Q. What does the name "TACMINA" mean?
A. TACMINA takes the word "takumi" which means ingenuity in Japanese and "na" from the word "nature." Our company's name TACMINA expresses a stance of pursuing ingenuous technology in harmony with nature.
Our company was renamed from its original name - Nihon Feeder Industrial Co., Ltd. - in 1993 to TACMINA.
Q. What are TACMINA's business activities?
A. In a word, TACMINA makes metering pumps and chemical pumps. However, its specialties are not limited only to the production of equipment; they also cover liquid-related engineering, and the design of measurement and control systems and devices. TACMINA's main business activities can be broken down as follows:
- Production and engineering of metering and chemical pumps
- Production and engineering of water treatment equipment
- Design and engineering of water treatment systems for water sterilization, pH control and coagulation and sedimentation
- Production and sales of pumps for semiconductor production
- Production and sales of industrial equipment for liquids
- Design, production and sales of liquid control equipment
- Engineering and sales of stirrers and static mixers
- Engineering and sales of infra-red equipment
- Management of hotels and sports clubs (Did you know this?)
Q. What is a metering pump?
A. A pump that is capable of accurately feeding a constant amount of liquid for a fixed amount of time Metering pumps have an anti-siphonal valve that allow liquid to pass only in one direction according to volumetric changes the pump chamber to maintain the discharge volume per single pump operation at a fixed value. Metering pump comes in volumetric type, reciprocal operation type, and diaphragm type (or plunger type) depending on the pump category.
Principle of operation of a volumetric reciprocal operating pump
Generally, widely used pumps send out liquid using centrifugal force in a spiral manner to pump liquid. The liquid feed amount changes by the pressure (affected also by height (head)) of the liquid at the discharge destination. These types of pumps are best suited to feeding large amounts of liquids, and are not suitable for feeding constant amounts.
Q. Can metering pumps feed special liquids?
A. Generally, metering pumps can handle highly corrosive chemicals. However, it is said that metering pumps have difficulty in handling slurry (liquid containing solids), high-viscosity liquid and high-temperature liquid. This is where TACMINA puts its technical resources to full use to overcome these problems.
TACMINA manufactures a substantial range of metering pumps. It produces four diaphragm models and a plunger (piston) model. Various options and applied products are available for its process pumps to ensure optimum feeding of constant amounts of liquids using the outstanding performance of metering pumps, pumps that are generally regarded as "unsuitable for feeding difficult-to-handle liquids." Metering pumps include the following:
| Slurry: |
Hydraulic double-diaphragm pump
(Slight amounts of slurry are acceptable on standard models.) |
| Precipitating slurry, floating slurry: |
T-branch remote head model |
| High temperature liquids: |
Remote head model |
| Liquids that cannot cool down: |
Metering pump with heat-retaining jacket |
| High-viscosity liquids: |
Metering pumps for high-viscosity liquids |
| Highly corrosive liquids: |
Double-diaphragm pump |
| Ultra-high pressure injection: |
Metal diaphragm pump |
| Exclusively for special chemicals: |
Mercury, bromine, etc. |
Q. What is a diaphragm?
A. Simply speaking, a diaphragm is a separating membrane. In our industry, however, a diaphragm refers to an elastic membrane part in a pump or pressure gauge that is used to separate the mechanical section from the liquid.
Diaphragm pumps
A. diaphragm pump is a type of volumetric pump. Part of the pump chamber comprises an elastic rubber membrane (diaphragm) which is made to expand and contract by motor, solenoid, air and hydraulic oil pressure action to adjust the volume of the pump chamber. Two check valves are provided on diaphragm pumps to ensure that liquid is fed out in a fixed direction. The check valve on the suction side allows liquid to pass only into the pump chamber, and the check valve on the discharge side allows liquid to pass only to the discharge destination.
General-purpose metering pump PZD series
Advantages of diaphragm pumps
Liquid does not leak from diaphragm pumps as they do not have mechanical sliding sections at liquid-contacting parts. This makes diaphragm pumps ideal for volatile liquids, liquids that cause hazards when leakage occurs, and liquids that solidify through contact with air. Diaphragm pumps ensure feeding of liquids at constant amounts in such applications even if the pressure changes at the discharge side.
Plungers and pistons
Plunger type and piston type metering pumps are also available. These pumps are constructed very much like a syringe, and comprise a rod that moves reciprocally inside a cylinder. Clearance is, naturally, located between the cylinder and rod, otherwise the rod would not move. Seals (packings and O-rings) are provided to prevent liquid leakage from this piston. The moving seal provided on the rod side is the piston (for example, as in an automobile engine), and the fixed seal structure attached to the cylinder is the plunger.
The pump in this structure leaks extremely small amount of liquid to lubricate the seals. For this reason, plunger type and piston type metering pumps are not suitable for toxic liquids or liquids that crystallize in air. Now that the PRTR Act is in force, everyone must pay more attention to liquids in use. (Some say that leakage from plungers cannot be helped.
However, if the leak is large enough to be seen flowing out, this means that the pump is malfunctioning !!
