A sifter for separating coarse particles from a particle-carrying stream during the manufacture of wood fiber panels has a housing forming a chamber. The housing also has a material inlet for admitting the particle-carrying stream to the chamber, a front wall formed with an upper air inlet below the material inlet for admitting a respective upper air stream to the chamber and a lower air inlet below the upper inlet for admitting a respective lower air stream to the chamber, an exhaust-air outlet for conveying air and fine particles from the chamber, and a coarse-particle outlet for conveying coarse particles out of the chamber. The front wall of the housing has between the upper air inlet and the lower air inlet a portion with an inwardly concavely curved shape that forms a support vortex that supports the upper air stream entering through the upper feed air inlet in the chamber of the housing between the upper air inlet and the lower air inlet.

Separation and classification equipment for separating a mixed waste stream into first, second and third fractions. The equipment comprises a feeding member for feeding the waste stream toward a gap and a blower for discharging a stream of air for mixing with the waste stream, as the waste stream falls through the gap. The first fraction falls through the stream of air and collects in a first collection area while the stream of air carries away the second and the third fractions. A rotatable permeable member is arranged to permit the stream of air to pass therethrough and thereby force and retain the third fraction against a surface of the rotatable permeable member and be conveyed, by the rotatable permeable member, toward a third collection area while the second fraction tends to separate, from the rotatable permeable member and the third fraction, and collect in a separate second collection area.

Separation and classification equipment for separating a mixed waste stream into first, second and third fractions. The equipment comprises a feeding member for feeding the waste stream toward a gap and a blower for discharging a stream of air for mixing with the waste stream, as the waste stream falls through the gap. The first fraction falls through the stream of air and collects in a first collection area while the stream of air carries away the second and the third fractions. A rotatable permeable member is arranged to permit the stream of air to pass therethrough and thereby force and retain the third fraction against a surface of the rotatable permeable member and be conveyed, by the rotatable permeable member, toward a third collection area while the second fraction tends to separate, from the rotatable permeable member and the third fraction, and collect in a separate second collection area.

A method for fractionating a milled grain product into coarse and fine fractions includes providing a sieving apparatus with a bottom chamber divided from a top chamber by a sieve, an inlet port in the top chamber, a top chamber cover defined by a plurality of openings, and a first exit port in the bottom chamber, and applying vacuum suction to the sieving apparatus. The vacuum suction is configured to draw grain particles through the inlet port into the top chamber, generate substantially horizontal airflow in the top chamber via the inlet port; and generate substantially vertical airflow in the top chamber via the plurality of openings, wherein the substantially horizontal airflow and the substantially vertical airflow combine to generate turbulence which fluidizes the grain particles in the upper chamber and prevents blockage of the sieve; and drawing fine grain particles through the sieve and out of the bottom chamber via the first exit port under the vacuum suction and collecting a fine grain particle fraction.

A method for fractionating a milled grain product into coarse and fine fractions includes providing a sieving apparatus with a bottom chamber divided from a top chamber by a sieve, an inlet port in the top chamber, a top chamber cover defined by a plurality of openings, and a first exit port in the bottom chamber, and applying vacuum suction to the sieving apparatus. The vacuum suction is configured to draw grain particles through the inlet port into the top chamber, generate substantially horizontal airflow in the top chamber via the inlet port; and generate substantially vertical airflow in the top chamber via the plurality of openings, wherein the substantially horizontal airflow and the substantially vertical airflow combine to generate turbulence which fluidizes the grain particles in the upper chamber and prevents blockage of the sieve; and drawing fine grain particles through the sieve and out of the bottom chamber via the first exit port under the vacuum suction and collecting a fine grain particle fraction.

The invention relates to a screening device and a method for screening powders. The device comprises a screening space comprising a first chamber and a second chamber, which chambers are arranged adjacent and have a common partition wall. The device comprises a screen which is placed obliquely or vertically in the screening device, wherein the screen forms at least a part of the common partition wall. The first chamber comprises a raw material inlet, a drive gas inlet, a float gas unit, and a residual particle outlet. The second chamber comprises a product material outlet and a rotatable blade, wherein the blade comprises nozzles which are configured for blowing gas against the screen. In addition, the invention relates to an assembly comprising a first and second screening device, wherein the product material outlet of a first screening device is connected to the raw material inlet of the second screening device.

The invention relates to a screening device and a method for screening powders. The device comprises a screening space comprising a first chamber and a second chamber, which chambers are arranged adjacent and have a common partition wall. The device comprises a screen which is placed obliquely or vertically in the screening device, wherein the screen forms at least a part of the common partition wall. The first chamber comprises a raw material inlet, a drive gas inlet, a float gas unit, and a residual particle outlet. The second chamber comprises a product material outlet and a rotatable blade, wherein the blade comprises nozzles which are configured for blowing gas against the screen. In addition, the invention relates to an assembly comprising a first and second screening device, wherein the product material outlet of a first screening device is connected to the raw material inlet of the second screening device.

One or more toy pieces can be picked up and collected by various embodiments of a toy piece collection system. The system can consist of a bin operatively connected to a pressure source and an inlet. The bin may house a sorting structure that consists of a plurality of separated members each having at least one sorting aperture arranged to separate and sort materials by size.

An apparatus and methods of mixing materials in a silo that includes a mixing chamber (2) with an outlet (23) the bottom and an inlet hose (4) connected to an inlet opening at the top; a sieve (16) at the top of the mixing chamber above the inlet opening and below the outlet opening to prevent contact between a particulate mixing material and the top of the mixing chamber and to allow dust through; a pump system (18) to create a negative pressure region at the top of the mixing chamber; and an air manifold assembly (8), which includes an air pressure manifold (10) having an air nozzle (12) to introduce an air stream into the mixing chamber and an air manifold cover (14) to prevent contact between the particulate mixing material and the air pressure manifold, and to allow a particulate mixed product material to pass to the mixing chamber outlet.

An apparatus and methods of mixing materials in a silo that includes a mixing chamber (2) with an outlet (23) the bottom and an inlet hose (4) connected to an inlet opening at the top; a sieve (16) at the top of the mixing chamber above the inlet opening and below the outlet opening to prevent contact between a particulate mixing material and the top of the mixing chamber and to allow dust through; a pump system (18) to create a negative pressure region at the top of the mixing chamber; and an air manifold assembly (8), which includes an air pressure manifold (10) having an air nozzle (12) to introduce an air stream into the mixing chamber and an air manifold cover (14) to prevent contact between the particulate mixing material and the air pressure manifold, and to allow a particulate mixed product material to pass to the mixing chamber outlet.