Ratholing occurs in hoppers, bins, and intermediate bulk containers when cohesive powders with interlocking particles build up or cake on the walls or sides of the container. This occurs more frequently when powders are discharged using a butterfly valve or slide valve and the powder flow takes place directly above the outlet. This creates a funnel flow effect where the cohesive powders flow directly above the outlet, but eventually build up on the sides reducing or stopping flow and powder discharge all together. This results in increased processing time including container disassembly and cleaning.
Drawing of a high-speed big bag filling system. Measurements are in millimeters.
In this hi-speed big bag filling system, raw sugar is unloaded from big bags, or bulk tote bags, conveyed to a vibratory screen where it is separated into 3 fractions and one waste fraction, and then re-packaged into big bags.
Tinsley Equipment Company recently performed a test run for a new feed producer that was interested in bagging horse pellets into 25 lb bags.
These type of supplement horse pellets were made of coastal hay and measured about ¼-1/2” in diameter and about 1 inch long. The producer farms different types of coastal hay and Bermuda grasses and wanted to learn more about the bagging and packaging process.
Horse pellets (or hay pellets) used for feed supplement
To run the test, Tinsley Equipment Company set up a 25 cubic foot bagger supply hopper, a digital gross weigh bagging machine with a pneumatic bag clamp, a temporary box platform under the scale to support the filled bag, and then a table for manual bag top folder over and handheld sewing. Closed bags were manually transported and stacked on pallets resting on a truck trailer. Finished pallets were manually wrapped and secured to the trailer before transporting them to a feed store for final sale.
Lot / batch code and date printed on bottom part of bag after passing print head
This inkjet code printer was put to the test in an animal feed and minerals packaging line. Multi-wall open mouth paper bags, filled with animal feed are sewn shut. Then, they pass in front of the code printer on a conveyor before robotic palletizing. As each bag passes the code printer, a lot code and date are printed on the bottom part of the bag. Each of these unique codes helps to identify when the batch of product was produced and packaged.
An Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) System is used to prepare a homogeneous dry blend of base polymers and additives before the extrusion phase in a plastic compounding process. Plastic compounding and toll processing companies first use an IBC system to create a lab formulation or test to confirm final product characteristics before creating a masterbatch. Once a final product has been confirmed, the same IBC system is used to create a larger batch or production run.
IBC is easily transported by forklift to other discharge stations
This type of set up using an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) System is also known as a decoupled system because ingredients can be moved, mixed, and blended independently inside the IBCs.
These alfalfa pellets bagging machines and systems are used to efficiently fill 20-110 lb. paper or plastic open mouth bags with a variety of alfalfa pellets and cubes. Buy just a bagging machine or an entire bagging system that includes a free-standing hopper, bagging scale, conveyors, bag closers, palletizers, and more. These systems are designed to fill 20-110 lb. paper or plastic open mouth bags with alfalfa pellets, with the most popular bag size being 50 lbs.
The Newlong Bag Sewing Machine DS-9C high-speed industrial sewing head is a popular choice for businesses seeking to improve their bag closing operations. In this article, we will explore the key features of the Newlong DS-9C, how it works in conjunction with a power infeed system, and the benefits it brings to bag closing processes.
The video below shows a pallet stacking robot stacking 50 lb. paper valve bags onto a pallet located on the floor per the programmed bag placement design. This robot was added to an existing bag filling system to reduce labor costs and increase automation.
This system is used for bagging salt into 40 Lb. poly bags. It includes a hopper, net weigh bagging machine, band sealer, and manual bag stacking station with pallet wrapper machine.
A co-op in Iowa replaced their existing bagging machine with a high-speed net-weigher used to fill 50Lb craft paper bags with cracked corn and pelleted feeds.
High-speed bagging machine added to existing packaging system
This cooperative grinds approximately 50,000+ bushels of corn per day at all of their feed mills. They primarily supply swine feed, but also produce cattle feed and dairy feed.
The automatic bag placer machine picks up, hangs, and clamps an empty open mouth bag onto a bagger before product is discharged into a bag. Up to 20 bags per minute are possible and it works with both new / existing net weigh and gross weigh bagging scales. With this type of automation, one full-time operator can be removed from the bagging system.
The bagging system shown in the video below allows one operator to use 3 valve bag filling machines, or air pressure packers, to fill 50 lb. bags of fertilizer at a rate of 15-18 bags per minute.
