AEC OS Series Gravimetric Batch Blenders - Manual (Page 56)

Page 55 of 118
4. Remove the weigh hopper by unplugging the air line disconnect fitting,
holding the dump valve closed, lifting the hopper to clear the load cell
brackets, and gently pulling the weigh hopper out of the blender.
Important!
To reduce the chance for damage to delicate load cells, use care
when lifting the weigh hopper off load cell locating tabs and when
reinstalling the weigh hopper on load cell brackets.
5. If you want to catch the color, use a small plastic pail or chute to collect
the material from the slide gate assembly. Reach up inside the blender
to the color slide gate and push it open. At this point, there should be no
air pressure on the blender, and the slide gate should move easily. Drain
the color out in the bucket. HydReclaim normally provides a JIT (Just in
time) approach to the minor ingredients, so that a minimum amount of
material is held in the blender so that color changes can be made easily.
6. If any other ingredients need to be changed for the next recipe, simply
drain the larger hoppers with the drain tubes provided on the side of the
hoppers. When the material level is below the drain tube, open the slide
gate manually to dump the rest of the material. If you wish to speed the
emptying process, material can be manually drained out of the slide gate
assembly into a dump chute or bucket, while draining from the drain
tube.
7. Using a vacuum cleaner or air hose, clean out all the hoppers that have
been emptied. Always start at the uppermost part of the blender and
work downward to prevent dust and pellets from falling into an already
cleaned area.
Note: The auger metering assemblies on OA blenders can be removed after
the hoppers above them have been drained.
8. Clean the weigh hopper and mixer assemblies on the blender using a
vacuum cleaner. The mixer agitator is removable for cleaning if desired.
9. Reinstall any metering units that were removed from the blender during
clean out.
10. Reinstall the weigh hopper using care to center the hopper on the load
cells on the weigh hopper bracket.
11. Load the blender with new material.
12. Restart the unit with the new recipe.
Warning!
Always disconnect and lockout all electrical power and pneumatic
(i.e. compressed air) sources prior to servicing or cleaning any
HydReclaim product, including all OS/OA Series blending systems.
Failure to do so may result in serious injury or death.