Bulk Bag Discharging Application Increases Batch Accuracy

National Bulk Equipment, Inc.’s (NBE) integrated automation solution provides highly reliable material feed at optimal rates. Operator involvement is limited to positioning full bags for discharge and removing empty bags from the system, regardless of material characteristics or line speed requirements.The NBE bulk bag discharger can hoist and unload bulk bags with capacities up to 4,000 pounds. Pneumatically actuated massage paddles, with 14,600 pounds of paddle pressure, aid discharge of hard-packed material. An 18-inch diameter iris-type spout control valve controls material flow from the bulk bag; whether free- or non free-flowing material. A loss-in-weight batching system ensures highly accurate batch packaging. A variable frequency drive-controlled screw conveyor automatically adjusts its feed rate based on loss-in-weight of the bulk bag.The NBE integrated automation design of this bulk material processing line centralized multiple process controls into a single, menu-driven controller interface. Load cell and material level sensing, and automatic actuation of the massage paddles, material agitator, and screw conveyor are all driven by material need and line speed requirements of downstream packaging equipment. Line throughput and material usage data are gathered and prepared for importing into the customer’s toll billing system.