"Auto Pilot for your Press"

Retrofit, High Efficiency

PowerDown Feeder

The unit consists of a modern design, vertical down-feed system for large diameter, high-performance rendering presses which can be teamed with a programmable logic control (PLC). 

To determine how IHI's PowerDown Feed System can save operating dollars and pay for itself review the PowerDown ROI

The PowerDown feeder works in much the same fashion as a turbo charger on a gasoline engine. The turbo charging or stuffing action exerted by the feeder removes excess air, fat and fluff from the feed stream material, thus increasing the capacity of the press.

With more material being forced into the press, the amount of motor load that can be applied to the material increases. Increased motor load is associated with increased compression and, therefore, decreased residual fat in the pressed cake.

Since the pressurized feed stream is constant, the higher motor loads remain more stable without having to introduce choke pressure. This exemplifies the old 'make the material press the material' rule.

Often operators tend to set the presses in a low horsepower or "safe zone" state where they do not require constant monitoring. This is not where the presses operate at their best. With the  PowerDown feeder equipped with a PLC installed, a press can be made to operate at its optimum efficiency without the operator having to worry about running the press behind the power curve or causing it to plug up.  The harder you push your press, the better they perform. If you are forced to create motor load with choke pressure, you're a candidate for a better way to operate your presses.

While the PowerDown feeder does not replace or eliminate the need for an operator, it does eliminate many of the operators "bad habits". This is especially true with a PLC installed in the control loop between the PowerDown feeder and the main drive motor.

The ability to apply constant horsepower to process product is what mechanical pressing is all about. As today's materials become softer this becomes increasingly more difficult. Regardless of whether material is hard or soft, the avenue to lower residuals, more throughput and longer shaft/cage life is through more efficient, constant and positive feeding.

Another plus with the PowerDown Unit is that it catches tramp metal before it gets into the main shaft where it can do the most damage. The specially designed breaker anvils, along with an easy-access cleanout door permits the PowerDown feed to tolerate tramp metal usually with little or no damage.

The advent of this new feed arrangement for rendering presses comes at an advantageous time for the industry. Over the past few years, the industry has undergone several major changes. One, plant consolidation, has brought about fewer but larger plants that are more spread out over the country. Today raw material is hauled over longer distances and often held over longer periods of time before processing. A decade ago, dissolved air floatation (DAF) and copious quantities of sludge were not the problem they are today.

Raw material generally has become softer, soggier, and more decomposed. For the most part, it seems that the good old days of "ice cream" and plenty of shop fat and bone may be gone forever.

A few years ago, a plant with two Dupps presses was considered huge. There was little need to increase press throughput rates. With today's larger, multiple press plants, increasing press capacity looks extremely attractive. To say the least, today's softer material problems create very real challenges when it comes to more profitable mechanical pressing.

IHI's PowerDown System is the answer to these process issues.