New Pump application: Up on the roof

Verder UK have supplied a series of pumps to a leading manufacturer of roof tiles. The manufacturer produces a wide range of roof tiles including clay, slate and concrete types. There is a great emphasis on producing a high quality produce with a consistent production process. Many of the products are produced in batch quantities and due to the nature of the fluids being air, heat and chemically activated, once a process begins it needs to be reliable to prevent spoiled batches. Verder received the call from the manufacturer and sent their local field representative to the site to consult with the engineering team. The team were very unhappy with the customer service they were receiving from their existing supplier when sourcing 4 replacement peristaltic pumps. The peristaltic pumps were required to handle a coating for the roof tiles with abrasive pigment. This coating provided both the traditional colour and environmental protection to the roof tiles. The abrasive pigment can cause significant wear to many other pump types but the Verderflex VF25 industrial pumps could easily handle the fluid. The pigment enters the pump by being drawn in to a hose inside the pump casing. A rotor compresses the hose causing a tight ‘seal’ which draws in the fluid, through the length of the hose and is discharged out. As the hose is simply being compressed and relaxed which causes no wear on the internal surface, only the number of compressions causes wear. The peristaltic pumps feed a spray mechanism to provide an even distribution of the pigment liquor over the tiles. Not only were Verder able to provide a coating solution, an acid circulation problem was also solved. The tiles are etched with hydrochloric acid in order to remove impurities from the tiles. The pigment coating would not be able to form the chemical bond required without this etching. The circulation of the acid requires a pumping solution that can handle the strong acid and abrasive particles which are picked up from the tiles and are circulated in a closed loop. Verder recommended a Verderair Pure solid PTFE diaphragm pump. The pump is produced from 100% pure virgin PTFE material with no metallic parts. The pump is chemically inert and extremely resistant to abrasion, making it ideal for recirculation of such a corrosive and abrasive fluid. The pump features strong, overmoulded diaphragms for longevity and if necessary can be fitted with a leak protection such as diaphragm barrier fluid and diaphragm rupture sensor. The tile manufacturer was so pleased with the pumps they also have now standardised the pumps used for painting the tiles with the Verderair VA25 diaphragm pump. The VA25 was chosen as it provides exceptional reliability and performance with the handling of paint. The range is available with a wide range of material for compatibility with corrosive and/or abrasive fluids. All Verderair pumps feature advance-response air valves which reduce waste air. The reduction in waste air has huge benefits for the customer over the life of pump by reducing compressed air costs, improving the working environment and moving more fluid per stroke.