and Thailand.
open-mouth bags. The Australian customer needs to fill baking
bags. The Thai company produces tapioca starch that has to be
filled into 50kg bags at an hourly rate of 220 bags. For both
year.
realization of their projects. First project studies
product protection. In comparison even a multilayer
packing results. With regards to cost the openmouth
bag also prevails. It is more cost-effective
than the valve bag. Thus, the rough direction was
clear for both projects. Considering the
offered its TOPLINE system with gross weigher.
+ BATES in 2005 and marketed successfully since then. The aim
GMP and HACCP hygiene standards. Powders, however, present
challenges: they are partially extremely dusty, not to mention the
resulting dust explosion risk. Only a filling technology that is
designed to meet these challenges can guarantee optimum filling
results. The relation between low-air filling, dust-tight filling spout
and efficient product de-aeration or densification is of utmost
importance.
The TOPLINE system has been continuously refined over the
years. Thanks to sophisticated innovations the machine design
was optimized in such a way that:
- the time needed for the individual work steps, e. g. the emptybag application, was reduced.
- the number of pneumatic and mechanical components wasminimized.
- the energy supply cables were completely laid on the machine roof.
Bag processing in the machine starts with the empty bag feed
designed according to the needs of the customer and the
specialties of the handled bag.
The design of the empty bag separating station also considers
the bag type as well as the requested output. The bag applicator
arm driven by a servo motor securely positions the singled bag
underneath the filling spout. Both the Australian baking
ingredients and the Thai starch product are filled by the dusttight
hexagonal filling spout. It encloses the bag entirely during
the whole filling process.
At the same time venting channels integrated in the filling
spout assure the clean product filling without dust occurrence.
The product is compacted during the filling process by a bag
bottom vibrator supplied in dust-tight design especially for the
food industry. The filled bag is taken off the filling spout by a
pair of grippers, optimally spread and transferred to the
discharge unit at the same height. Then, the filled bag is closed
according to the closing method requested by the customer.
In spite of many parallels both projects are different in
essential design features as different products with different
specialities and different bags with different closures are handled.
BAKING INGREDIENTS PROJECT IN AUSTRALIAA coarse and fine-flow auger is provided for the dosing of the
various baking ingredients containing different binding portions
of fat, cocoa powder and unskimmed milk. The servo motors of
the augers are adjusted to the different flow characteristics.
These parameters are stored and recalled upon use according to
recipe.
The customer processes multi-layer paper bags made of
paper with PE inliner.
The bag is separated by a vacuum system and transferred to
the bag aligning unit in a linear motion. There, it is centred,
opened and optimally shaped for the following application.
The internal PE bag is sealed hermetically tight after the
filling described beforehand and the de-aeration. Then, the
upper bag edge is folded and closed tight by hot-melt
reactivation. This technology is trend-setting in the food
industry as humidity, foreign bodies and vermin or similar cannot
penetrate the packed product. Due to this optimum product
protection even storage times can be extended.
TAPIOCA STARCH PROJECT IN THAILANDThe tapioca starch is dosed — without adding any additional air
— by the proven impeller system combined with the scissors
type seal for coarse and fine flow feed.
Bags made of woven propylene or polyethylene, as used in
this project, are separated from the bag bundle at their bottom.
A rotating transport grid system driven by a tooth belt takes
over the empty bag being centred on its way to the bag opening
station. Thus it can be guaranteed that bags do not load
eletrostatically, or get stuck.
BEHN + BATES will deliver to the Thai customer a sewing
machine for sewing the filled woven PP bags. Especially for
hygienic reasons the sewing machine is integrated in the machine
frame. Thus, the bags are not sewn outside the machine as it is
usually done in many companies.
In both projects optimally shaped bags that can be easily
palletized and perfect pallet patterns are the result what is of
utmost importance to the product marketing.
The severe hygienic standards applied in the food industry
are the basic rule for the construction of all TOPLINE systems:
they are suspended from the top.
Thus, the machine bottom is easily accessible for cleaning
purposes. In addition, the cleaning process is made easier by the
completely closed design of the machine bottom and the cabling
laid outside the dust area. The access doors equipped with
safety glass are flush with the machine frame. Possible dust
deposit areas are reduced to a minimum. The entire packing
area remains clean. Cleaning and maintenance works are
minimized.
In order to avoid even the smallest risk of residual product
deposits the Australian customer will clean the product ways
with water in regular intervals.
EXCURSUS: HIGH-CAPACITY FILLING OF POWDERS WITH THE
ORBIS SYSTEMIn the international food industry an increasing number of
companies are inquiring the hygienic filling especially of powdery
products into open-mouth bags at hourly rates of more than
250 bags. The ORBIS packing system made by BEHN + BATES is
the further development of the TOPLINE and fills powdery
products into open-mouth gusseted bags or flat bags made of
paper, PE or material combinations at hourly outputs of up to
600 bags. It can be equipped with 3, 4 or 5 filling spouts. Thus,
it is possible to carry out the individual filling steps of empty bag
application, coarse and fine flow dosing as well as product
compaction and/or bag discharge simultaneously. Shorter cycle
times and higher machine capacities are the result. Thus, BEHN
+ BATES is well prepared for future market challenges.
Nectar Group announces two new mobile bagging systems
Bulk cargo handling specialist Nectar Group has always provided customers with innovative solutions for its bulk cargo handling needs.
Using the experiences gained during the last 35 years Nectar Group has recently announced two new mobile bagging systems to complement its widely used Compac 140 bagging machine. First to the market is the Compac XL120 Big Bag unit. This mobile bagging machine is housed in a custom built ISO 20ft steel container similar to the Compac 140, using a two line configuration it is designed to bag 1,000 kilogram bags at a speed of 120 metric tonnes per hour. The Compac XL120 Big Bag system has been very well received with units already being introduced into Mediterranean and Far East locations.
Also being introduced by Nectar Group is the Impac M60 series. The Impac M60 has one bagging line which utilizes the same innovative and accurate bagging system as the Compac series, only now able to be housed in a custom built ISO 10ft container. The Impac M60 is designed to provide bagging of free flowing commodities with a density of between 0.7 and 1.25 tonnes per cubic metre at a speed of 20 bags per minute for 50 kilogram bags. This equates to approximately 60MT per hour per bagging machine. The Impac M60 is designed to work in a warehouse environment, where space and mobility is at premium and clients require efficient and reliable mobile bagging machinery.
Nectar Group are now also offering an equipment inspection service where one of Nectar Groups experienced technicians can provide a detailed inspection and report on any make/model of bagging equipment a client may be using. This service can provide clients with detailed independent, reports of the current status of their equipment.
Nectar Group’s technicians report will also provide possible service parts and upgrades that could improve the performance and reliability of the machinery and ultimately increase the life expectancy of the bagging machine. As
Nectar Group grows it is expanding into new areas and has recently developed new operations in many Latin America and Middle East ports. Key to this expansion is the flexibility its machines provide at the port.
Sitting on the quayside next to a discharging vessel the complete Compac 140 bagging system has a foot print equivalent to that of one standard ISO 20ft container allowing for the possibility of multiple units to be used to increase the speed of the bagging operation. Also to assist in working in ports with limited space, the two truck loading conveyors are able to be moved in a 90° arc allowing trucks to be positioned around the machine.
Nectar Group currently handle rice, grains, fertilizers, sugar, beans, pulses and soda ash with clients throughout the world. The company is constantly pushing the boundaries of development within the mobile bagging environment to improve the speed of cargo bagging whilst ensuring weight accuracy per bag to provide clients with the best possible service and ensuring cargo is received in the best possible condition.
Seal Technology from CIMDIGIPACK’s bag sealing system ‘CIM-SONOSEAL’
INTRODUCTIONThe CIM-SONOSEAL system is used for the paper bag’s sealing
applying the ultrasonic technology to inside welding of the bag
valve. It is an ideal solution for bagging materials that require
the safety of the bag’s sealing by their nature and/or use.
The first prototype machine, produced with the SONOSEAL
system, was commissioned to CIMDIGIPACK by an important
Italian company in 2006 for bagging a photo-catalytic paint
powder in 5kg bags for the retail market.
Encouraged by the positive results and, with the aim to
respond adequately to the requests of the building material
market, CIMDIGIPACK has expanded and developed the project
for the 25–50kg bags.
Now this technology is severely tested and proven by major
industry groups, lime, cement and premixes producers.
CIMDIGIPACK, by the welding device bag sealing system ‘BSS
SONOSEAL’ proposes a system for the valve bag sealing that is
applicable to the full range of its packers.
The technology, entirely developed by the research and
development department of CIMDIGIPACK, is applicable for
modular packing machines in line and for all models of Rotary
packing machines of DIGIFLUX — DIGIMIX and DIGIPACK
versions. The system of bag’s valve ‘cold’ sealing and welding BSS
SONOSEAL BAG SYSTEM, developed by CIMDIGIPACK
designers, uses ultrasonic technology and it is mounted directly
on each module of the packing machine ensuring perfect sealing
of the bag’s valve.
The welding process is completely automatic and occurs
immediately after the bag’s filling and weighing. Each stage of the
whole machine’s cycle is managed by the exclusive electronic
weighing device ‘DIGIPACK WEIGHING SYSTEM’ with a 32-bit
microprocessor and new generation digital panel.
OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF ULTRASONICWELDINGThe ultrasound coupling uses striking ultrasonic energy
transmitted in the coupling area of the thermoplastic material to
be welded. The produced friction of the surfaces in contact and
the ultrasound absorption allow the wanted plasticization of the
material. The cooling of the welded joint permits a resistant
durable coupling.
The welding means the creation of molten material on the
surfaces to be joined of two thermoplastic material elements.
The molten material solidifies after the end of the ultrasonic
vibration. The obtained weld has the same seal capacity of the
starting material.
FEATURESThe ultrasonic welding group is composed of two parts, one
electrical (generator with power of 1.5kW) and another
mechanical — acoustic (vibrating unit of 20kHz with amplitude
of 0.02mm). The generator creates a series of perfect and
regular pulses, the acoustic part transforms them into vibrations.
The machine that makes the welding (SONOTRODO),
usually made of Aluminum or Titanium, vibrates at a frequency
equal to that emitted by the generator.
The function of the SONOTRODO is to transmit this fast
and intense vibration to the surface to be welded (of plastic
material made of polyethylene PE with a layer of about 50g/m2)
that starts to melt at a temperature between 80°C – 110°C.
No ingredient heats and the welding phase is ‘cold’, in a time
between 0.4”–0.8” sec.
ADVANTAGESWarranty of the bag sealing; total elimination of the dust
leakage during the bag filling with evident clearing improvement
in the packing area; rising the cleaning means less maintenance in
perspective and significant increase of the components life;
guarantee of retention during the transport and handling of the
bag, with superior security in palletizing and final storing; the
system permits a real saving as the classic devices for bag
cleaning and dust collecting can be avoided; decrease of the
products pollution possibility; there is also a significant
environmental improvement within the packing department.
CONCLUSIONSThe use of this technology is in continuous development; some
important realities already use the bag sealing for the products
considered ‘poor’ such as cement and lime.
It means that not only saving is considered as a benefit
component, but there is also a positive trend of commitment in
R&D in solutions to improve the performances of the machines
from a perspective of the man and the environment respect.
US packaging firm Greif acquires Storsack
US industrial packaging manufacturer Greif has entered the
flexible intermediate bulk container segment by acquiring
Storsack Holding, a German specialty packaging group.
Deb Strohmaier, Grief’s vice president of communications,
said in a 25 February telephone call that the deal closed 15
February. She would not disclose terms.
“It’s something that is a product extension for us,”
Strohmaier said of the acquisition. She would not comment
further.
According to a news release from Lincoln International, an
investment banking firm in Chicago that advised Viernheim,
Germany-based Storsack, Greif’s “focus on industrial packaging
will secure the further growth pattern and an excellent future”
for Storsack.
According to the release, Storsack’s 23 subsidiaries employ
3,000 at 18 production facilities in North America, Europe and
Asia. Storsack designs and makes one-, two-, and four-loop ‘big
bags’ for customers in the chemical, fertilizer, raw materials, and
food industries.
The company, founded in 1970 as International Polysacks,
claims 4,000 customers in 79 countries and sales in 2009 of
€122m.
According to its website, Storsack’s North American holdings
are a bag factory in Metehuala, Mexico, operated by its Mulox de
México subsidiary, that makes about 15,000 bags weekly, and its
Storsack subsidiary’s bag plant, customer service centre and
warehouse in Houston and warehouse in California.
Storsack established its North American presence in 2003 by
acquiring Mulox and Ecotainer Inc. Storsack officials were
unavailable for comment.
Delaware-based Greif, founded in 1877 in Cleveland,
manufactures plastic, steel, and paper corrugated and multiwall
containers for various industries. Greif also produces
containerboard and manages timberland in the US.
Chronos BTH – an ideal package
Good progress has been made on the integration of BTH
and Chronos Richardson to create a team of specialists and
experts with profound industry know-how. From
1 October last year, the combined Chronos
Richardson and BTH has operated under the name
Chronos BTH in Europe and takes part in the global
Industrial Equipment Group from Premier Tech.
The recent addition in the group of BTH (Bag
Treatment Holland) moves the company forward in the same direction. Its high-level
expertise in powders and dry bulk in general, combined with the
already well-known Chronos expertise in the food, feed and
chemical markets create a one- of-a-kind offer to the market
place. Furthermore, when combined with the leadership of
Premier Tech Systems in horticulture and organic product
markets, it means now that Chronos BTH has one of the
strongest product ranges in Europe covering all those
applications.
The Chronos BTH complete range of products now includes
Premier Tech Systems’ processing and packaging solutions, along
with its own packaging lines that cover the entire process
between production and transportation: dosing and weighing,
filling and sealing, palletizing and load securing for packed pallets.
Globally there are increasing sales of materials such as grain,
feed materials, fertilizers and biofuel pellets; the need to
accurately pack these loose bulk materials into bags also
continues to expand. There is a diversity of material types and
forms, which demands a variety of filling and handling techniques.
Speed of filling; the ability to maintain material integrity; and to
provide material traceability are some of the key issues facing
manufacturers of sack filling, sealing and palletizing equipment.
All of these issues are addressed by the equipment in the
Chronos BTH portfolio.
In these challenging times cost effective retrofit and upgrade
packages have become an important part of the company
portfolio. A significant part of this work has been for bulk
shipping and receiving weighers [own brand products or thirdparty
machines] enabling end-users to keep their systems in line
with current Weights & Measures standards. The innovative
CHRONO-BULK™ controllers provide the latest technology
for accurate weighing and recording.
The systems offer the highest operational reliability and are
suitable for all types of bulk weigher. The Chronos BTH service
team is happy to evaluate retrofit applications using the fieldproven
BULK 8000 weighing module. This universal weighing
and recording system has multilingual menus with plaintext
operation; interfaces for input; EDP and data exchange; options
for networking [Profibus, DeviceNet, Ethernet]; communication
tools for Windows; digital inputs and outputs.
Recently Chronos BTH Limited secured a plant upgrade
contract valued at more than £1 million for a fertilizer blending
plant in Malaysia. The project will involve upgrading a range of
weigh belt feeders that were originally supplied by Richard
Simon Limited (RSL) more than 15 years ago.
One of the key factors that enabled Chronos BTH to secure
this major contract was its access to the original project files
and original RSL design authority documentation and drawings.
Since early 2003 all of the original RSL design materials have
been available in Nottingham for use by fellow Premier Tech
company, Chronos Richardson (now known as Chronos BTH
Limited).
The upgraded machines are being produced as exact
mechanical replacements to the previously supplied feeders, even
working to the original production schedules and
documentation. All of the feeder upgrades will involve the
replacement of all the feeder frames with fertilizer grade
stainless steel housings and material contact parts.
“Up-time and equipment availability are the key words in the
modern process plant”, commented Chronos BTH Ltd’s general
manager, Peter Orme. He concluded, “Utilizing all of the original
paperwork has enabled us to quickly respond to the needs of
this fertilizer company, thereby keeping their downtime to a
minimum and providing a more robust version of their original
equipment.”
Chronos BTH Limited incorporates Richard Simon Limited,
Verville and Premier Tech Systems for European spares,
refurbishments, service, installation and commissioning.