A stove top element manufacturer approached Thortek with the need for a cleaning mechanism for the fixtures they used in forming stove top elements into the proper shape as they are placed in a powder press. The powder press residue would sometimes stick to the disc shape fixtures if a nonstick molybdenum powder was not present.
The Thortek machine allows Quality Control personnel to load and unload three discs at a time. The machine would index a fixture 12 inches every 15 seconds. Under the loading area, two scrubbers press against the fixtures to remove residual powder. A molybdenum powder is applied by spray in the next station, and finally the molybdenum powder is scrubbed into the discs, thus sufficiently covering the entire surface, successfully preventing sticking.
