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Arkopharma was seeking to replace its hoisting facility. Verlinde Technologies installed a compact hoist ATEX-certified against gaseous anddust-laden atmospheres with a hoisting capacity of 600 kg.
Arkopharma is a global leader in the fast growing field of natural medicines and has an international presence in more than 65 countries and 14international subsidiaries. Arkopharma was seeking to replace its hoisting facility in order to evacuate the plant residues on leaving thepress for manufacturing hypo-therapeutic products. The process consists of a hydraulic press actuated by a cylinder. Following the infusion/maceration stage of the raw materials in a tank, the machine will press the parts of the medicinal plants used, in order to extract their juice. The hoist had to meet two constraints: qualify for ATEX certification for both dust-laden and gaseous environments and be highly compact so as to be situated between the vertical centreline of the handlinggantry and the hydraulic cylinder of the infusion press.
“Amongst the many products offered by the market, Verlinde proved to be the only constructor capable of undertaking a contractually-binding commitment for the two ATEX certifications – dust and gas, whilst also complying with our overall dimension constraints. The space available forthe hoist was less than that of 50 centimetres cube." says Mr. Mascarelli, Head of Production Maintenance at Arkopharma. The Tirlift hoistis used about ten times a day. After completing the infusion cycle, the tank is extracted from the press. The hoist is then used to lift thebasket containing the plant matter left as residue after the processing operation. The basket is then set down on the floor and emptied.
« Regarding the gas and dust ATEX certification, there is a requirement at the same time for perfectly tight casings of the mechanismsand low and totally controlled operating temperatures. To comply withATEX requirements, we have enormous experience – the outcome of 17 years of work on our hoisting gear. We have standard ATEX motors entirely designed and developed by us. The same applies to most of the mechanical parts » says Mr.Fontaine, manager of the explosives department ofVerlinde Technologies. “The most difficult task was to make an ATEX hoist maintaining all the hoisting power characteristics and reliability of the Tirlift range, whilst at the same time keeping it just as compact.”
It is the sum of several technical innovations that have enabled Verlinde Technologies to respond positively to the request of Arkopharma. For example, use of a flat reduction gearbox has enabledthe drum and motor to be mounted alongside one another with parallelshafts. An explosion-proof motor with a special flange has also been used. In this case, the shaft of the motor is secured directly inside the gearbox. The adapter parts are hence eliminated. A specific thick aluminium casing was also specially developed and the motor terminal box oriented upwards.
“Finally, we particularly appreciated thequality of the exchanges and the attentiveness lent by the Verlinde teams” concludes Mr. Mascarelli
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