AKW Apparate + Verfahren - Processing Plants and Separation Machinery for Industrial Sands, Ores and Minerals

AKW Apparate + Verfahren GmbH is a privately owned, mid-sized company, located in Hirschau, Germany. The company is internationally active in wet mechanical preparation, particularly of minerals and raw materials; and in environmental engineering.

The knowledge and capability of the company is based on 100 years' experience in the preparation of kaolin, feldspar and quartz sand. In the last 40 years we have developed into a renowned plant and machine building company, concerned mainly with applications in wet mechanical separation.

Plant equipment and apparatus developed by us:

• AKA-VORTEX - hydrocyclones (as well free-fall and flat bottom hydrocyclones)
• AKA-SPIDER - annular distributors
• AKA-STRAINER - antiblocking filters
• AKA-DRUM - washing and elutriation drums
• AKA-SPIN – spiral separating sorters
• AKA-TRIT - attrition machines
• AKA-SET - high-performance clarifier thickeners
• AKA-MOIST - moisture measuring device
• AKA-DRY - triple belt dryers
• AKOREL - free-fall classifiers
• AKA-SIZER - hydrosizers
• AKA-SORT - upstream sorters
• AKA-SAND – recovery of fine sand
• AKA-DRYFLOW – dry density separation

The equipment is used in applications such as:

• Preparation of ores, minerals and chemical products
• Preparation of kaolin and feldspar
• Production of construction and industrial sand, e.g. glass sand
• Separation of gypsum and the clarification of process water in flue gas desulphurisation plants
• Regeneration of bentonite slurries (construction AKA-SEP) with hydrocyclone control system (construction AKA-TRONIC)
• Preparation of contaminated soils and harbour sediments by mechanical, physical, biological and chemical techniques (construction MOBIWA)
• Processing and cleaning of municipal residues, e.g. sand trap materials and road sweepings (construction MoReSa 4, MoReSa 10)
• Purification of waste water and process water originating from industrial sources
• Recovery of recyclable materials, e.g. abrasives, silicon carbide and plastics.

Our services and technical support include: process-design, plant engineering, project-related testing (in our own laboratory), construction, commissioning, supervision, after sales service.

Hydrocyclones AKA-vortex for sorting, desliming, thickening, solids recovery and classification

Centrifugal forces are the effective principles of the separation processes in the hydrocyclone; like a centrifuge with stationary walls but rotating suspension. The suspended particles are thrown radially to the outside. The magnified field of force (100-2,000 times the gravity acceleration) generates high settling rates, fast separation and high load. Flow promoting designs ensure high accuracy of separation.

The modular system is achieved by using simple connectors and adaptors. No precision work is necessary for assembly of units. The replacement or addition of spare parts enables fast adaptation to function and flexibility of operation.

Washing and elutriation drums (AKA-drum)

Washing and elutriation drums are manufactured in various sizes. Anti-abrasion coatings of rubber or highly alloyed steel ensure a long service life. The internal components, such as lifting beams, struts and chain stirrers, produce the friction and turbulence required for good disintegration of the raw material. All the devices of the WLT series can be equipped with hydraulic or mechanical drives.

Hydrosizers (AKA-sizer) for precise separation by cut size

Our TAK hydrosizers ensure precise separation by cut size for products such as silica sands for glass manufacture, core sands and moulding sands for foundries and special sands required for diverse applications. The various models ensure cut sizes ranging from 0.1mm to 1.0mm, depending on the various feed quantities

Attrition machines (AKA-Trit) for removal of surface contamination and agglomerates

Attrition machines play an important role in wet mechanical processing techniques. Under the influence of high shear and friction forces created by special agitators, surface contamination is removed and agglomerates are disintegrated, due to the high solid content and intense friction between the particles.

The agitators guarantee safe transportation of the highly concentrated slurry through the chambers. The design of each chamber and the arrangement of the agitators rule out dead zones and short-circuiting. This also ensures that the slurry is transferred through each agitator zone.

Spiral separating sorters for separation by density

Spirals are sorting devices that separate by classifying the material according to their different densities, they can be used for a grain size range from approx. 0.04mm to 4mm, with a throughput per spiral of approx. 1t/h to 4 t/h. If an even higher throughput is to be processed, two or three spirals must be combined to form a column. Several spiral columns can be joined to form banks of two, four, six or eight with distributors for the inlets and collector chutes for the outlets.