GENESYS® fluid pump
Sustainable Part/Component Award
Brand Owner: MULTI-DUTI MANUFACTURING, INC.
Designer: Millennium Mold Design, Inc
Machinery Manufacturer:TBD
Materials: Bulk Molding Compunds, Inc.
Molder: Ci-Dell Plastics, Inc.
Moldmaker: Moldcraft
Product Description:
This contest entry is, to the best of our knowledge, the first end-suction centrifugal pump that has been fabricated using BMCI-840 materials and processes meeting both of the following strict requirements for fabrication: Product must be able to contain a fluid and must support a hydraulic design composed of very complex geometries. Pumps are the second most sold mechanical device in the world and water is becoming the new “oil.” End-suction, centrifugal pumps are used for fluid transfer, pressure boosting and general circulation in the Chemical Process Industry (CPI) and Commercial Water & Wastewater applications. Pumps have duties that include providing a reliable source for the movement of a fluid, there are many critical requirements one must consider when changing from a traditional material of construction, (metal alloys), to a composite material (BMCI-840). These include chemical resistance to corrosion, internal and external geometries that affect pump performance and surface finishes that affect turbulence in fluid flow. In addition, there is a growing need in many fluid-handling industries to find pumps that provide 100% non-metallic wetted parts (no fluid in contact with metals) because of being in contact with the water processing streams of marine life support and aquaculture.
Why is the product innovative?
GENESYS® pumps have led the way in showing how BMCI-840 composites can replace metal alloys, as well as the hand layup, RIM and RTM composites. Those older composite materials and processes have been used in the industry for years as the material of choice for larger, non-metallic centrifugal pumps with performances requiring stronger materials of construction. Now, the scope of product size and performance, once shutting out thermoplastics for consideration because of those strength limits can be extended using molded thermoset BMCI-840 products. There are many reasons why the GENESYS® pump is the first to be innovative and unique in this particular industry. Here are a few. • GENESYS® pumps are among the first to demonstrate a strong yet simple economic reason to start switching to BMCI thermosets: Compared to metallic materials of construction, BMCI-840 thermosets are about half the cost. • Add to the cost advantage that BMCI-840 provides to GENESYS® pumps, there are material properties the components provide that are better than both metallic and thermoplastic components, including equal or higher strengths and stiffness/dimensional stability---(low shrink--low warp, able to be molded to net dimensions and able to hold tight tolerances). Also, the added “marketing-oriented” advantage of BMCI-840 over metallic alloys is the ability to color the material for a wide variety of end-user functionality. • However, these advantages are just utilitarian when compared to the special property that BMCI-840 materials offer, especially to the pump industry: Excellent surface finish. This reduces dynamic friction losses inside the pump and therefore results in higher efficiencies than their metallic or old-thermoset counterparts. Because of this, BMC pumps will result in lower total costs of ownership, i.e. higher efficiencies, lower maintenance. These excellent surface finishes provide for better o-ring sealing. BMC products are also easy to machine. • As if that weren’t enough GENESYS® pumps have incorporated still another important advantage that make BMCI-840 products a better choice over thermoplastics and at least equal to metallic components: The ability to manufacture components with complex geometries. Complex geometries in internal fluid passages are essential for optimum hydraulic performance. Smooth curving surfaces are required to keep fluid turbulence to a minimum and achieve as close to laminar flow as possible. • Since BMCI processes can accommodate complex geometries they can achieve requirements for smaller footprints. Usually a compactness requirement for any component will increase the complexity of the design. In fact to compensate for this requirement, sometimes a part is made of two or more pieces assembled together. An example of breaking the function down of compactness is seen in the “armored” pumps offering. They get the benefit of a strong metallic, external support structure with an internal non-metallic “lining” that gives corrosion-resistance. BMCI Thermoset materials will always have an advantage over thermoplastics in the areas of high application temperature, chemical resistance and material costs. But they will truly span the gap in coming closer to matching the quality of parts made in the investment cast process using high-end alloys.
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