A manufacturer of specialty machinery required a vacuum hold-down of gasket material on a conveyor belt as material was fed into a punching operation.

Southwestern Controls recommended changes to the perforated belt design, so that sufficient vacuum hold-down force could be applied to the gasket material. A high-flow regenerative blower vacuum pump was sized to guarantee sufficient air flow. A vacuum relief valve was sized to control hold-down force.

The customer incorporated the following components into the process, following our recommendation:

  • A Regenair regenerative blower vacuum pump, by Gast manufacturing
  • A vacuum relief valve, also by Gast Manufacturing.

Our consultants also assisted in optimizing the final relief valve settings.