Doppstadt, with offices in Velbert, Wülfrath, Calbe, and Wilsdruff, Germany; Vienna, Austria; and Rockville, Maryland, has announced it has patented its self-cleaning star system. The patent is numbered DE 11 2012 005 006 B4 and it refers to a method to clean star screen machines during operation where the machines needn’t stop for cleaning operations. Even wet material can be screened without interruption; materials that may stick to the cleaning stars can easily be patted off. The most interesting feature of this system, according to the company: The cleaning procedure does not require any additional equipment. The machine actually cleans itself.
Star screen machines have several screening stars arranged side by side on a shaft recirculating the input material and discharging it according to the size and density. During this process the space between the stars is clogged, stones can get trapped. The patent permits the stars to clean each other because the star fingers gear into the space of the neighboring star screen shaft. For this purpose, the longest star finger of a screening star is equipped with a metal piece, which strikes the neighboring star screen shaft thus shaking off the adherent materials. At the same time the metal extension does not only achieve an efficient cleaning effect, but it also reduces the wear of the striking finger to a minimum.
By the invention of the self-cleaning screening stars, Doppstadt says it underlines once again its innovation and solution competence in the field of environmental technology. The Doppstadt family enterprise founded in 1965 has offices in Velbert, Wülfrath, Calbe, and Wilsdruff, Germany; Vienna, Austria; and Rockville, Maryland.