POWTECH 2023 has the right technologies for your industry

Food technology and feed industry

The list of powdered foods that consumers look for on the shelves is long enough, including flour, baking mixes, spices, coffee and baby milk formula. But it gets even longer when you also consider the products that are used to make powdered or granulated foodstuffs. These range from confectionery items and baked products to fruit juices and soft drinks.

As in pharmaceutical engineering, the machinery and systems used in food technology are subject to strict hygiene requirements and regulations. And the trend toward batch tracing has also been carried over from the pharmaceutical sector to the food industry. Those looking for the best technology are also influenced by environmental factors. Energy efficiency, for example, is key to mechanical and thermal processes, as well as conveying. Manufacturers with a broad product portfolio use highly automated systems that safeguard production efficiency in view of the high number of small and mid-sized components. The gentle, homogeneous blending, along with changes to the physical state of powdered ingredients, is an art in itself. The machinery and equipment manufacturers at POWTECH take all this into account in their offerings for the food industry.

A HACCP concept with the right quality management systems is absolutely essential. Given that many consumers have food intolerances and allergies, the food industry needs to make sure that products are not contaminated by allergens. Contamination by oil, metals or plastics also has to be avoided. Easy-to-clean mixing systems with no dead spaces and systems that check for foreign bodies, for example, can ensure food safety. Care is of course also required in the animal feed industry, as customers will not tolerate traces of plastic or metal in these products. The POWTECH exhibitors specialising in food and feed are experts in processes that deliver top-quality products.

Chemical engineering

The chemical industry requires its production facilities to operate with maximum reliability and availability, with equipment often running around the clock. Equipment and components must frequently work in challenging conditions and must not fail even under heavy thermal, chemical or abrasive loads. Mechanical processing technology plays a leading role in numerous core processes in chemical engineering and in conveying input and end products within facilities. Because these products are extremely diverse, the systems need to be planned and constructed with consideration of their individual properties. Equipment must also be able to convey and process bulk solids that cake or flow poorly, as well as difficult-to-wet powders or sensitive granules. This means that plants and equipment are generally customised to suit each application.

POWTECH presents this diversity in combination with numerous innovations. The exhibitors also demonstrate that safety is an absolute priority. In chemical process engineering, this includes protecting operators against contact with hazardous materials. Fire and explosion protection are also extremely important in the chemical processing equipment sector, and must follow the locally valid regulations. As many companies in the chemistry sector operate internationally, specialist businesses guarantee this with the appropriate certificates for all regions.

Pharmaceutical technology

Pharmaceutical production is defined by hygiene and containment. This highly regulated sector also needs to meet strict directives: for example, those regulating the traceability of raw materials and products. In the pharmaceutical industry, processing equipment is generally made of stainless steel of the highest quality, because it often produces or processes very valuable and highly effective products. It is imperative to prevent cross-contamination as well as exposure of the operator to escaping dust. This sector also relies on cleaning processes that allow batch changes in compliance with the provisions of national and international regulations like GMP and FDA guidelines. POWTECH exhibitors specialising in pharmaceutical applications have all perfected the requisite processes.

Manufacturers of tablets, effervescent tablets and capsules generally use automated bulk solids handling processes with the aid of suction conveyors and containment systems. These are complemented by extractors that ensure highly active ingredients cannot escape into the environment. Blockbuster products have completely different requirements here to specialist products produced in small batches. In addition, the formulations of pharmaceutical products often vary greatly. POWTECH therefore offers highly diverse solutions for visitors from the pharmaceutical industry. These range from EHEDG-compliant rotary airlock feeders to complete facilities that ensure seamless documentation via a central automation system.

Glass industry and ceramics industry

The requirements placed on technology used in the glass and ceramics industries are just as diverse as the products themselves. These include building ceramics, household objects, high-performance ceramics, flat and hollow glass, glass fibre and technical glassware. The necessary qualities vary considerably from product to product, as do their specific characteristics. Both can be influenced to a great extent by the raw materials and manufacturing processes used in glass and ceramics technology. Alongside the purity of the input materials, particle size and particle size distribution play a significant role.

POWTECH showcases impressive solutions for the processes involved in the glass industry and in the ceramics industry. Mechanical processes like pulverising, screening, mixing, spray-drying and granulating play an important role right from the feeding of raw materials to the shaping and manufacturing process. This is where the foundations are laid for the formation of the crucial microstructure that determines the properties of the shaped products. Alongside mass production, the industry is also seeing increasingly customised products. This is leading to increasing demand for additive manufacturing processes, which many exhibitors at POWTECH are responding to with new solutions. Rapid product changes and production processes that can be flexibly adapted to new market circumstances also call for suitable and highly automated processes to prepare the mixtures.

Environmental engineering and recycling technology

Sustainability and a circular economy are inconceivable without recycling technology. Demand for solutions that protect the environment is greater than ever. The range of recyclable materials stretches from old tyres and batteries to cement. The mechanical engineering industry supports this sector with environmental technology for screening, shredding, separating, drying, conveying and compacting. Mechanical process engineering even plays a role in wastewater treatment, such as in pelletising sewage sludge.

As well as designing equipment for environmental engineering and recycling technology with the appropriate functions, manufacturers must keep the necessary maintenance to a minimum. POWTECH will demonstrate how excellent technical performance can go hand in hand with robustness, ease of use and cost efficiency. As more and more new products are made of recyclable materials, processing them calls for ingenuity. The innovative exhibitors at POWTECH are responding with countless ideas and cutting-edge recycling technology, all with the aim of protecting the environment.

Plastics engineering & rubber technology

Plastics, along with natural and synthetic rubbers, are used virtually everywhere: from everyday items and packaging to vehicles and machinery to construction and medical devices. The machines used for the production of these materials need to be fed the raw material mixtures with maximum efficiency, quality, and safety. This is the only way to achieve economic efficiency when large quantities are being produced. The exhibitors at POWTECH are meeting this need.

A wide range of plastics technologies are used in the production of master batches and granulates that are required in processing. When it comes to handling raw materials, premixes and compounds in bulk solid form, flexibility is the name of the game. The raw material mixtures consist of large, medium and small components, along with additives. These must be precisely combined and fed to various compound lines. Following the plastic granulation process, the oversized and undersized particles need to be separated before small and large batches can be decanted with as little dust as possible. POWTECH offers systems and solutions for all these processes.

As raw materials become more scarce, climate protection by means of a circular economy is becoming a powerful driver of innovation. The use of recycled raw materials is helping to reduce the carbon footprint of countless plastic and rubber products. Demand for ingenious solutions that enable a high proportion of recyclate is growing. The energy consumption of production systems is another area that can be optimised to benefit the environment. The plastics and recycling industries must cooperate closely if they are to both preserve resources and offer the advantages of plastics engineering and rubber technology sustainably in future. Both sectors will be present at POWTECH, creating ideal conditions for shaping change.

Non-metallic minerals (pit and quarry)

The pit and quarry sector is a much rougher environment than the other sectors represented at POWTECH. Despite this, the parallels are unmistakable. Turning raw materials like sand, gravel, natural stone and lava into construction materials calls for a great deal of process engineering expertise. Quality management in the building material industry is also incredibly important. After all, there is a lot of room for innovation when it comes to materials like concrete, tile, plaster and asphalt. Sustainability and recycling play an especially important role here. As a result, building material producers are increasingly becoming eco-warriors.

As well as fulfilling its traditional functions and being robust enough to rise to the requirements of construction material production, systems and equipment must therefore also support innovations. Tried-and-tested machinery and equipment is constantly being optimised to save energy and make production in this sector more efficient. The exhibitors at POWTECH that specialise in the pit and quarry segment are familiar with the requirements for long running times, and are committed to meeting them.

In recent years, the use of recycled building materials from mineral demolition waste has become a key area of application in building materials technology. It preserves both primary raw material sources and landfill capacity. For this to work, the material composition needs to be preserved, such as through determining particle size distribution and the proportion of foreign matter. Recycling building materials therefore also involves analysis and quality assurance methods alongside suitable processing technologies. In this area too, POWTECH has lots to offer.

Machine and equipment manufacturing

POWTECH provides plenty of inspiration for manufacturers of machinery and equipment focused on the above-mentioned end user segments. There is an appropriate solution for every application. Whether you need components specifically for hygroscopic, clumping bulk solids, or poorly flowing or sensitive products, the broad range of solutions offered by component suppliers meets every need. This means it is equally possible to gently handle products like tea and spices, or convey abrasive materials like silica sand. When it comes to avoiding cross-contamination, numerous exhibitors also offer designs that are free of dead space and easy to clean, providing the best conditions for equipment for the food and pharma sectors.

There is also an impressive range of solutions for applications requiring explosion protection. During POWTECH, you can even experience live explosions on the grounds of the exhibition centre. In addition, manufacturers of machines and equipment can get an overview of measuring and automation systems, as well as analysis methods, that are specifically designed for bulk solids applications. Modular systems make it easier to integrate individual equipment parts or even entire package units. This means that machine and equipment manufacturers can offer customers in all industries complete solutions, from bulk material feed to filling and packaging. POWTECH provides a comprehensive overview of the necessary product range, while also fostering fruitful collaboration opportunities.

Batteries

Increasingly more powerful batteries and accumulators are enablers of the energy and mobility transition. The distinguishing characteristics of the next generation of batteries are expected to be even greater power density, safety and service life. It is also important to work sustainably throughout the entire life cycle of these energy carriers. This starts with the extraction of the raw materials and ends with reconditioning and recycling.

The foundations for high battery quality are laid during the manufacturing of the electrodes. Especially in these initial manufacturing steps, there is a need for POWTECH processing technologies, e.g., for the screening and sifting of starting materials and the production of electrode slurries. For example, when mixing electrode materials, the focus is not just on achieving homogeneity. It is also imperative to avoid metal debris. POWTECH exhibitors will present mixer designs specially adapted to the peculiarities of battery applications. For example, they avoid miniscule amounts of iron that would impair the performance of the subsequent battery. Apart from the mostly pulverous active materials, conductive additives, solvents and binders are also needed. This aspect has been covered by including the processing of liquid components into the categories on display at POWTECH.

In addition, battery developers and manufacturers can find out how to feed materials like nanoparticles, which are often hazardous to health, without endangering the operator or contaminating the environment. Dust exposure can be avoided, for example, by using special docking systems. During subsequent recycling, only a combination of suitable image recognition and mechanical separating systems can handle the heterogeneity of battery materials. At POWTECH, industry representatives will therefore receive numerous suggestions about how to combine improved battery efficiency and optimised production.

Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

Even if the cosmetics sector is categorised as being part of the chemical industry, it marches to the beat of a different drum. In the B2C segment, consumers want to be persuaded again and again. From body and haircare products to skin and facial care and decorative cosmetics, these are all part of a “fast moving consumer goods” market where vendors must constantly adapt their product ranges to new trends.

Yesterday it was cruelty-free cosmetics. Today, consumer expectations are defined by a marked environmental consciousness and the trend towards self-improvement and individualisation. Older demographic groups and the “gender shift” also offer new business opportunities. Vendors need to respond to short-term fashion trends as well as long-term changes. Laboratories and manufacturing facilities need to offer maximum flexibility to be able to produce new formulations cost-effectively. The list of ingredients is being constantly modified and extended, e.g., with turmeric. Safe ingredients and compliance with GMP and FDA guidelines must be guaranteed.

POWTECH exhibitors will show how these requirements can be realised with versatile, easily modified equipment and systems and analytical methods. In this context, the renunciation of preservatives, e.g., in natural and organic cosmetics, must not lead to loss of quality. Containment technology and alternative purification methods are necessary more than ever. In addition, cosmetics manufacturers need to be able to handle pulverous, paste-like and liquid products with an equal level of expertise. This is the only way to allow for the diverse range of gels, lotions, pastes and solid products that are characteristic of the sector. Thanks to the repositioning of POWTECH to include technologies for handling fluids and liquids, manufacturers will find plenty of suggestions in this regard.