Bulk Filling and Discharging Equipment Guide Book Presents In-use Advantages of Application-specific Sanitary Equipment Versus Force-fit General Equipment
The second in a series of bulk material handling equipment guide books has been released. This newest guide book, entitled, Sanitary Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specification Guide Book, was developed to bring clarity to the common, yet inaccurate, perceptions of complexity and confusion associated with the integration of bulk material handling equipment to sanitary process operations.
The Sanitary Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications Guide Book addresses two primary areas of concern shared amongst production and process engineers, plant operations and management personnel, and corporate managers, with respect to sanitary
The Sanitary Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications Guide Book details bulk bag filler systems, bulk bag unloader systems, bulk container dumper systems, and bag dump stations. Specific content includes: materials of construction guidelines for sanitary structures and components; WIP, CIP, and SIP-ready equipment design and construction; U.S. and IEC/ISO controls and automation compliance; and application-specific risk assessment implementation.
bulk material handling equipment. These concerns are: (i) identifying alternatives to force-fit, general industrial equipment designs touted as sanitary merely because of their stainless steel materials, and (ii) gaining confidence in matters relating to regulatory compliance of sanitary bulk material handling equipment, and the conformance of sanitary bulk equipment to regulated processes and practices. The guide book responds to these, and other issues, by explaining how application-specific, compliance-ready, sanitary bulk material handling systems eliminate the inspection failures, retrofits, corrective fabrication and finishing, and re-programming and re-inspection resulting when general, industrial equipment designs are force-fit into sanitary applications. The guide book also addresses the issue of sanitary equipment relative to process and practice acceptance, and the corresponding importance of selecting a bulk material handling equipment manufacturer based on an assessment of their proficiencies in areas such as: domestic and international regulatory matters; SCADA and single-unit controls and automation integration; manufacturing resources; systems commissioning; and installed base of relevant, integrated, sanitary bulk material handling systems.
The Sanitary Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications Guide Book details bulk bag filler systems, bulk bag unloader systems, bulk container dumper systems, and bag dump stations. Specific content includes: materials of construction guidelines for sanitary structural framework and components; WIP, CIP, and SIP-ready equipment design and construction features; U.S. and IEC/ISO controls and automation compliance capabilities; and application-specific risk assessment implementation. The guide book also offers a summary overview of other bulk material handling equipment, including: bulk material mixing and blending, bulk material weighing, and bulk material storage systems.
The first guide book in this series is entitled, Automated Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications, and is also available for immediate download.
Bulk Material Filling and Discharging Equipment Guide Book Assists In Bulk Material Handling Systems Evaluation
A guide book entitled, Automated Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications is the first in a series of guide books being offered to assist production and process engineers, plant operations and management personnel, and corporate managers in their evaluation of application-specific, bulk material filling systems and bulk material unloading systems.
Automated Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications Guide Book provides materials of construction guidelines; performance capacities, pressures, and accuracies; and electrical standards guidelines for multiple bulk material handling equipment types.
The Automated Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications Guide Book details bulk bag filler systems, bulk bag unloader systems, and bulk container dumper systems. Specific content includes: materials of construction guidelines for structural framework and components; ranges of performance for operating capacities, pressures, and accuracies; and electrical standards guidelines for each bulk material handling equipment type. The guide book also presents the integrated automation capabilities of each system type and their ability to centralize multiple process controls, including upstream and downstream process operations, into a single, menu-driven controller interface. The guide book also offers a general overview of other bulk material handling equipment, including: bulk material mixing and blending, bulk material weighing, and bulk material storage systems.
The second guide book in this series is entitled, Sanitary Bulk Filling and Discharging Systems Data and Specifications, and is scheduled for release in June, 2011.
Bulk Bag Unloaders Use RFID to Automate Batching and Weighing Process
Bulk bag unloaders are typically not the first things to come to mind when the topic of radio frequency identification (RFID) is considered. Most commonly associated with warehouse management, RFID has found increased favor in other industries due the reduced costs for the required equipment and tags, and its improved reliability (now near 99.9%). Industries quickly adopting RFID technology include healthcare, medical device, financial services, and now, bulk material handling.
This fully integrated bulk bag unloader system uses RFID-driven process communications to automate simultaneous batching of multiple, and varied, chemical mixtures during a single process operation.
The bulk bag unloading process begins when an empty bulk tote is introduced to the system; RFID recognizes the tote and communicates to the system the specific batch recipe assigned to that tote. The primary ingredient is dispensed from a surge hopper into the bulk tote. As the first tote advances to its next batching location, a second tote enters the system. Each tote advances to one, or both, of two subsequent batching stations where secondary ingredients are added based on the RFID recognition of the bulk tote. Each secondary bulk bag unloader batching station consists of four bulk bag unloaders each with integrated material conditioning to ensure consistent bulk material supply is sent to a station-specific gravimetric feeder that provides accurate and repeatable secondary ingredient supply into the bulk tote.
The processor's previous manual measuring and weighing batching system produced one complete batch cycle every 20 minutes. With the fully automated, RFID-driven bulk bag unloader system, the processor now produces one complete batch every three minutes. In addition to the increased process rate, the producer's batch accuracies have increased, material waste is virtually eliminated; labor requirements are reduced; and the automated process efficiency and new equipment construction have enabled the producer to pursue new markets where cGMP-adherent processes are a requirement for entry.
Fully Automated Bulk Container Dumper Reduces Operator Interaction; Increases Process Throughput
According to findings from a report of the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; persons in occupations involving manual material handling, such as: repetitive placing, grasping, or moving of objects or materials, are 80% more likely to experience injuries requiring days away from work than persons who complete similar tasks with the aid of machinery.
This fully automated, self-contained, bulk tote dumper system completely manages material from the introduction stage, through discharge and conditioning, to downstream supply of finished material into manufacturing operations. Human interaction is limited to bulk container loading and removal with a fork truck.
The National Bulk Equipment, Inc. lift-and-seal carriage receives each 1,450-pound bulk container and precisely aligns and seals it to the custom, stainless steel discharge hood using an automatic centering system. The 2,000-pound capacity lift carriage raises and rotates the container 180 degrees, ensuring complete material discharge. The 100 cubic-foot capacity, stainless steel receiving hopper with integrated agitator pre-conditions the material. A 9-inch diameter auger feeds pre-conditioned material to a high-capacity, dual-shaft size reduction crumbler for final conditioning of the material prior to pneumatic conveying to downstream process operations. High capacity, chain drive, live roller conveyors and 90-degree rotation turntables provide container indexing and accumulation. Electrogalvanized, zinc-coated, carbon steel conveyor rollers provide superior corrosion resistance and extended duty cycles in the harsh environment.
Complete bulk material process automation engineering and integration, including controls, sensors, monitoring, and data reporting are all centralized to a single, menu-driven touch screen HMI, built by NBE. Legacy upstream and downstream equipment automation integrates with NBE automation to the facility’s SCADA center.
Bulk Bag Unloader with Explosion Protection Design Controls Combustible Dusts; Polycarbonate Enclosure Protects Process Area
Perhaps one the most significant factors contributing to the danger of combustible dust in the workplace is what goes unknown to production and maintenance staff. Consider this, the U.S. Chemical Safety Hazard Board (CSB), in reviewing the MSDSs of 140 substances known to produce combustible dusts, found that 59% of the MSDSs did not state hazard information specific to the combustible dust, or did not place the hazard information on the MSDS in a manner clearly recognizable by the worker. The CSB also found that the remaining 41% of the MSDSs presented poor or inadequate information regarding the potential hazards of the dusts. So, how can processing and packaging operations that handle dry bulk materials protect themselves from hazards they may not even know exist? The answer may lie in machine design that proactively incorporates protection from, and prevention of dusting of combustible materials.
This bulk bag unloader system, manufactured by National Bulk Equipment (NBE),
Bulk Bag Unloader with Explosion Protection Design Also Reduces Combustible Dust Escape
uses protective and preventive machine design elements to significantly reduce the level of airborne contaminants migrating into process areas. A proactive protection element in this design is a 9.525mm, polycarbonate encasement surrounding the bulk bag unloader. This protective element works to control dusts that piggyback on the exterior of bulk bags from becoming airborne and entering the work zone during bag conditioning and bag collapse. A proactive prevention element of this design is the E3(tm) closed-cycle dust recovery system. The E3(tm) secures and encloses the bulk bag spout within a sealed containment cylinder. The combustible material is introduced, dust-free, through the E3(tm), directly to an integrated surge hopper. The NBE surge hopper is constructed with explosion protection and control features, including: an explosion venting system, calculated on a Kst value of 170 and a Pmax of 9.5, to direct and release overpressure to prepared areas. The hopper construction includes reinforced walls and a reinforced cover, and is rated for 4.5 PSI internal pressure.
Bulk Bag Filler Provides USDA, 3-A, and BISSC Certified Construction
Bulk bag fillers provide sanitary, safe operation; simplify integration to food, pharma, and medical applications
In previous posts we've discussed the issues associated with accurately identifying and harmonizing the various codes and standard necessary for bulk material handling equipment; particularly in food, pharmaceutical, and medical applications. This post will give an example, in a bulk bag filler application, of the successful harmonization and integration of multiple codes and standards into the physical construction and the controls automation of a bulk bag filler system used in food processing and packaging.
This bulk bag filler, built to achieve USDA, 3-A, FDA and BISSC compliance includes features such as 32 Ra surface finishes to simplify cleaning; tool-less, demountable assemblies to speed inspection; 3-A compliant components to aid in sanitary standards conformance; HEPA air filtration for sanitary bulk bag inflation; and a structural framework leak test system to facilitate clean-in-place (CIP) procedures. Food-grade non-metal components provide excellent material release and resistance to corrosive food ingredients and cleaning chemicals.
Bulk Material Handling Equipment Design and Automation
What are the primary factors influencing machine design and process automation specification in the bulk material handling industry? Operator safety, of course, comes to mind as an essential priority. Yet, even with operator safety, varied equipment applications will have differing requirements. Perhaps a good place to start when addressing operator safety would be the ANSI B11.TR3-2000 Technical Report on Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction. However, as the bulk material handling marketplace becomes more global, and European influences continue to lead the unification process of international standards, simply relying on domestic standards will clearly not be sufficient. In fact, global organizations purchasing U.S.-made equipment for their U.S. processing or packaging operations are commonly requiring international standards for such equipment.
The issue of identifying appropriate codes and standards reaches far beyond the single aspect of operator safety. And, regulatory codes and standards are but two of the many machine design and automation factors bulk material handling OEMs and end users must address. From the OEM's perspective, what about mechatronics as a whole? From the end user's perspective, what about matters of overall equipment effectiveness, or sustainability?
Bulk material handling manufacturers must take the initiative and proactively bring products to market that will meet or exceed the standards of the marketplace (domestic or international); both from a regulatory perspective and from a functional perspective.