Focus Industry Experience
Dave joined Fuller Company in 1989 after graduation from Clarkson University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  After two years working in the Engineering Development Program, he was assigned to the Product Development Department.  He has experience in the Power Industry, as a development engineer for the Modu-Flow MT product line.  Dave also experienced life in Chile and Mexico working with Dense Phase Injection Systems on copper concentrate applications.  Here, his knowledge of precisely controlling airflow in pneumatic conveying systems proved very beneficial in providing our customer with the technology and control they needed to achieve proper delivery rates under conditions of varying backpressure and at precisely controlled exit velocities.  Dave was part of the Ful-Klen development team, relying on his knowledge of high-density conveying to create a low-power, low-cost silo extraction system for fluidizable powders.  His work resulted in a new product for the Cement Industry, advancing our technology in an old line industry where change occurs slowly.

Dave's most notable experience is with products for the Petrochemical producers.  He was a key member of the development team for the Multi-Pass elutriator products, which culminated in the Delta Zone Separator.   Dave played a critical role in the commercialization and field testing of the Fulload railcar pellet loading system.  These products have been the most successful for the company and have set new standards within the industry.

Fuller Bulk Handling / FLS Technology Expertise
Dave's capabilities in problem-solving are evident when he is occasionally asked to explore technical problems not encountered before.  Through his field experience, Stepped Pipeline Technology was enhanced by experimentation accomplished by Dave and his colleagues.  His work demonstrated that a properly designed, stepped convey line can achieve increased transfer rates of 40 to 50% over a fixed distance without increasing the compressor size.  Our most reliable sizing method, called Pipe-3, was enhanced and proven in the field by Dave's hours of experimentation and problem solving.

In 2002, Dave was asked to solve a particularly unique problem at a cement manufacturing facility in the Midwest.  At his location, the customer is using a grinding aid in the finish mills to enhance the flow properties of the cement and allow it to be easily extracted from storage.  While the enhanced flow characteristics of the cement allow it to flow nicely once it is in the pneumatic pipeline, using a Fuller-Kinyon Pump to put the cement into the pipeline proved a challenge.  The problem was exacerbated by the customer's use of a product feed valve from another supplier, which could not accurately control the cement feed to the pump.  Dave's knowledge of material conveying characteristics led to a timely resolution to the problem and a satisfied customer.

Major Technical Contributions (New Projects / Improvements / Patents)
Dave's ability to see the big picture while concentrating on the details allowed him to develop the most advanced air control technology to be offered by any pneumatic conveying company.  Prior practice required a series of mechanical valves and flow nozzles, which often failed to provide precise control and wasted energy.  Dave combined modern PLC "floating point" math technology with a precise analog flow control device and simplified instrumentation, then programmed a proprietary flow algorithm to create an unprecedented product.  Accurately and precisely controlling the conveying airflow for ultra dense phase powder injection systems and ultra slow motion pellet conveying systems has allowed F.L.Smidth to step out ahead and set new benchmarks for the Petrochemical and Copper Industries.

After mastering the FLS Airset Controller, this new technology let the company into another area where existing technology was inadequate:  How to size Ultra Slow Motion conveying systems.  Because the precise air control available with the PLC-Airset supports this very, very low speed conveying, FLS needed a new methodology for calculating the performance of (or sizing) these systems.  Dave's work with other members of the Technology Department once again provided a solution for this dilemma through the development of an advanced sizing method.  The ability of FLS to provide innovative solutions and products for all material handling applications leapt forward again with energetic advancements of people like Dave Waage.

When asked about a significant contribution to the know-how of F.L.Smidth, Dave will likely refer to "learning how to convey powders in a rotary valve the right way".  After a story about a tough startup at a petrochemical plant, he smiles and says the key is "big ports and slow tip velocity".  To solve the problem of sticky pellets hanging up in the chutes and rotary valves, Dave and his colleague, a field engineer, designed a specially shaped, small diameter feed pipe and "borrowed" some of the vacuum from an existing fan to draw the pellets through the feed pipe into the inlet of a larger sized rotary feeder.  The customer had successfully operated the system since 1995.