Chopped Fibreglass

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, manufactures premium quality building and mechanical insulation, commercial roofing, glass fibersand non-woven materials for commercial, industrial and residential applications. UniTrak was first approached by Johns Manville to convey the glass microspheres used to produce fiberglass at the Defiance, Ohio, plant. Since that initial installation, UniTrak has helped Johns Manville to successfully convey dried chopped fiberglass at other key manufacturing facilities.

Related to:

TipTrak Bucket Elevator Dusty

Customer: Johns Manville
Industry: Building Products
Materials: Chopped Strand Fiberglass
Equipment: Twin S-2 PEC TipTrak™

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challenges

01 - challenges

Conveying dried chopped fiberglass is not without its challenges. The product is friable and tends to accumulate static charge when moved or handled. In addition, the light nature of the product makes it susceptible to spillage as it is transported on a conveyor.

To help Johns Manville select the right conveyor for the job, UniTrak conducted extensive testing of the Johns Manville fiberglass material at its product test facility. This testing showed that TipTrak™ S-5 PEC bucket elevators were an ideal equipment choice for assuring product integrity, preventing spillage and static charge buildup, while achieving the desired throughput rates.

custom-
erization

02 - challenges

The TipTrak™ S-5 PEC units supplied to Johns Manville for the handling of dried chopped strand fiberglass were designed to convey product at the rate of 5,000 lbs per hour at 50 PCF.

TipTrak™ conveyors are renowned for their gentle handling and spillage-free operation. The fully interlocking bucket assembly of TipTrak™ conveyors prevent product spillage and, together with the TipTrak™ rubber beltchain, ensure that product moves through the conveyor without degradation or damage.

To address the issue of static buildup, UniTrak supplied TipTrak™ units outfitted with a fully-conductive option package.

solutions

03 - challenges

Johns Manville is successfully using TipTrak™ conveyors within its production operations at multiple facilities with the USA.

TipTrak™ S-5 units supplied to the Waterville, Ohio and the Cleburne, Texas plants for the handling chopped strand fiberglass have performed with excellent reliability and superior product handling. Equipped with fully conductive options, these conveyors are handling friable product without damage or degradation, and the negative consequences of static charge accumulation have been avoided.

“It’s virtually maintenance free” (on why he liked the TipTrak Bucket Conveyor)”

– Randy Bernard, Plant Mechanic at Johns Manville

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