectors for processing.

3.  Dust protection for core components (equipment protection)

Dust intrusion is a major cause of sensor drift and mechanical jamming. Wuxi Xielì has implemented special protective measures on critical components:

A stainless steel dust cover has been added to the vehicle-mounted air compressor to prevent fine dust from entering the motor and compromising its reliability.

The junction box uses a sealed potting process to prevent short circuits caused by dust and moisture.

Sealing of moving parts:

Install bellows-type protective covers or labyrinth seals on the moving parts of the mobile cart, such as the walking wheels, tracks, and lead screws, to prevent dust accumulation that could cause jamming or wear.

The bearing housing of the screw conveyor features a multi-layer sealing structure to prevent powdered materials from entering the bearings.

Dustproof for electrical cabinets:

The electrical control cabinet typically reaches IP54 or IP65 Protection rating.

In environments with extremely high dust levels, a positive-pressure ventilation system can be optionally installed to continuously supply clean air into the electrical enclosure, maintaining a higher air pressure inside the enclosure than outside and thereby preventing dust from entering.

4.  Easy-to-clean and anti-dust accumulation design (easy maintenance)

Zero-dead-space design: The internal surfaces of the equipment are smooth, and corners feature rounded transitions. R Corner), avoiding dust accumulation in dead corners and facilitating regular cleaning.

Quick-release design: Wear-prone and easily soiled components such as the weighing hopper and material receiving port are designed with a quick-release mechanism for convenient manual or automated cleaning.

Pneumatic rapping / Purging: Some hoppers or discharge outlets are equipped with pneumatic vibrators or compressed-air purging devices to prevent sticky dust from adhering to the walls or blocking the discharge outlets, thereby ensuring smooth material flow.

5.  Special treatment for specific dust types

Anti-static / Explosion-proof: Graphite, aluminum powder, magnesium powder, and other friction materials used in the system are conductive or explosive. The system employs antistatic coatings, grounding chains, and explosion-proof motors, explosion-proof instruments, and explosion-proof switches in electrical component selection to prevent static sparks from igniting dust clouds.

Fiber Treatment: For carbon fibers or organic fibers that tend to bridge easily, in addition to dust prevention, we also employ arch-breaking devices (such as pneumatic rapping or stirring blades) to prevent inaccurate metering caused by dust agglomeration.

Summary

The ingredient system developed by Wuxi Xielì does not rely solely on a single technology; rather, it employs a comprehensive solution that combines physical isolation (sealing) with intelligent vacuuming.