Wood chip briquette press
           
Mechanical engineering students specialising in production technology developed a hydraulic wood chip briquette press for a student research project at the DHBW Stuttgart. In order to reduce costs, the team largely dispensed with individually manufactured components and instead relied on standard components. In their search for suitable standard parts, the students came across norelem as a potential sponsor and ended up using various components from norelem.
      
To ensure that the press works continuously, wood chips must be constantly fed in. A chip accumulator takes over this task so that they do not have to be fed manually. A rotating mechanism in the chip feed opening ensures that no blockages occur. Rotating plates in the feed drum move with the aid of a lever mechanism that is driven by the linear movement of a cylinder rod. The rotating mechanism utilises the system's existing hydraulic drive, which simplifies the design. norelem components allow the clearance in the system to be adjusted and ensure safe operation of the chip feed - both at full chip load and when using the lever mechanism. Screw connections facilitate transport and disassembly. If necessary, these can be loosened and reassembled without damage. Slotted holes help to adjust the play. Loaded parts such as bolts can be replaced with standardised spare parts in the event of a defect. The combination of hexagon nuts, socket head screws, pillow block bearing and pin with split pins offers sufficient flexibility.
      
Aluminium profiles under the drum bear the weight. In conjunction with angles and sliding blocks, the lightweight profiles enable manual alignment and fixing of the components during assembly. Two interfaces at the base of the press secure the barrel in position. The stable profiles transfer the chip load to floor rollers without deforming the structure. Swivel castors ensure the necessary manoeuvrability of the feed barrel and also prevent the structure from tipping over.