Bulk Bag Discharging - Dust Free Repackaging
Ingredients Handled
Various Dyes.
Control and Metering's Customer
A large chemical corporation with a textile division repackages dyes to accommodate clients. The dyes are transported to the packaging plant from South America and other locations overseas.
Customer's Reason For Using Bulk Bags
A number of dyes arrive in bulk bags of a variety of sizes and they need to be redistributed in drums of smaller amounts.
Control and Metering Application Solution
Two batch discharging systems were selected each dedicated to a specific color group. Each system includes a monorail Flo-Spout discharger to accommodate the variation in bulk bag size. This discharges to a flexible walled feeder whose polyurethane hopper can easily be taken out of position for cleaning. The design team at Control and Metering further facilitated access for cleaning by providing a slewing system to remove the extension hopper on the feeder. An innovative and effective drum filling head was engineered to collect dust during the fill, while at the same time being fully adjustable for drums of different heights. A gravity conveying system stages the empty drums for filling.
Application Challenges and Their Solution
The repackaging system had to be flexible in terms of discharging a range of bulk bags sizes and filling a range of drum sizes. Since the dyes are very dusty and some can cause allergic reactions in humans, it needed to incorporate an efficient dust collection system. Many different dye colors are packaged so the system also had to be easy to clean. Some of the ingredients are light and require compaction to fill properly. The dyes are a valuable product and must be filled accurately into the drums.
Control and Metering worked closely with the packager to design a combination of equipment which met the specific application.
The solution for a system to weigh and densify the drums was a challenge which was met by drawing on Control and Metering’s expertise in bulk bag filling. The drum being filled rests on a motorized conveyor. The motor activates vibrating fingers which raise and lower between the rollers to densify the ingredient as it falls into the drum. Four load cells under the motorized conveyor measure the weight. Control and Metering customized the Allen Bradley control system to include the appropriate software for the different batches. When the preset desired weight is reached, the filled drum is taken away by a second motorized conveyor.
Why The Customer Chose Control and Metering
Excellent dialogue between the manufacturer and the client resulted in the effective design of a system which is responsive to the special needs of the application.
The system repackages the dyes accurately and quickly enough to be run efficiently by two operators. They can switch between dyes of different color without contamination and with the minimum of packing interruption. The packaging environment is kept dust-free and the operators are protected from possible allergic reactions to the dyes. The repacker can take advantage of bulk cost savings by receiving the dyes in bulk bags and accurately redistributing them in drums to the individual specifications of the end-user. The systems have been operating successfully for 2 years and the company has just placed an order for a third system to meet growing demand.
For further information on Dust free repackaging contact at info@spiroflow.com or call 1-704-246-0900.