MATSYS Fluidized Filling System User manual

User’s Guide:
Fluidized Filling System
45490 Ruritan Circle
Sterling, Virginia 20164
703 964 0400
info@matsys com
www matsys com

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Table of Contents
•Introduction 2
•Fluidized Fill Shoe 2
•Control Cabinet 3
•Fluidization Principle 4
•System Set-up and Installation 5
•Gas Supply 5
•Fluidizer Control 6
•Mounting the Shoe 7
•Connection to Control Cabinet 8
•Initial Set-up 8
•Check-out Procedure 9
•Operation 10
•Fluidizer Care 10
•Calibration Chart A 12
•Appendix A – Quick Reference 13
•Appendix B – Operation 14
•Electrical Wiring Diagram 16

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INTRODUCTION
The MATSYS Fluidized Fill Shoe System (FFS) is a powder delivery system
designed for consistent, fast and uniform filling of small die cavities It can be used on a
wide variety of particulate materials The FFS system includes a fluidized fill shoe and a
control cabinet The fluidized fill shoe design incorporates two main components: a
transport tube and a delivery chute Fluidization of the transport tube and delivery
chute is controlled separately using gas pressure control and individual adjustable flow
meters
Fluidized Fill Shoe
The fluidized fill shoe design consists of two main components: a transport tube
and a delivery chute These are independent gas chambers used to fluidize the
particulate material prior to delivery and fill of the die cavities These chambers are
illustrated in Figure 1 Powder is supplied to the fluidized fill shoe by connecting a 2”
I D hose to the connection on the top of the fluidized fill shoe transport tube The
fluidizing process begins in the transport tube and conveys the particulate material to
the delivery chute When the particulate material reaches the delivery chute, two multi-
loop fluidizers, a top loop and a bottom loop, located inside the delivery chute keep the
particulate material in a fluidized or loose state until it reaches the die opening These
two loop fluidizers inside the delivery chute are controlled independently
Figure 1. Illustration of the fluidized fill shoe omponents.
The following is a brief description of each of the fluidized fill shoe components:
Transport Tube
Delivery Chute

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1. Transport tube. The transport tube provides the connection between the
particulate material supply hose and the delivery chute It begins the process
of conditioning the particulate material to a fluidized or loose state and
conveys the particulate material to the delivery chute
2. Delivery hute. The delivery chute functions as the powder discharge unit
directly above the die cavity It has two multi-loop fluidizers, a top loop and
a bottom loop, to loosen and fluidize the particulate material before it
reaches the die opening
Control Cabinet
The control cabinet houses the gas controls for the FFS system These controls
regulate powder fluidization in relation to the movement of the fluidized fill shoe on the
press An optional combination in-line moisture separator, filtration system and gas
dryer to remove moisture and solid contaminants from the gas supply Three
independent pressure regulators (0-5 psi) and pneumatic solenoids are used to regulate
the flow of gas to each of the three FFS independent fluidizers, namely, the transport
and the two fluidizer loops inside the delivery chute The solenoids are timed to control
fluidization of the powder when the fill shoe is over the die cavity Three flow meters
(up to 30 SCFH) are used to independently monitor the gas flow to each of the three
fluidizers independently

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FFS BASIC PRINCIPLE
Powder flows like a fluid when supported by a column of gas The result is a
reduction in the effects of head pressure, clumping and surge, both of which are
common in gravity fed systems The fluidized fill shoe creates a low pressure gas
bearing below the powder inside the shoe to reduce the friction along the powder path
to the fill point
The FFS was developed to improve powder flow consistency, powder flow
uniformity, increase powder flow rates, and improve the speed of filling die cavities By
flowing gas through a bed of solid particles from the bottom to the top, the bed is
loosened and fluidized, and particles are easier to move The FFS uses a dry gas, such as
air, nitrogen, or argon to “coat” particles and separate them, thereby greatly reducing
inter-particle friction, improving powder flow consistency, and increasing powder flow
rates The gas provides a transport mechanism reducing inter-particle friction and
thereby reducing the need for bulk lubricants in the powder blend

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SYSTEM SETUP AND INSTALLATION
1. Gas Supply
The most optimal method of fluidizing is to use an inert gas such as Argon,
alternatively compressed air can be used when properly treated, dried and filtered
When a compressed air source is used to supply air pressure to the fluidized fill shoe,
the gas control supply pressure should be between 30 and 60 psi The FFS control
cabinet will provide instrument quality air to the fluidized fill shoe as long as care is
taken to maintain a quality air supply, i e air that is free of oil, dirt, and moisture To
prevent moisture build up in the gas lines it is common practice to install an
appropriately sized after-cooler and moisture separator system on a shop air
compressor As an extra precaution, it is recommended that a secondary liquid
separator and trap be installed ahead of the FFS control cabinet as shown in Figure 2
During normal use, and especially during initial setup of a new system, the
quality of the air supply should be closely monitored for any oil, moisture, or solid
contamination
For systems equipped with a desi ant dryer
The functionality of a desiccant gas dryer can be readily checked by observing
the dew-point indicator particles which are mixed into the desiccant located inside the
dryer:
♦When the indicator particles color is blue, the dryer function is normal and it
is O K to operate the system
♦When the indicator particles color is pink, the outlet air is humid It is time to
replace the desiccant before you operate the system
For systems equipped with a membrane dryer (optional)
The desiccant dryer can be upgraded to a very low maintenance membrane
dryer With a membrane dryer you can readily check outlet moisture condition by
observing the dew-point indicator which is located on the top of the membrane dryer:
♦When the dew-point indicator is blue, the operation is normal
♦When the dew-point indicator is pink, the outlet air is humid
Note: It takes approximately 1 hour to hange the olor of the dew-point
indi ator from the start-up of supply air.

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Figure 2. It is re ommended that the ustomer air supply line be plumbed as
shown with a verti al inlet pipe to separator, trap, and drain valve.
2. Fluidizer Control
Fluidization ‘ON’ / ‘OFF’ control is used to optimize the filling process To use
fluidization ‘ON’ / ‘OFF’ control you will need to connect a dry contact closure control
from your press to the remote control signal connection terminals fluidizer control box
When the 24-volt DC control signal is present gas is supplied to the fluidizers The
optimum timing used in most applications is called “continuous off ” This timing
configuration refers to the fluidization being off for the entire stroke except when the fill
shoe is extended toward the die cavity, as shown in Figure 3 In other words, the gas is
turned on just before the fill shoe is pushed forward and remains on during the dwell
time over the die cavity The gas is then turned off just before the shoe is pulled back

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ON
OFF
0 90 180 270 360
solenoid
fill shoe
movement rate
fill shoe centered over die cavity
“dwell time”
relative
degree
Figure 3. Typi al fluidized fill shoe solenoid timing hart, “ ontinuous off.”
3. Mounting the Shoe on the Press
Mounting the fluidized fill shoe on the press is a simple procedure However, it
is important to strictly observe the following mounting requirements:
1 Center the delivery chute over the die cavity Because the fluidized fill shoe
delivery chute is typically smaller than a conventional gravity fill shoe, the
accurate centering of the delivery chute over the die cavity is very important
The alignment tolerance of side-to-side and front-to-back positioning of the
chute should be kept to within approximately +/- 1/16” Alignment can be
performed by using a marking pen and square to draw the die centerline
crosshairs directly on the press table These cross hairs can then be aligned
with scribe marks located on the front and sides of the delivery chute
2 Check the action of the seal between the delivery chute and the die Before
applying a hold down force to the fluidized fill shoe, check for clean wipe or
scrape of the powder during retraction
3 Apply pressure to hold down the fluidized fill shoe After centering the
delivery chute over the die cavity and inspecting the seal, apply down arm
pressure to the fluidized fill shoe The down arm force should be minimized
Use just enough downward force to maintain a good seal around the die
cavity during the dwell portion of the stroke It is recommended at this time
to manually cycle the fill shoe in and out over the die cavity and observe the
action of the fill shoe Note that hold down force is adjusted by rotating the
four ½” threaded spring plungers located on each corner of the filler
While manually cycling the fill shoe watch for the following:

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The fluidized fill shoe should follow a reproducible path for
each stroke This can be observed by sprinkling some excess
powder around the die opening and observing the powder
wipe trail during each stroke of the shoe If there is excessive
lateral or axial play in the fluidized fill shoe retraction
mechanism, the shoe will wander as it moves in and out This
will sometimes show up as a series of powder streaks left by
the seal on the delivery chute The streaks typically show up
on each side of the delivery chute seal rather than a single
continuous line of excess powder If there is too much play in
the fluidized fill shoe retraction mechanism use washers or
shims to remove this play before beginning a production run
A loose fluidized fill shoe retraction mechanism can cause
large variations in part weight consistency.
4. Conne ting the Fluidized Fill Shoe to the Control Panel
Two (or three, depending on the model) tubes are provided to connect the
fluidized fill shoe to the control cabinet Each tube is 10 ft (3 m) long The control
cabinet should be mounted vertically The hoses connect to the fittings on the side of
the control cabinet to the fittings on the fluidized fill shoe
5. Initial Setup
The following steps should be followed for initial setup of the FFS:
1 The control box must be mounted vertically so that the flow meters, gas
dryer and filter work properly
2 Connect clean, DRY, oil free gas (30-60 psi) to the inlet on the box
3 Bolt or clamp the tubing strain relief connector block to a rigid point on the
press to avoid undue mechanical forces acting on the fluidized fill shoe from
the1/4” tubing during use Connect the white or blue tubing to the delivery
chute and the green tubing to the transport tube

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6. Che kout Pro edure
If you are using the system for the first time you must complete the initial setup
outlined above before performing the following checkout procedure You should also
perform this checkout procedure if the system has been out-of-service for an extended
period of time or if you suspect a performance problem
This checkout procedure will verify proper operation of the gas control system as
well as the condition of the transport tube and delivery chute fluidizers
1 With gas supply off, read pressure gauges and adjust reading to “0” as
necessary
2 With gas supply on and no output tubing connected to the control box, set all
of the regulators to 1 psi and fully open all of the flow control valves
3 Test correct operation of the solenoid valves by turning on the manual pilot
switch on the primary relay This should turn on all of the solenoids and as a
result an increase in gas flow should be seen in the flowmeters If included,
the lights in the solenoid electrical connectors as well as the blue indicator
light should also illuminate With correct operation of the control box
confirmed, turn off the manual pilot switch on the primary relay
4 Make sure that all tubing is connected properly (refer to Figure 2)
5 With no material in the fill shoe, adjust the gas pressure regulator to the
values shown in the “Fluidizer Gas Calibration Chart” supplied with your
system and read the gas flow values on each of the flow meters Compare
readings with the values in the calibration chart
6 Verify that you get approximately the same flow values as those printed in
the “Fluidizer Gas Calibration Chart”
If you experience problems obtaining similar values to those given in the chart,
contact MATSYS before proceeding Otherwise you are ready to operate the fluidized
fill shoe