What a customer brings to feasibility testing and how they approach the process will often vary greatly. One customer may require precise formulations and product characteristics such as weight, size, and crush strength, while another may only know the end product they would like to see from their material. No matter what a customer brings to FEECO, they can expect the same result: solid answers to their material questions. Read on to see how our 60+ years of testing experience can help you make informed decisions for your material, process, and equipment needs.
What You Can Expect from the Feasibility Process
The feasibility testing process is not as difficult as you might think. Here’s how it works:
1. Fill out and submit the appropriate paperwork.
2. Next, send us a 5-gallon sample of your material in the form that you wish to process it, along with a current Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Your input regarding material characteristics and process development are also welcome.
3. After the material and information are submitted, highly-skilled and experienced lab technicians at FEECO will conduct tests on your material sample using the lab’s state-of-the-art technology and equipment.
4. Once testing is complete, we’ll share our initial findings and the resulting material with you.
Yes, it’s that simple!
Once the material is tested, FEECO can determine what kind of preconditioning is necessary to best prepare your material for agglomeration. We’ll also offer a list of complementary equipment to support your entire processing solution. Moreover, if additional testing is needed, FEECO can scale up our lab testing to further demonstrate and verify production methods.
Trial and Error in Feasibility Testing
When working to develop optimal products and processes, a certain amount of trial and error is needed. What sets the FEECO lab apart from other facilities is our complete, continuous process testing capability. While other facilities may only be able to test material in a specific piece of equipment, FEECO can test a material’s performance through every step of the process in order to create a highly efficient process overall. Even better, we are able to modify the material in real time at different stages of the process, saving time and costs.
“A key element to FEECO’s lab success is the unique ability to work beyond the pelletization process. FEECO is not just an equipment supplier, agglomeration process designer, or even a thermal processing provider. We are a complete solutions provider, and that quality gives us the ability to fit all the pieces together for the whole system. Most importantly, all of those pieces can be tested in FEECO’s lab, ensuring that every step of a customer’s process is adapted to benefit a material’s individual needs,” says Ron Eichorn, FEECO Lab Engineer.
About the FEECO International Testing and Tolling Facility
FEECO’s international testing and tolling facilities include a pilot plant, analytical laboratory, and tolling production plant. Operating as a unique division of FEECO, these feasibility testing labs are equipped with a variety of agglomeration, thermal, and material handling equipment.
Agglomeration Equipment
FEECO’s agglomeration equipment converts fine materials such as dust, powder, and sludge into agglomerates with vastly improved product characteristics. The lab also offers both roll compaction and tumble growth agglomeration testing methods. FEECO’s mixing and agglomeration testing equipment includes:
- Disc Pelletizer (24ʺ, 36ʺ, and 4ʹ 6ʺ)
- Rotary Granulator (4ʹ 6ʺ)
- Paddle Mixer (14ʺ x 6ʹ)
- Batch Pin Mixer (8ʺ and 15ʺ)
- Continuous Feed Pin Mixer (10ʺ)
- SC Roll Compactor / Briquetting (15ʺ)
- Hammer Mill
- Rod Mill
- Prater Mill
- Rotex Screen (2 Deck)
- Circular Screen (18ʺ and 36ʺ)
- Littleford Day Mixer
- Coating Drum (2ʹ x 6ʹ)
The lab is also equipped with material handling equipment such as a belt conveyor, bucket elevator, and steep incline conveyor. Additionally, support equipment such as a muffle furnace, steam generator, batch walk-in oven, fluid bed sample dryer, and spargers are also available to ensure your material is tested properly.
Since the early 1950s, FEECO has gained an understanding of countless materials and processes in a variety of industries through feasibility testing in our labs. In an effort to cultivate the best solutions for our customers, FEECO has created an invaluable testing environment that partners material knowledge, process design, and testing experience. To learn more about FEECO’s unique feasibility testing capabilities, the trial and error involved, or any of the equipment used in our labs, contact us today!
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