InterProcess Sp. z o.o. | Rozwiązania dla przemysłu
Operating principle
Breaking and cutting instead of grinding
Material containing lumps enters through the inlet flange onto a slow-turning shaft fitted with replaceable blades. The blades press the product against the screen, which acts as a size barrier: crushed particles pass through the apertures and leave the machine through the outlet flange. Size reduction and screening take place inside one enclosed body.
1
Material infeed
Material containing lumps is fed by gravity through the inlet flange: from beneath a silo, a big bag station, a sack tip station, a dryer or a filter press.
2
Crushing against the screen
A slow-turning shaft (60–80 rpm) with replaceable blades breaks and cuts the lumps against the screen. The clearance between blade and screen is adjustable.
3
Sizing and discharge
Only particles of the specified size pass through the screen apertures. The calibrated fraction leaves through the outlet flange, on its way to conveying, feeding, mixing or packing.
Why cutting rather than grinding?
Mills and high-speed granulators grind the entire material stream, including particles that are already the right size. The LBS works at low tip speed: it crushes only what is too large, while the correct fraction passes through the screen untouched.
What low speed gives you
Minimal dustlittle fines, with no elaborate extraction system
Negligible temperature risesafe for chocolate, APIs and other heat-sensitive products
Particle structure preservedthe physicochemical properties of the product are retained
Low energy consumptionmotors of 1.1–4 kW and little wear on the working parts
Our range
The LBS lump breaker: three frame sizes
From laboratory and pilot applications through to high-throughput lines. The choice of model depends on the throughput required, the size of the connecting flanges and the demands of the process.
LBS2020
up to 1.5 m³/h
Flange 200 × 200 mm, 1.1 kW motor. Laboratory, pilot work and small production runs.
LBS3030
up to 6 m³/h
Flange 300 × 300 mm, 2.2 kW motor. The all-round model for typical production lines.
LBS3050
up to 11 m³/h
Flange 300 × 500 mm, 4 kW motor. High throughput, big bag discharge, silos.
| Parameter | LBS2020 | LBS3030 | LBS3050 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inlet flange | 200 × 200 mm | 300 × 300 mm | 300 × 500 mm |
| Indicative throughput | up to 1.5 m³/h | up to 6 m³/h | up to 11 m³/h |
| Motor rating | 1.1 kW | 2.2 kW | 4 kW |
| Range of screen apertures | 1–25 mm | 1–25 mm | 1–25 mm |
| Housing material | AISI 304 / 316L | AISI 304 / 316L | AISI 304 / 316L |
| Typical application | laboratory, pilot work, small runs | production lines, feeding, mixing | high throughput, big bags, silos |
Build options
+ground or electropolished surfaces
+FDA seals and a hygienic GMP / HACCP build
+tool-free removal of the screen for cleaning
+ATEX: zone 20 inside, 21/22 outside
Downloads
Full technical specification of all the models, with dimensions and an installation drawing.
LBS data sheet (PDF)Choosing the technology
Slow-speed lump breaker or mill?
If the aim is to break lumps and agglomerates down to a 1–25 mm fraction, the right machine is a slow-speed lump breaker. High-speed mills come into their own only where the process calls for micronisation, that is grinding the entire stream to below 1 mm.
| Criterion | LBS slow-speed lump breaker | High-speed mill |
|---|---|---|
| Size reduction mechanism | breaking and cutting against a screen | impact and attrition (grinding) |
| Operating speed | 60–80 rpm | 1500–6000 rpm |
| Output fraction | 1–25 mm, set by the screen | below 1 mm, micronisation |
| Dust and fines | minimal | considerable, extraction required |
| Rise in product temperature | negligible | significant, a risk for heat-sensitive products |
| Power consumption | 1.1–4 kW | from a dozen to several dozen kW |
| Typical duty | lump breaking, de-agglomeration, sizing | grinding, micronisation of the whole stream |
Typical materials
What we process: materials and the fractions achieved
Indicative figures from trials on real materials. The fraction actually achieved depends on the properties of the product and on the choice of screen and blades. Your material not on the list? We will test it before you buy.
Granulated sugar
hard cake from silos and big bags
lumps → < 3 mm
Milk powder
whole milk powder included, with no overheating
lumps 20–40 mm → 1–1.5 mm
Chocolate and cocoa
heat-sensitive, with no melting
blocks up to 250 mm → 2–6 mm
Salts and potassium chloride
hygroscopic, caked in transit
cake → < 2 mm
Urea and fertilisers
hard agglomerates formed in storage
agglomerates → 2–3 mm
Pigments and dyes
de-agglomeration before feeding
agglomerates → < 3 mm
Resins and plastics
epoxy resins, granulates stuck together
chips up to 80 mm → 2–3 mm
Activated carbon and charcoal
briquettes and blocks, friable materials
briquettes → 0.5–6 mm
Filter cake
dense, moist slabs from the press
slabs → a fine, free-flowing fraction
Bakery products and biscuits
recovery of production rejects
pieces 20–100 mm → 2–3 mm
Tablets: product recovery
recycling of rejected batches
tablets 20 × 10 mm → about 1 mm
Chemicals and detergents
polyphosphates, soap waste, adhesives
lumps → < 10 mm
The only limitation is wet or strongly adhesive materials. If in doubt, talk your material over with our engineer →
Position in the process line
Where should the LBS be installed?
The LBS is fitted wherever the material has had a chance to cake, and immediately before any stage that calls for a uniform particle size. Its compact flanged construction allows it to be connected directly beneath a big bag station, a silo or a dryer.
Installed after
…the stage where lumps form
+storage in silos, containers and big bags
+sack tip stations and big bag emptying
+drying processes
+filter presses (breaking up the filter cake)
+spraying and the addition of liquids
+extrusion, conditioning and mixing
Installed before
…the stage that needs a uniform fraction
+feeding and weighing (a uniform particle size improves accuracy)
+mixing of bulk materials
+container filling and packing
+tabletting and granulation
+dissolving, melting and the recycling of rejects
Industries
Where our lump breakers work
Food and animal feed
Sugar, milk powder, cocoa, chocolate, starch, spices, premixes and animal feed. Hygienic FDA and HACCP builds, and the recovery of production rejects.
Pharmaceutical and cosmetics
Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), lactose, talc and tablets for recovery. GMP build, ground or electropolished surfaces, and tool-free dismantling.
Chemical and plastics
Pigments, resins, fertilisers, salts, detergents and polymer granulates. ATEX: zone 20 inside, 21/22 outside; dust-tight build with antistatic earthing.
Trials on your own material
Try the LBS on your own product before you decide
Every material breaks differently. Rather than relying on catalogue figures, we run trials on the customer’s own material: we verify the fraction achieved and the throughput, and select the screen and the type of blade before any purchase.
+trials on real material from your own production
+selection of the screen (1–25 mm) and blades for the required fraction
+a trial report: the particle size achieved and the real throughput
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum particle size at the outlet?+
The maximum particle size is set by the aperture of the screen fitted, available from 1 mm to 25 mm; for finer fractions we use screen baskets with mesh from 0.8 mm. In practice the output size is often smaller than the screen aperture, because the material breaks down further into smaller fragments.
Is the LBS suitable for heat-sensitive products?+
Yes. The lump breaker runs at low speed and works by cutting rather than grinding. The rise in product temperature is minimal, which allows heat-sensitive materials to be processed safely: chocolate, active pharmaceutical ingredients, enzyme products and powders containing flavourings.
How is the right model of lump breaker chosen for a process?+
The choice depends on the throughput required and on the size of the connections. The LBS2020 (up to 1.5 m³/h) suits laboratory work and small runs, the LBS3030 (up to 6 m³/h) is the all-round model for typical production lines, and the LBS3050 (up to 11 m³/h) handles high-throughput processes. Our engineers will select the model, the screen and the blades once they have looked at your process.
Can the machine work in a potentially explosive atmosphere?+
Yes, the LBS is available in an ATEX build for areas with a dust or gas explosion hazard: zone 21/22 outside the machine and zone 20 inside. The build covers the appropriate seals, antistatic earthing and certification in accordance with Directive 2014/34/EU.
What is the difference between size reduction and screening in the LBS?+
In the LBS both processes take place inside a single body: the blades break up the lumps while the screen simultaneously sizes the material, letting through only particles of the specified dimension. What comes out is a calibrated, uniform fraction, with no separate screener in the line.
Can I test the machine on my own material?+
Yes. We offer tests and trials on the customer’s own material, which makes it possible to verify how the machine performs and to select the optimum parameters (screen size, blade type) before any purchase. Get in touch to arrange a date.