A conveyer module, small fragments of which are detectable by X-ray and magnetic sensors, is formed from a compounded mixture of a thermoplastic polymer and a ferrous metal powder. The thermoplastic polymer comprises a polyketone constituting less than 85% by weight of the mixture. The ferrous metal powder is a 400 series stainless steel constituting between 16% and 20% by weight of the mixture.

A conveyer module, small fragments of which are detectable by X-ray and magnetic sensors, is formed from a compounded mixture of a thermoplastic polymer and a ferrous metal powder. The thermoplastic polymer comprises a polyketone constituting less than 85% by weight of the mixture. The ferrous metal powder is a 400 series stainless steel constituting between 16% and 20% by weight of the mixture.

The invention is a weigh ng and mixing system for the preparation of mixtures of components required by processing machines for the manufacture of plastic products. In particular the invention is suitable for the preparation of weighed mixtures comprised of at least two different masterbatches in order to obtain the color shade desired for a specific plastic product.

The invention is a weighing and mixing system for the preparation of mixtures of components required by processing machines for the manufacture of plastic products. In particular the invention is suitable for the preparation of weighed mixtures comprised of at least two different masterbatches in order to obtain the color shade desired for a specific plastic product.

A silo for storing bulk material, the silo comprising: a container defining an inner space, at least one supply opening for receiving bulk material, an insert located in said inner space, the insert having the shape of a capped cone, the bottom rim of the insert being mechanically coupled to the inner surface of the container, the insert having one or more openings, along its bottom rim for allowing bulk material to pass from the upper inner space to the lower inner space, a first group of discharge openings near or at the lower side of the container in the surface of the container for discharging bulk material from the lower inner space, the top rim is provided with a second group of discharge openings comprising at least one discharge opening for discharging bulk material from the upper inner space, a recirculation system coupled to the discharge openings of one of the first and second group of discharge openings, for transporting bulk material from said discharge openings to said supply opening, and an extraction system being coupled to the discharge openings of the other of the first and second group of discharge openings for extracting bulk material towards the exterior of the silo.

A blower unit for pneumatic mixers, comprising: a hollow element internally defining a duct, extending between an input section and an output section, for the passage of an air flow between said sections, wherein said input section can be connected to a source of pressurised air and said output section can be connected to a manifold of a pneumatic mixer; a shutter suitable to shut off said airflow through said output section in a controlled manner; an actuator connected to the shutter and configured to regulate the position of the shutter; the hollow element has a first end portion, at said output section, that can be reversibly coupled to a corresponding end portion of the manifold and wherein the blower unit further comprises first reversible connecting means to establish a reciprocal connection between the end portions.

A method for processing pharmaceutical powders, which comprises providing a feeder module including a plurality of feeder units each with a storage hopper, a weighing cell, a conveyer, and a discharge end, connecting the storage hopper to a refilling system with a refilling valve, connecting the refilling valve to a level or weight indicator disposed above the refilling valve, connecting the discharge end to a common receiving container, refilling the storage hopper with a powder intermittently 40 to 80 times per hour, storing data during refilling, transporting powder from the storage hopper with the respective conveyer, and discharging powder from each feeder unit into the common receiving container. During each refilling of the storage hopper, the refilling valve dispenses powder into the storage hopper and, during the step of transporting the powder from the storage hopper, the conveyer is operated according to the data collected during previous refills.

The invention relates to a method for changing the material from a feed mixture to a subsequent mixture in a feed device of an extruder, comprising the following steps: detecting a change request for changing the material, emptying a mixing area of a mixing device of the feed device, identifying the completion of the emptying of the mixing area, and filling the mixing area of the mixing device with the subsequent mixture after the completion of the emptying has been identified.

The invention relates to a method for changing the material from a feed mixture to a subsequent mixture in a feed device of an extruder, comprising the following steps: detecting a change request for changing the material, emptying a mixing area of a mixing device of the feed device, identifying the completion of the emptying of the mixing area, and filling the mixing area of the mixing device with the subsequent mixture after the completion of the emptying has been identified.

A method for processing pharmaceutical powders, which comprises providing a feeder module including a plurality of feeder units each with a storage hopper, a weighing cell, a conveyer, and a discharge end, connecting the storage hopper to a refilling system with a refilling valve, connecting the refilling valve to a level or weight indicator disposed above the refilling valve, connecting the discharge end to a common receiving container, refilling the storage hopper with a powder intermittently 40 to 80 times per hour, storing data during refilling, transporting powder from the storage hopper with the respective conveyer, and discharging powder from each feeder unit into the common receiving container. During each refilling of the storage hopper, the refilling valve dispenses powder into the storage hopper and, during the step of transporting the powder from the storage hopper, the conveyer is operated according to the data collected during previous refills.