Bulk Bag Filling can save your company money if you are doing it right.
Application: Bulk Bag Filling
Overview: A plant ships a powder product in bulk bags. The bulk bag filling operation was under review due to a number of problems including unstable filled bulk bags, weighing inaccuracy, and low throughput.
Situation: Spiroflow analyzed the plant’s filling process focusing on bulk bag design, storage and shipping, filling equipment, and the financial impact of the bulk bag filling operation.
Ingredient: At 55 lb./ft.3 the product sells for $0.50/lb.
Bulk Bag: The bulk bags hold 2,200 lbs. of product with an area of 40 ft³. The bag dimensions are 37″ x 37″ x 63″. Extra cost is incurred for these bulk bags as they have internal baffles required for bag stability.
Production Rate: 10,000 bulk bags are filled per year which is about 10% of the total production. Production output is diverted to bulk bag filling and reverts back to filling other packages when bulk bag filling is complete.
Filling Rate: 12 bags/hour
Weighing Accuracy: Due to the limited accuracy of the current system the bulk bags are overfilled by 5 lbs. on average to ensure that customers are not short shipped.
Operation: Two operators are required to fill each bulk bag. Both rig the empty bag on the bulk bag filler. One initiates the fill sequence and ties off the filled bag spout while the other places the printed ticket in the bag pouch.
Safety: Dusting is an issue which causes a safety problem for the operators.
Storage: Filled bulk bags are placed in a warehouse prior to shipping.
Solution
CTE/HANG FILLING Bulk Bag Filling System
Features:
- Cone table densification for maximum stability and volumetric efficiency
- Hang weighing for high accuracy
- PLC automation of filling sequence
Benefits:
- 30 bags/hour output
- No longer require baffles
- Bag height reduced 10”
- ± 1 lb. weighing accuracy
- Only one operator is required to fill bags
- Dust eliminated
- 53” bags are stacked 2-high
Conclusion: Maximum Productivity
The Spiroflow CTE bulk bag filling system allows the plant to efficiently fill bulk bags using one operator at a rate 2.5 times faster than before. In addition to reducing labor, the plant has improved its overall efficiency because it can revert back to filling other packages (the bulk of production) quicker than in the past.
Weighing within 1 pound recovers a significant amount of lost revenue over the course of a year. Customers are still assured of not being short shipped and the plant improves their bottom line.
The cost of each bulk bag has been significantly reduced because cone table densification of the product produces stable, safe bags without the need for internal baffles and has allowed the bag height to be reduced while still maintaining the full package weight. An additional benefit of cone table densification is that bags can now be safely stacked 2-high thereby maximizing storage efficiency.
Dusting has been eliminated by the twin tube fill head that allows dust-laden air to be extracted when connected to the plant dust collection system.
The new bulk bag filling system is a model of efficiency which allows overall plant production to be maximized. And, the capital investment that facilitated the change was paid back in less than 3 months!
You can call us today at 704-246-0900 or email us directly at sales@spiroflow.com. We look forward to helping your company find the right bulk bag filling solution!
