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Vacuum Conveying of Sensitive Powders: Balancing Efficiency and Containment

Whether it's active ingredients, flavors, pigments, or metal powder mixtures – the demands for safe and clean conveying of bulk solids are steadily increasing. In industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, chemicals, and battery production, processes are under constant pressure from stricter regulations, rising hygiene requirements, and efficiency expectations. At the same time, many products are becoming more sensitive – due to their reactivity, toxicity, or sensitivity to mechanical stress. Especially in handling highly potent substances or dusty powders, even a small leak can lead to cross-contamination, health risks, or batch rejection. This is where vacuum conveying comes into play – and with it, the experience and innovation of HECHT Technologie GmbH.

Why Vacuum Conveying?

Unlike mechanical conveying systems such as screw conveyors or bucket elevators, vacuum conveying operates under negative pressure and enables fully enclosed, airtight material transfer. This protects not only the product but also the surrounding environment – especially when handling toxic, reactive, or dusty materials. The benefits are many: vacuum conveying avoids open product paths, reduces potential emission sources, and supports integration into containment or cleanroom concepts. Residual product can be easily removed through rinse cycles or WIP systems, minimizing cleaning effort and increasing system availability.

HECHT’s ProClean Conveyor Systems at a Glance

With the PCC series, HECHT provides a well-thought-out solution for a wide range of applications – from standard tasks to highly specialized containment processes.

The classic PCC variant is especially suited for sensitive production environments where product and operator protection are paramount. The design supports CIP and WIP cleaning, meets the highest hygiene standards, and can be flexibly adapted to customer-specific processes. Thanks to its ring-shaped filter unit with a large surface area, consistent conveying performance is ensured even over longer distances.

The ProClean Conveyor is highly versatile – capable of connecting reactors, granulators, dryers, or mixers with containers such as drums, big bags, or bins. Even demanding products like combustible fine or metal powders can be handled. The system can be operated under vacuum or pressure and customized with inerting, explosion protection, or extended containment modules.

The cost-optimized PCC-NP (Non Pressure) variant is designed for applications with shorter conveying distances and lower pressure requirements – ideal for feeding filling stations, scales, or small mixers. It offers a conveying capacity of up to approx. 1,500 l/h (depending on product), ATEX Zone 22 interior certification, compact design, and tool-free filter changes for minimized downtime.

When it comes to material quality and cleanability, HECHT sets high standards. Product-contacting components are typically made from stainless steel 1.4404, with a surface roughness of Ra < 0.8 µm. This reduces buildup, eases cleaning, and is fully GMP compliant. Thanks to the modular design, systems can be tailored with options such as sight glasses, various filter types, and integration into automated controls.

What Matters in Practice

The added value of an experienced partner becomes especially clear during project planning. HECHT supports customers not only in selecting the right system but also in integrating it into existing production lines, designing cleaning concepts (CIP/WIP), and complying with ATEX requirements.

The result is application-specific solutions precisely matched to product characteristics, desired containment levels (e.g., OEB 3 to OEB 5), and site conditions. Critical aspects such as cleanability, dead space elimination, conveying performance, filter service life, validation, and operator safety are all considered.

Typical Applications

HECHT vacuum conveying systems are used in numerous industries – wherever powders must be transported under hygienic or safety-critical conditions. In pharmaceutical production, the PCC is often used to feed tablet presses or reactors – with validated cleaning and documentation. In the food and cosmetics sectors, it supports the transport of flavors, additives, or pigments, where product purity and color stability are essential. In battery manufacturing, the PCC enables the safe transfer of reactive powders such as lithium or graphite under inert gas atmosphere.

Conclusion

When handling sensitive powders, conveying must go beyond simply moving material. With the PCC series, HECHT offers a flexible, safe, and high-performance solution that integrates seamlessly into modern production environments – whether as a standalone unit or combined with other HECHT components such as big bag discharge stations, sampling systems, or containment interfaces.

Learn more, explore application examples, and view technical details at: www.hecht.eu

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