Bühler Aeroglide’s Frank Rafter Named President of Briquetting and Agglomeration Institute

January 06, 2020 at 02:05 pm

Bühler Aeroglide's Frank Rafter Named IBA President

Cary, NC (January 6, 2020) - Frank Rafter, global segment manager for Bühler Aeroglide, a world leader in thermal process engineering and technology for food, feed, and industrial materials, has been named president of the Institute for Briquetting and Agglomeration (IBA).

The IBA promotes research, development and production of products related to briquetting, pelletizing, granulating and extrusion of powder and bulk materials--along with the processing equipment to produce them. Rafter, who most recently served as IBA's First Vice President, has been a member since 2009.

As global segment manager, Rafter guides Bühler's thermal processing business for industrial, nuts and seeds, and fruit and vegetable applications. Bühler's interest in processing a broad range of materials by varied agglomeration techniques has grown significantly since the first charcoal briquette dryers were supplied in the late 1950's.

Applying this experience, Rafter will advance and encourage education about the principles of agglomeration, also known as pelletizing, which helps processors achieve the desired control over particle size using many methods and equipment types. The technique applies to a vast array of products across industries including petfood, cereals, snacks, specialty chemicals and minerals.

"As president, I am looking forward to promoting new studies and research in agglomeration techniques, and being able to draw attention to more non-traditional applications and advancements in binder technologies."

In November, the IBA held its 36th Biennial Technical Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Papers presented detailed processing operations as well as theoretical approaches to agglomeration. The next IBA conference will be held in two years.

Rafter has worked in the drying industry for nearly 30 years, specializing in conveyor and impingement drying technologies. He joined Bühler Aeroglide in 2006 as market manager for the industrial market segments, supporting drying applications for synthetic fibers, polymers, minerals, charcoal, catalyst, biomass and tobacco.

Bühler Aeroglide manufactures dryers, ovens, roasters, toasters, and hot air expansion systems for the food, feed and industrial product markets. Since 1940, the company has been providing innovations for a better world in the form of high-quality thermal processing equipment. As a business unit of Bühler, Aeroglide is headquartered in Cary, NC, and provides sales and service for its industry-leading equipment in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information about Bühler Aeroglide, call +1 919 851 2000, or visit www.buhlergroup.com/drying.

A photo of Frank Rafter can be accessed here.

About Bühler
Billions of people come into contact with Bühler technologies to cover their basic needs for food and mobility every day. Two billion people each day enjoy foods produced on Bühler equipment; and one billion people travel in vehicles manufactured with parts produced with our machinery. Countless people wear eye glasses, use smart phones, and read newspapers and magazines, all of which depend on Bühler process technologies and solutions. Having this global relevance, we are in a unique position to turn today's global challenges into sustainable business. We want every human being to have access to healthy food. We want to do our part to protect the climate with energy-efficient cars, buildings, and machinery. Our motto is creating "innovations for a better world."

Bühler invests up to 5% of turnover into research and development. In 2018, over 13,000 employees generated a turnover of CHF 3.3 billion. As a Swiss family-owned company, Bühler is active in 140 countries around the world and operates a global network of 30 production sites.

www.buhlergroup.com