A new Flexicon bulk bag filler features all-stainless construction finished to industrial, food, dairy and pharmaceutical standards, and a pivot-down fill head that enables the operator to connect empty bags at floor level and resume filling operations rapidly.
The patented filler, ‘Swing-Down,’ from Flexicon Corporation simultaneously lowers and pivots the fill head, stopping it in a vertically-oriented position that places the bag inlet spout inflatable connection, inflator button, and four bag loop latches within reach of an operator standing on the plant floor.
The new design significantly increases the safety and speed of connecting bulk bags by bringing the fill head to the operator in a vertical position at floor level, according to the company. The connection points of a conventional filler are beyond the reach of most operators, even when bags as short as 1220 mm are being filled.
The new design reportedly eliminates the danger of stepping onto and over roller conveyors to access rear bag hooks and spout connection collars, and of standing on the conveyor and bending over with head and arms inserted beneath operational fill head components to pull bag spouts upward over inflatable collars while reaching for bag inflator buttons.
A remote console or wall-mounted panel houses controls to raise and pivot the fill head into a locked, horizontal ‘fill position,’ automatically inflate the bag to remove creases, open a flow control valve or start a feed device, and stop the flow of material once a preset fill weight has been gained. Optional vibratory decks de-aerate and densify material in the bag at preset set points to create a solid, stable bag, ready for shipment.
Once bags are filled, the controller deflates the spout connection collar, releases the loop latches, and raises the fill head to fully disengage the spout, enabling the bag to exit the filler automatically on an optional roller conveyor.
A patented mechanism automatically resets the latch after releasing the bag loops, and re-positions it as the fill head pivots into a vertical position, enabling the latch to receive bag loops inserted by an operator and to re-latch automatically.
The stainless swing-down bulk bag filler from Flexicon Corporation is intended for food, dairy and pharmaceutical applications requiring rapid, thorough wash down, as well as for chemical applications in which cross-contamination is a concern.
Flexicon Corporation also manufacture Twin-Centrepost bulk bag fillers, rear post bulk bag fillers, flexible screw conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag unloaders, bulk bag conditioners, bag dump stations, drum dumpers, weigh batching and blending systems, and engineered plant-wide bulk handling systems with automated controls.