Powder Bulk Solids - December 2007

specified so they could be packaged in the ap-
propriate box bags or single-portion sachets.”

After consulting with the packing machine manufacturer, Leamy agreed that two methods of transferring product to the appropriate feed point on the packaging machine were required. “Gem Pack Foods accepted our joint

Discharging the products with

Spiroflow’s Type 6 bulk bag

discharger was a walk in the park,

since the unit came with integral

base massage paddles and bag-

tensioning support arms. The

challenge was to deliver the

sugars and bulk ingredients to the

packing machine in the condition

specified so they could be

packaged in the appropriate box

veyor positioned below. The neck of the bulk bag can be sealed to this spigot before the liner of the bag is untied, ensuring the dust-free transfer of the product onto the conveyor and eliminating product contamination from dust outside the bag or from atmospheric humidity.

The hopper that feeds the flexible screw conveyor contains an agitator that ensures a consistent flow of product into the screw and then into the packing machine. At 10 feet long, the conveyor raises the product 3 feet into a check sieve that is located directly above one of the packing machine inlets. The only moving part of the flexible-screw conveyor is a motor-driven spiral, which rotates within a sealed tube to gently move the material without degradation or risk of mixed-product separation. As a result, the system was economical to install, and it operates efficiently.

Flexible-screw conveyors can accommodate flow rates up to 10,000 cu ft/hr and a variety of tube diameters and lengths to exactly match plant requirements. The vacuum system collection hopper does not require an agitator. Conveying distance is 20 ft. Product is raised to a height of 10 ft into the collection cyclone and then placed into the packer by way of a rotary valve.

bags or single-portion sachets.

proposal, and the system worked flawlessly to
their complete satisfaction,” Leamy said.

One operator controls a standard one-ton hoist, which positions the full bulk bags into the discharger. This is done only after the flexible-screw conveyor and vacuum conveyor are in position below the discharger and its umbilical cord is connected to the electrical control panel. The hoist runs along a fully load-tested integral “I” lifting beam. The loops of each bag are attached to a lifting frame to ensure that each bag is lifted squarely into place. Once in place, bags sit on a substantial support dish while being stretched vertically by the compression springs within the side arms to assure total discharge. The side arms support the lifting frame used to raise the bag.

The support dish houses the base massager paddles, which can operate manually in case the product resists being discharged from a compacted or otherwise difficult bag. The aperture in the support dish, through which the outlet spout of the bag passes, is surrounded by an elastic membrane, which seals the base of the bag—even when the massagers are in operation. Below the support dish, a containment cabinet houses a spigot, which leads directly to the inlet of the con-

Spiroflow Systems Inc. is a manufacturer of dry-bulk-material–handling equipment. The company specializes in bulk bag discharge and filling systems and in flexible-screw, pneumatic, and aeromechanical conveyors. For more information about the GEM Pack Foods applications or other Spiroflow products or systems, call 704-291-9595 or visit www.spiroflowsystems.com.