Six Hidden Benefits of a
Central Pneumatic
Material Handling System
AirTrim Whitepaper l September 2015
(6)
Hidden Benefits of a Central (House) Pneumatic Material Handling System
Converters and printers of paper, plastic, film and foil, non-wovens, fiberglass and metals face many
challenges. One is determining the best method of removing waste from converting and printing
machines and transporting it to their baler, compactor, or dumpster. Many continue to do this
manually, appointing employees on a part- or full-time to basis to take the Gaylords of waste material by
hand truck or forklift to a waste collection area usually near the loading docks. Due to increasing
operating costs, many companies are examining better options such as automated pneumatic material
handling systems to perform this function.
The primary purpose of the house (or central) system is to automatically transport the waste material
from the production machines to the waste area. But there are more benefits to a house system. This
paper summarizes (6) additional benefits of a central (or house) pneumatic material waste removal
system over the traditional manual method of using hand trucks or forklifts
Background Information
Diagram of typical House (Central) System designed for flexographic printing.
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A pneumatic material handling system’s basic elements include an air mover, such as a fan or blower, an
entry method into the system, a sealed conveying line of round steel duct, an air/ material separator
(receiver), and if needed, a dust collection unit.
Pneumatic material handling systems for printers and converters most often fall within three types of
systems: (1) material handling fan with cutters/choppers, (2) material handling fan, and (3) venturi
(inducer)/ with pressure blower. The ultimate pneumatic system design is dependent upon a large
number of factors including: type, size, width, and weight of the conveyed material, the distance
material travels, speed of equipment and operation, and whether material will be reused or recycled.
The final design is a blend of mathematics and science, with vendor experience a very important
component.
House (Central) pneumatic material waste systems convey waste product in round steel duct from
multiple production machines, into one or more trunk lines, that flow into an air material/ separator,
allowing the air to escape and the waste material to drop into a compactor or baler at a distance from
the production floor. Transported materials can also be diverted into another flow path if the material
can be recycled or reclaimed.
1. Improve Production process
Often manual material removal slows or forces a total shut down of production to allow time to remove
waste; automated waste removal systems allow more efficient production runs as waste is
automatically removed. This also allows running equipment faster and more continuously.
Incorporating a pneumatic removal system frees up employees for higher value added operations.
Manual waste removal is a time consuming process, especially if the waste storage area is located a
significant distance from the production equipment.
Often slitting, sheeting, cross cutting, and die cutting along with other similar functions produce dust.
Your customers don’t like it as it impacts their finished product. An effective house removal system can
also reduce this dust contamination. Dust collection systems allow conveying air to be discharged
outside or returned to operations, without impacting product quality.
2. Improve working environment
Depending upon the traffic flow path, forklift traffic can be dangerous. Blind intersections, frozen
outside ramps, difficult turns, shifting loads, and other challenges can create work hazards.
Constant fork lift traffic in a manufacturing operation is also noisy. Pneumatic system blowers and fans
can often be located above the employee work space or possibly outside to isolate noise away from the
operating space. Employees can more easily concentrate on their work, resulting in a higher quality of
product.
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Spilled waste and overflowing waste containers associated with manual waste removal all can
contribute to a problematic workplace.
3. Reduce Operating Expense
Running a fleet of fork lifts is expensive, whether you rent or own; a properly designed house system
eliminates this expense. Depending upon the size of the forklift fleet, the investment in a house system
can show significant paybacks.
Manual removal of waste and placing it in a Gaylord or other container significantly increases the
volume of waste over that of cut/granulated material. The denser or more reduced/compacted the
waste, the fewer trips to the land fill. A house system incorporating trim cutters will significantly reduce
land fill trips.
Pneumatic material handling systems often require little or no maintenance. When compared to the
maintenance required for a fleet of fork lifts, the maintenance for pneumatic systems is extremely low.
4. Generate Potential revenue stream from your waste.
If your material is recyclable or can be reclaimed or reused in your process, house pneumatic conveying
systems allow you to direct the material to the most advantageous location for baling, granulating,
briquetting or palletizing operations.
5. Increase usable production floor space
Allocating space for manual waste handling requirements at or near production equipment reduces
space available for manufacturing needs. Total loss of production space can be significant depending on
(1) the locations for waste pick up at the machine, (2) the floor space needed for access, (3) aisle
location configurations, (4) size of the waste containers, and (5) the required hand truck or forklift
access for these containers. Pneumatic material handling systems duct routing is most always at the
ceiling or on the roof, allowing a less congested layout and increasing valuable floor space for
production needs.
6. Improve ability to accommodate future equipment additions/ removals
Although the initial house system is designed to convey waste material from a specific set of machines,
it is common to add to or reduce the number of machines a pneumatic system can handle to
accommodate future changes. As long as the system supplier is advised of potential additions /
deletions in the design phase of the system, the air material separators can be designed accordingly,
giving the end user the ability to modify their systems to accommodate future production requirements.
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If unplanned waste material handling needs arise, there are additional units available that supplement
the house systems. All AirTrim systems are easy to disassemble and reassemble with new duct runs to
accommodate changes in plant layout.
Photo of (12) port separator with (4) extra holes for future expansion purposes.
Summary
The primary purpose of a House (central) system is to simplify conveying material from one or more
converting operations to a centralized accumulation point. There are however, six additional significant
potential benefits inherent in these systems that are often overlooked.
About Airtrim
AirTrim is recognized as one of the leaders in pneumatic material handling technology. Located in
Springfield, Ohio, we design, manufacture, sell, install and maintain pneumatic material handling
systems in a variety of industries, including the food processing and canning industries, throughout the
United States and Canada. Robert Patton, President, has over 25 years in the pneumatic material
handling experience in this industry.
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