Powder Handling

About us

The Technical Group of Powder Handling deals with the problems such as powder storing, feeding, conveying, packing and measurement. This group was formed in 1974. The meetings of this group were held 172 times in total until the end of 2017.

Activities of the group consist of technical lecture, factory tour, product introduction session and social gathering. New participants, mostly young, have been increasing year by year. A social gathering is usually held after the lecture meeting. This gathering serves as a good place for information exchange between users and manufacture, between the industry and the academe, and between professionals working in the same field.

Current level of technology, trend and activities in future

The design, development, and production capability of unit equipment merit attention in considering the entire manufacturing process. Indeed, the unit equipment for powder storing and feeding, among others, is not a simple component at the forefront of the process. In terms of material handling, the unit equipment is considered when assessing other processes, including conveying, packaging, and measurement. Meanwhile, logistics includes all material handling operations related to the movement and safekeeping of raw materials, half-finished goods, and finished goods.
As regards the manufacturing process and logistics, an important goal is to minimize the movement distance of powders, improve bottlenecks, lessen labor and energy loss, reinforce the security, and diminish the possibility of unexpected troubles. For each unit equipment, if a higher correspondence is demanded, notwithstanding the tendency of equipment specifications to vary, then the range of standardization should be decided to prevent divergence from academic and industrial viewpoints. In recent years, there are examples of AI and IOT applications in powder handling, and it is expected to further develop smart systems. The following items are taken by the groups as future technical focal points.
1) Systematization of powder handling
(Supplement various examinations and simulations)
2) Introduction of material handling technology
(Including the energy management system, energy saving machine apparatus, and measurement system using high sensitive sensor)
3) Effective use of AI and IOT
(Development of smart powder handling technology and integration of high-quality measurement systems)
4) Standardization of national and international designs for safety
5) Optimization of powder handling in consideration of powder properties
(Application development as regards the Japanese Industrial Standard for the examination of powder properties and practice process)
6) Development of appropriate handling techniques for fine and coarse particles
7) Development of powder handling techniques for manufacturing high quality products

Conductor