METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING PIECE GOODS

Abstract

A method and device for producing piece goods. In order to enable a simple and cost-effective production of piece goods, which have a compact and stable nature and can be admixed to a glass melt in particular during glass production, liquid water glass is mixed with at least one silicate-based solid component, in particular glass powder, to form a mass and is applied in a planar manner to a working surface, whereupon the mass is divided and heated to a temperature below a glass transition temperature, so that piece goods are obtained, in particular one or more dimensionally stable pellets.

Claims

1. A method for producing piece goods, wherein liquid water glass is mixed with at least one silicate-based solid component, in particular glass powder, to form a mass and is applied in a planar manner to a working surface, wherein the working surface is formed by a belt of a belt conveyor, whereupon the mass is divided and heated to a temperature below a glass transition temperature so that piece goods are obtained, in particular one or more dimensionally stable pellets.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a silicate-based component in powder form, in particular glass powder, is applied to the working surface before the mass is applied to the working surface, so that the powder-form component forms a separating layer between the mass and working surface.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein liquid water glass is mixed with water and the solid component to form the mass, wherein the liquid water glass is preferably first diluted with water and then the solid component is admixed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mass is applied with a layer thickness between 1 cm to 15 cm, preferably between 1 cm and 5 cm, and a width between 50 cm and 250 cm, preferably between 70 cm and 120 cm, to the working surface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mass is divided along a longitudinal direction and/or transverse direction.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mass is heated to a temperature between 100 C. and 500 C., preferably 200 C. to 400 C. and is thereby hardened.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the piece goods are produced with a length between 10 cm and 250 cm, a width between 5 cm and 25 cm, and a height between 1 cm and 15 cm.

8. A method for producing glass, wherein glass powder is admixed to a glass melt, wherein the glass powder is first processed into piece goods in a method according claim 1, whereupon the piece goods are admixed to the glass melt.

9. A device for producing piece goods, in particular for carrying out a method according to claim 1, wherein at least one supply unit is provided with which liquid water glass and at least one silicate-based solid component can be introduced into a mixing unit, wherein the mixing unit is embodied for mixing the liquid water glass and the silicate-based solid component to form a mass, and at least one application unit is provided for applying the mass to a working surface, which working surface is embodied as a belt of a belt conveyor, wherein at least one shaping unit for dividing the mass and at least one heating device for heating the mass are arranged along the working surface.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the working surface can be moved relative to the application unit.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the belt is embodied as a a wire-mesh belt.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein, along a longitudinal direction of the working surface, two application units are provided, wherein a component in powder form can be applied to the working surface using a first application unit and the mass can be applied to the working surface using a second application unit downstream from the first application unit in a longitudinal direction.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein multiple shaping units for leveling, dividing, and separating-off the mass are arranged along the working surface.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein at least one heating device is arranged above and/or below the working surface.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the heating device is embodied as an infrared, microwave, gas, and/or electric radiator.

Description

[0047] Additional features, advantages, and effects of the invention follow from the exemplary embodiments described below. In the drawings which are thereby referenced:

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a device according to the invention;

[0049] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the device from FIG. 1;

[0050] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a method according to the invention;

[0051] FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of a device according to the invention:

[0052] FIG. 5 shows an additional detailed view of a device according to the invention.

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a device 1 for producing piece goods. If a device of this type is used to produce piece goods made of glass and/or glass-like materials, such as glass powder for example, said goods are referred to as pellets 13 in technical jargon. Here, a supply unit in the form of a reservoir 2 can be seen on the left side of the illustration, which reservoir 2 contains both liquid water glass and at least one silicate-based solid component, which is formed by glass powder in this case.

[0054] In addition, the water glass can be diluted with water before being mixed with the glass powder, preferably at a ratio of 4:1 to 1:4 of water glass to water, wherein a dilution of 2:1 is particularly preferred.

[0055] This specific embodiment comprises a further supply unit, which is embodied as a weighing unit 3. In said weighing unit 3, water glass, possibly water, and glass powder, which constitute the components of the mass 15, come into contact with one another for the first time. The ratio of the components, in particular of the diluted water glass and the glass powder, is thereby gravimetrically aligned.

[0056] Here, a dilution of the water glass can also first take place in the weighing unit 3, so that said weighing unit 3 can adjust not only the ratio between the glass powder and water glass, but also the dilution of the water glass with water.

[0057] The components are then introduced into the mixing unit 4, wherein the components are mixed into a homogeneous mass 15. It is thereby preferably provided that an active mixer which operates on the rotor-stator principle is used as the mixing unit 4. A screw conveyor is also provided in the mixing unit 4, in order to convey the mass 15 to an application unit 5b.

[0058] Here, the application unit 5b is equipped with a perforated metal sheet or grate, as well as a sled, for the planar application of the mass 15 to the belt 6, in particular a close-meshed wire-mesh belt, of a belt conveyor 7, wherein the sled presses the mass 15 through the perforated metal sheet or grate such that the mass 15 is applied in a planar manner to the belt 6. The applied mass 15 thereby forms a layer with a width between 50 cm and 250 cm, but preferably 70 cm to 120 cm, and a layer thickness between 1 cm and 15 cm, preferably between 1 cm and 5 cm.

[0059] In addition, in the present variant of the device 1, a second application unit 5a is provided at the start of the belt 6, which second application unit 5a is used to apply the glass powder and is fed from the reservoir 2. Here, the belt 6 is covered with a continuous layer of glass powder, which layer can in particular have a height between 0.1 cm and 2 cm, whereby a separating layer 14 forms between the belt 6 and the mass 15 and a sticking of the mass 15 to the belt 6 is prevented.

[0060] The mass 15 applied to the separating layer 14 by the application unit 5b is subsequently conveyed by the belt 6 to the first shaping unit. Said shaping unit is embodied as a leveling roller 8 and is used to flatten and distribute the mass 15, wherein the surface of the mass 15 is smoothed. The leveling roller 8 is also embodied such that a sticking of the mass 15 is avoided to the greatest possible extent. In order to completely prevent a sticking of the mass 15, two opposing wipers 9a, 9b bearing against the surface of the roller and extending along the rotational axis are also provided. The wiper 9a is thereby arranged before the leveling roller 8 in a process direction R, so that any mass 15 sticking to the leveling roller 8 is accordingly retained and does not come into contact again with any mass 15. However, in order to prevent that any mass 15 at all sticks to the leveling roller 8, the wiper 9b is embodied to be wedge-shaped and is arranged after the leveling roller 8 in the process direction R close to a contact surface of the leveling roller 8 with the mass 15.

[0061] In addition, a further shaping unit is provided which is essentially embodied as a cutting roller 10 and divides the mass 15 in a longitudinal direction of the belt 6, and thus in the process direction R. Here, the width of the lines obtained is selected using the spacing of the cutting elements of the cutting roller 10, in order to electively produce larger-sized or smaller-sized pellets 13.

[0062] The smoothed mass 15 divided in the process direction R is then heated by a heating device 11 to a temperature below the glass transition temperature, in particular to temperatures between 100 C. and 500 C. For this purpose, heating elements based on infrared technology are used which are arranged above and below the belt 6. The heating device 11 is thereby embodied such that, for safety reasons and/or for maintenance, it is pivotably mounted and can thus be tilted away from a working position. Here, the water contained in the mass 15 is evaporated, whereby the liquid water glass initially gels and eventually hardens. As a result, a hardened mass 15 forms in which the glass powder contained is held together by the dried water glass.

[0063] The hardened mass 15 is then broken in a transverse direction by a shaping unit essentially embodied as an edge 12, whereby a final shape of the produced pellets 13 results. In accordance with the application width of the mass 15, the pellets 13 can be produced with a length between 10 cm and 50 cm, a width between 5 cm and 25 cm, and a height between 1 cm and 15 cm. Alternatively, the production of the piece goods can also take place without the division in a longitudinal direction, wherein the entire application width of the mass 15 is maintained so that pellets 13 with a length between 10 cm and 250 cm, a width between 5 cm and 25 cm, and a height between 1 cm and 15 cm are obtained. In an alternative embodiment, a die arranged in a transverse direction can also be provided for breaking the hardened mass 15.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the device 1 from FIG. 1. Here, the inner construction of a mixing unit 4 can be seen, wherein said mixing unit 4 comprises a rotor-stator mixer, a screw conveyor, a funnel-shaped inlet, and a vertically oriented outlet. The latter conveys the homogeneously mixed mass 15 of water glass and glass powder into the application unit 5b. The additional application unit 5a can also be seen at an end of the belt conveyor 7 and belt 6, which forms the working surface, wherein said application unit 5a is embodied for the application of glass powder which acts as a separating layer 14 between the belt 6 and the mass 15. Furthermore, the arrangement and shape of the wipers 9a, 9b that are arranged on the shaping unit embodied as a leveling roller 8 are also discernible. The illustrated shape and arrangement of the wipers 9a, 9b has proven to be expedient, but the wipers 9a, 9b could, in an alternative embodiment, be arranged to be closer to the contact point of the leveling roller 8, the point at which the leveling roller 8 touches the surface of the mass 15. Said wipers 9a, 9b could also be embodied to be wedge-shaped, wherein the tips of the wedges form wiper lips that touch the surface of the leveling roller 8. In addition, the tiltable arrangement of the heating device 11 above and below the belt 6 can clearly be seen. The shaping unit arranged after the heating device 11 is also depicted, which shaping unit is embodied as a beveled edge 12 in this variant. Hardened mass 15 striking the edge 12 is broken in a transverse direction to the process direction R such that pellets 13 are formed as a result.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a method according to the invention. A separating layer 14, which is formed by glass powder in this case, is thereby applied to the belt 6 of the belt conveyor 7 by the application unit 5a so that a sticking of the mass 15 to the belt 6 is prevented. The application unit 5b then applies the mass 15 to the separating layer 14, wherein irregularities at the surface of thereof and thus a varying layer thickness of the mass 15 can occur, however.

[0066] The leveling roller 8 is therefore used in order to smooth the surface of the mass 15 and ensure a uniform layer thickness. In order to prevent a sticking of the mass 15 to the leveling roller 8, the wiper 9b is arranged after the leveling roller 8 in the process direction R. If mass 15 should nevertheless stick to the leveling roller 8, the wiper 9a is provided in order to remove any adhering mass 15 from the leveling roller 8, so that said mass 15 is not brought into contact again with any mass 15 and, consequently, a uniform layer thickness is obtained through the leveling process.

[0067] In the process direction R, a further shaping step follows the leveling process, in which shaping step the mass 15 is divided by the cutting roller 10 in the process direction R. and therefore along the longitudinal direction of the mass 15, so that the mass 15 is then further processed as a plurality of strips. Here, one or more cutting elements can be arranged on the cutting roller 10, so that the width of the strips can vary between 10 cm and 250 cm depending on the overall width of the belt 6.

[0068] The mass 15 present in strip form is subsequently heated by at least one temperature unit 11 to a temperature below the glass transition temperature, in particular to temperatures between 100 C. and 500 C., so that water located in the mass 15 is evaporated and the mass 15 is hardened as a result. Accordingly, the water glass contained in the mass 15 hardens and bonds the glass powder particles contained in the mass 15 to one another such that a solid structure forms that is then broken off by the edge 12.

[0069] Finally, pellets 13 form from the hardened strips of mass 15, which pellets 13 identical in length and height to the width and layer thickness of the prior strips and, in terms of width, have dimensions between 5 cm and 25 cm.

[0070] In FIG. 4, a perspective illustration of a pivotable application unit 5b is shown, which application unit 5b has been assembled with the mixing unit 4 to form a combined unit and is pivotably attached to a supporting structure via a suspension 16. The application unit 5b is thereby pivotably attached to the supporting structure via the suspension 16, wherein the suspension 16 can also offer the possibility, however, of using the inlet to transfer the components from the weighing unit 3 to the mixing unit 4. Additionally, a motor-controlled drive, which is embodied as a servo drive 17 in this case, is provided via which a pivot movement of the application unit 5b can be controlled.

[0071] The inner construction of the mixing unit 4 can be derived from FIG. 2. Here, an application unit 5b is arranged to be directly adjacent to the mixing unit 4 in order to be able to apply the homogeneously mixed mass 15 directly to the belt 6.

[0072] The application of the mass 15 to the belt 6 also occurs during the pivot movement generated by the servo drive 17, wherein the application unit 5b is pivoted about a pivot axis 21 positioned vertically on the longitudinal axis of the belt 6 or the process direction R and is set in an oscillating movement. In order to avoid variances of a layer thickness of the mass 15 at the reversal points of the pivot movement, a servo drive 17 can accelerate the pivot movement near the reversal points and avoid any holding time. As a result, a particularly uniform application of the mass 15 directly to the belt 6 can occur, for which reason it is possible to omit a further application unit 5a for applying a separating layer 14.

[0073] FIG. 5 is shown a perspective illustration of a breaking device 18 which is arranged at the end of a belt conveyor 7, that is, is downstream from the heating device 11 in the process direction R. The breaking device 18 thereby replaces the edge 12 for breaking the hardened mass 15 and defines a sizing of the pellets 13. For this purpose, the illustrated breaking device 18 comprises one or more breaking elements 19 for breaking or knocking-off the mass 15. The breaking elements 19 are also connected to one another via a shaft 20 and can be set in motion by a rotation of the shaft 20, which in this case is parallel to the transverse direction. In order to be able to keep the rotation of the shaft 20 constant, a motor-controlled drive 23 is provided.

[0074] To ensure that the mass 15 is uniformly caught and broken by each breaking element 19 in a breaking process, a comb-like counterplate 22 is arranged on the breaking device 18. The counterplate 22 thereby receives the mass 15 located on the belt 6 and directly guides it further to the breaking elements 19. The mass 15 is then broken in a longitudinal and transverse direction by the breaking elements 19 via prongs 24 of the counterplate 22, which prongs 24 are arranged in a comb-like manner, and exits the device 1 in the form of pellets 13. In order to break the mass 15 into equally-sized pellets 13, the breaking elements 19 are arranged on the shaft 20, and the prongs 24 on the counterplate 22, at regular intervals. Seven breaking elements 19 are used in the exemplary embodiment illustrated. From the breaking device, the finished pellets 13 fall downwards, where they can easily be collected for further use, for example for admixture to a glass melt.

[0075] With a method according to the invention and a corresponding device, it is also possible simple manner to process glass powder into piece goods or pellets 13, which can subsequently be admixed to a glass melt, so that glass powder that was not previously reprocessable can also be recycled.