Editor's Choice


Thor’s hammer of pneumatic knockers

November 2023 Editor's Choice Pneumatics & Hydraulics

Neu Matics specialises in the design and installation of pneumatic control systems and the manufacture of cylinders and control panels. The company offers services ranging from pneumatic logic system and PLC design, to technical advice on all aspects of pneumatics, including bus electronics. It also acts as sole distributor for a range of internationally recognised brands, and one of these is the pneumatic knocker from singold, a specialist in material flow solutions with over 50 years experience in bulk material technology.


Pneumatic knockers are a type of cylinder that delivers a knock or impact at variable intervals in order to make bulk materials flow better. They are used on containers and silos with material flow problems such as residue buildup, where high-speed vibrators or shakers with soft sinusoidal oscillations are not effective. They reliably remove product residues, caking, and shaft and bridge buildups in a wide variety of manufacturing applications. They are effective, reliable and inexpensive.

What are the advantages of pneumatic knockers?

Have you ever walked through your plant and seen impact marks on cyclones, bins or silos? In all those cases where the flow of material was restarted with a hammer blow, a pneumatic knocker could have been used more efficiently and with less impact on the material. Unlike shakers, vibrators, and even interval knockers, a pneumatic magnetic system knocker can knock on demand, whenever it is needed.

This provides the following advantages:

• For some products, constant knocking tends to condense the material flow rather than promote it. A single, targeted blow is much more effective here than a vibrator.

• Well-directed knocking contributes to noise protection in the factory.

• The impact from the singold knocker only generates a vibration with a large amplitude and does not go through any self-resonance. In contrast to vibrators, this protects the container and the knocker in the best possible way.

• Compressed air consumption is reduced.

• There is no imbalance as with vibrators.

The knocker generates a shock that causes the container wall to vibrate in a decaying manner. The number of vibrations is lower than when using shakers and vibrators, and therefore the risk of vibration cracks is also lower.

To achieve this, there is a magnet inside the knocker. When the pressure of the supplied compressed air overcomes the holding force of the magnet, the knocker is triggered, accelerated very strongly by the compressed air. It strikes the impact pin with great force, which transfers the impact to the container wall. It is operated with a three/two-way valve so that the pressure chamber of the pneumatic magnetic system knocker can be vented. A spring pushes the impact piston back to its original position, and the knocker is then ready for the next application.

The singold pneumatic knocker is low wear, durable and easy to maintain. It also consumes considerably less energy than an interval knocker. Weighing systems for metering operations are also less stressed with a pneumatic knocker than with a vibrator. This reduces the risk of wear-related damage.

What makes singold’s pneumatic knocker so special?

In no performance class is there a more efficient or more powerful pneumatic knocker than the singold pneumatic knocker. Thanks to its ingenious design, the singold pneumatic magnetic knocker produces the greatest possible impact with the lowest possible dead weight.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

The future of industrial automation: fieldbus and industrial networking
LAPP Southern Africa Editor's Choice
As a global leader in integrated solutions in the field of cable and connection technology, LAPP recognises that fieldbus and industrial networking technologies are pivotal in shaping the future of manufacturing and production processes.

Read more...
AI-driven innovations with CCTV and cyber security
RJ Connect Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The fast progress of artificial intelligence (AI) and video analytics is redefining the rail surveillance landscape. Advancements have bolstered proactive event detection, predictive maintenance and enhanced situational awareness.

Read more...
Loop signature 27: SWAG tuning of simple integrating processes.
Editor's Choice
The chief control engineer of one of the largest petrochemical refineries in South Africa once sent me an email after a course at his plant. He wrote that he had found the section on SWAG tuning of simple integrating processes one of the most informative of the whole course.

Read more...
Harnessing industrial AI agents for reliable automation
Editor's Choice IT in Manufacturing
The excitement around generative AI (GenAI) has been undeniable, promising wide-ranging changes across industries. However, for those of us in the world of industrial control and automation, the realities of implementing these powerful technologies are a little more nuanced.

Read more...
Futureproof your industrial network security with OT-centric cyber security
RJ Connect Editor's Choice
To achieve digital transformation, industrial operators must first address the daunting task of merging their information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) infrastructure. In this article, we focus on the importance of strong OT network security and provide some tips on how to strengthen cybersecurity for industrial operations.

Read more...
The symbiotic relationship between OEMs and SIs
Schneider Electric South Africa Editor's Choice System Integration & Control Systems Design
While businesses tend to turn directly to original equipment manufacturers OEMs or vendors when embarking on IT projects, the role of the SI as a key facilitator and partner cannot be overstated.

Read more...
Case History 196: Unstable condensate level control.
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Level Measurement & Control
The operators in a petrochemical refinery were having great trouble in trying to stabilise the condensate level in a vessel, and this was adversely affecting other loops downstream. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to retune the controller.

Read more...
Big themes for 2025
Editor's Choice News
2024 was a year of unprecedented innovation and global upheaval. As we look ahead, Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Institute asks which technologies will reshape our world in 2025?

Read more...
Loop signature: Tuning part 4 processes
Michael Brown Control Engineering Editor's Choice Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
The purpose of this particular article is to try and give those unfortunate enough to have to use SWAG (scientific wild ass guess) tuning a bit of an idea of how to go about it, and even more importantly some understanding of a couple of basic principles.

Read more...
EtherCAT and PC-based control elevate next-generation laser cutting machine
Beckhoff Automation Editor's Choice
Cincinnati Incorporated has been building sheet metal processing equipment for 125 years. Since the switch to PC-based control, the only limits to development have been physical.

Read more...