Why choose an electric double diaphragm pump for starch glue transfer?

Electric-operated double diaphragm (EODD) pumps play a big role in sustainable operations of corrugated cardboard manufacturing. Removing the costs of purchasing, running and maintaining an air compressor means significant cost savings on your operational budget.

The simple design of an EODD pump is another major advantage over other pump technologies. Simplicity of design means easier cleaning, fewer parts, and faster repair, which reduces downtime of your production line.  

These pumps also provide a high level of control – especially important for metering and batching. And there is no risk of contamination of products due to the absence of hydraulic backing.

An EODD pump’s seal-less diaphragm design eliminates leaking rotational seals and failures due to run-dry conditions. Other advantages include the lack of exhaust air, the ability to handle abrasives, and its quietness. Making it ideal for applications in close proximity to people. 

EODDs are available in several configurations that correspond to the different types of glue being used, as well as a variety of cleaning agents such as water, soda or others.

Finally, being true positive displacement pumps, EODD pumps like QUANTM are highly tolerant to changing degrees of viscosity of the pumped starch glue. This allows them to deliver constant and consistent flow regardless of back pressure.

When choosing a starch glue pump, Graco’s QUANTM electric-operated double diaphragm pump is the preferred choice. It can stall under pressure, to prevent pump failures from clogged lines or closed valves. This is a huge benefit in a glue pump. Its energy-efficient electric drive reduces energy consumption by up to 80% when compared to an air-operated pump (AODD).

A 2” QUANTM pump, transferring 87 gallons per minute needs 1.6kWh. If it runs for 880 hours a year, that adds up to 1480kWh in total. Compare this to a conventional 2” AODD which consumes 75 CFM of air to have the same flow and needs a 26 kW air compressor to run. 880 hours operating time of a 23 AODD adds up to 22880kWh in total. A huge savings on energy!

A leading UK corrugated cardboard manufacturer replaced sixty-five 2” pneumatic pumps with the QUANTM EODD for glue circulation lines in 12 factories throughout the country. The impact on energy costs and carbon reduction is significant. The energy consumption dropped from 2.37milj to 535,000 kW/year. 

Taking into consideration the elimination of the cost of compressed air and air compressor maintenance, complemented by the low maintenance costs on the QUANTM pumps their investment was paid back in less than 6 months. And not to forget that by switching to QUANTM, they reduced their carbon emissions by 80%.

Diaphragm pumps are a central component of manufacturing processes around the world but they need compressed air to run. Although air has historically been a reliable solution to power pumping processes, it can be very inefficient and a significant cost driver in your process. To increase efficiency and reduce operational costs, operations are constantly seeking new solutions.

QUANTM is the next generation diaphragm pump, offering a fully-electric solution in a compact package nearly identical to pneumatic counterparts. Designed to meet the growing demand for clean energy and sustainable technologies, QUANTM pumps deliver all the well-known advantages of AODD’s while slashing energy costs and providing a quieter work environment for employees.