International IECEx certification for Bostik’s Dispermix VFD-90/TV
1. BRIEF COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Bostik Australia Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of Bostik, a leading global adhesive technology company. Headquartered in Southbank, Victoria, Bostik Australia specializes in the manufacture of adhesives and sealants for a variety of sectors, including construction, industrial and consumer.
Its products range from do-it-yourself adhesives to advanced industrial solutions, such as leveling compounds and waterproofing products.
The company stands out for its commitment to innovation and sustainability, benefiting from the research and development capabilities of the Arkema Group, to which it belongs.
In addition, Bostik Australia has been present in the Australian market since 1915, offering solutions that improve people’s daily lives.
2. PRODUCT TO BE PROCESSED
High viscosity polyurethane (PU) sealant. It is characterized by its ability to form durable and flexible joints. These sealants are formulated with polyurethane resins and are commonly used in construction, automotive and other industries where reliable and durable sealing is required.
3. OBJECTIVE
The customer needed an open mixer to manufacture high viscosity PU sealant. The mixer was to be placed in an ATEX Zone 2 classified area.
Main customer requirements for the mixer:
- IECEx certification to comply with Australian regulations for ATEX zones.
- Adaptation for use with existing tanks, already used in other similar equipment.
- Head height position gauge.
- Motorized tank holder.
4. O+B SOLUTION
O+B proposed a mixer for mobile tanks model VFD-90 TV.
The main features of this mixer are:
- Provided with two shafts. A fast dispersing shaft equipped with a saw-tooth disc and a slow mixing shaft equipped with a butterfly blade.
- Electro-hydraulic head lifting system.
- Batch manufacturing capacity up to 1500L in portable tanks.
- Vacuum lid adapted to the tank.
- Clamp-type vessel holder.
- Control panel with HMI screen for process control and recipe editing.
The standard equipment had to be modified to meet the customer’s requirements. The main modifications to the mechanical design of the equipment consisted of:
- Modifying the column height in order to accommodate the customer’s tanks.
- Modifying the lifting stroke.
- Motorizing the clamp-type vessel holder.
- Implementing a laser system to control the position of the head and to be able to use this data in the process control system.
The biggest challenge of the project was the IECEx certification of the equipment. Although there are many electrical and electromechanical components with such certification, there are very few complete pieces of equipment with such certification and little information about it.
Oliver + Batlle’s engineering and certification team contacted several Notified Bodies to carry out the IECEx certification of the mixer.
Finally, the work was carried out with the collaboration of TÜV as the Notified Body chosen for the project.
After completing the dossier, tests and the corresponding review, the IECEx certification of the equipment as a single model was obtained.
Thanks to our experience in adapting standard equipment to the needs of our clients, and the work done by the Oliver + Batlle team, BOSTIK Australia has an IECEx certified equipment that meets all their needs established in the project requirements.
5. RESULTS
The project succeeded in meeting the needs of the client, who now has a mixer capable of manufacturing their high viscosity products using both the new tanks supplied in the project, as well as the existing ones at BOSTIK Australia’s facilities. In addition, the project was complemented with customized process control software, which allows to control the main variables of the process.
