This packaging system unloads granulated sugar from bulk bags and repackages it into 50 Lb. paper valve bags before metal detection and palletizing.
Process Description
Granulated sugar is unloaded and discharged from bulk bags into a flexible screw conveyor. The screw conveyor elevates and discharges the sugar into a surge hopper where it flows by gravity through a flexible connection into the valve bagging equipment, or air packer.
Loading a bulk bag containing granulated sugar into an unloader placed above a screw conveyor system
Flexible screw conveyor elevates and discharges granulated sugar into a surge hopper
The air packer uses low pressure air to push the granulated sugar into a plastic lined 50 Lb. paper bag with an internal valve. Compressed air is diffused so that it fluidizes the material on the bottom of the chamber. A disseminator filter inside of the air chamber prevents sugar from entering the conveying air line.
50 Lb. paper valve bag on air packer’s spout before a fill cycle starts
During a fill cycle, the air packer’s scale continuously detects the weight of the sugar in the bag and automatically stops filling at the set target weight. A powered discharge tilts the filled bag backward off of the air packer’s spout onto a discharge conveyor, where it travels away from the valve bagging equipment and up an incline conveyor.
The incline conveyor raises the filled bags to an ergonomic height and discharges them onto a gravity roller conveyor. An operator picks up the filled bags and manually stacks them on a pallet resting on a pneumatic pallet loading station.
View of valve bagging equipment to discharge, incline, and roller conveyors
This same type of valve bagging equipment could also be used to fill valve bags with other types of powders and granules such as grains, seeds, rice, corn, soybeans, flour, salt, milk powder, fertilizer, plastic pellets, grout, carbon black, stucco, and more.
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Increased Automation
Further automation to this system can be achieved by adding an automatic bag placing robot that picks up a bag and places it onto the air packer’s spout. The fastest return on investment would come from placing a palletizing robot at the end of the line to increase efficiency and remove an additional operator from the system.
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