Development of the novel batching equipment for Nd-Fe-B powders

To solve the problems in batching process of neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) powders manufacturing, a novel automatic batching equipment was developed, allowing the batching process to be operated under a sealed environment filled in protective gas. Based on the original design of CJ2000 Nd-Fe-B automatic weighing machine, a number of key components were redesigned in batching process of Nd-Fe-B powders according to the Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch (TRIZ) theory, including functional analysis, trimming, substance-field analysis, and standard solution. A new component used for material level detection and protection was designed and placed between the raw material tank and the feeder, which had a dual function as a detector of material level inside the hose and protective cover in the accident of hose rupture, providing the adequate evacuation time for the operators to minimize the damage from potential accident. Quick-fit connectors were attached to the hopper inlet and outlet, which were connected to the soft connection device to ensure the materials to be weighed under the closed conditions. A vibrating motor was mounted on the side wall of hopper to effectively remove the residual materials. The GZG103 tubular airtight feeder designed based on the self-synchronizing principle could not only enable the quantitative feeding of materials, but also clean up the residual materials in the feeders for the next products batch. Experimental results of the prototype indicate that, for the single measurement of 200-kg material, a productivity of 20 times/h and a precision grade X (0.2) can be obtained, respectively. In addition, the residue amount of materials inside the feed is less than 1 g upon the completion of self-cleaning process. Although this equipment is developed for the batching process of Nd-Fe-B powders, it has the potential applications for processing a broad range of materials and ingredients under the anti-oxidation environment.