Sanitary Bulk Material Handling Equipment Cleanability: Value, Risk & Outcome
Can a typical, industrial bulk material handling system in a sanitary processing operation be thoroughly cleaned, even to the microbial level? Probably. But, with every cleaning event of a process-inappropriate bulk material handling system comes increased costs for labor, consumables (such as detergents and water), and energy. And, more importantly, with hard-to-clean equipment in sanitary applications comes a greater risk for inspection failure and product contamination. This post, the third in a series (Part 1 and Part 2) regarding sanitary bulk material handling equipment, will address several structural design features to look for in the construction of application-specific, sanitary bulk material handling equipment. To proactively specify these cleanability design features into sanitary bulk material handling equipment will reduce the costs and time of cleaning events, will aid in improving validation and inspection outcomes, and will ensure optimal compliance contribution (OCC).
Continuous weld seams are ground to a No. 4 finish, hand-burnished to eliminate pits, dimples, and crevices.
• Continuous-weld seams, ground smooth to a No. 4 finish: Weld seams, particularly in product contact areas and adjacent areas, must be free of pits, dimples, and crevices that could harbor contaminants such as material residue, microbes, and allergens. In addition to the No. 4 finish, hand-burnished weld seams will improve gross soil removal and resistance to microbial build-up during operation and cleaning.
Non-obstructing raceway contains unbundled utility lines; reduces material build-up, eases cleaning, inspection.
• Unbundled Utility Lines and Hoses: Counter to the typical, industrial machine design philosophy, the utility lines and hoses should be left unbundled. Unbundled utilities will minimize the accumulation of food, dirt, or other organic matter; and therefore reduce the opportunity for growth of microorganisms. Unbundled does not mean uncontrolled. A non-obstructive raceway contains the utility lines and hoses and enables fast and thorough cleaning, promotes material release, eliminates re-cleaning, and aids validation and inspection.
• Laser-cut, Single-plate Sideframe Construction: Typical, industrial machine design often builds substructures using square-tube framework. However, inherent with square-tube construction is the significant number of internal angles, corners, and welded seams that will often block contaminants from cleaning procedures. Laser-cut, single-plate frameworks provides significant cleanability and sanitary operating advantages over square-tube framework. By eliminating the internal angles, corners, and weld seams, laser-cut, single-plate framework reduces cleaning steps, reduces water and detergent use, improves cleanability, and protects product from contamination.
Sure, process-inappropriate equipment can be put into sanitary processing operations, and it may perform its mechanical operations effectively. But, for the sanitary process operation that is driven by external influences such as regulatory compliance, or internal influences such as HACCP programs, application-specific sanitary equipment construction will provide OCC without compromise to the equipment's mechanical operation.
Bulk Bag Filler and Bulk Bag Unloader: Automated, Single-system Process Operation
This bulk bag filler system; receiving input material from an integrated bulk bag unloader, an integrated bag dump station, and a vibratory conveyor system, enabled the material processing operation to effectively transition to an automated, 20,000 lb./hour, bulk bag filling process from a relatively low-capacity, operator-intensive, 50 lb. bag filling system.
Multiple materials, all with differing characteristics, including: fast-flowing, dusty, sticky, and static-charged, enter the process operation based on the specific recipe selected at the system HMI by the operator. The NBE bulk bag unloader, receiving bulk bags of severely agglomerated material, starts an integrated, automated material conditioning sequence, including: massage paddles with 2,200 lbs. of paddle pressure, and an agitator hopper to prepare the material for supply, via screw conveyor, to the bulk bag filler. For secondary ingredients, a bag dump station, integrated to the bulk bag unloader, enables manual introduction of material to the agitator hopper for conditioning, blending, and supply to the bulk bag filler. The primary ingredient, supplied from downstream pneumatic conveying, is introduced to the bulk bag filling process through a 24” wide, 304-2b stainless steel, vibratory conveyor with a total material supply capacity of 20,000 lbs./hour.
This automated, bulk bag filler and bulk bag unloader system was built to be compliance-ready at start-up and to conform to the specific, regulated processes and practices of the Class II, Div. 2, Group G process area, as well as explosion protection and control features for venting, directlng, and releasing overpressure. NBE was the single-source provider of the system’s controls and automation, and was singularly responsible for integration of the system controls to the facility’s supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA). This NBE bulk bag filler and bulk bag unloader system significantly increased line capacity, improved resource management, reduced operating burden, increased labor efficiency and safety, and extended equipment contribution and performance lifecycles.
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 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 Bag Fillers Process Combustible Dry Powder Material
Here is a unique bulk bag filler application in a process where high volumes of combustible powders are present. Three bulk bag fillers, each being fed by a 1,060 cubic foot capacity storage vessel, process up to 17,000 pounds per hour of the combustible powder. The process area is defined to include Class I, Division 1, Groups C and D; and Class II, Division 1, Groups F and G. The bulk bag fillers are being filled with materials of various characteristics, including flakes and rods. Integrated bulk bag densification ensures a full and stable finished bulk bag, regardless of material type. An integrated, NTEP-certified weigh system bulk bag filler for combustible dust-generating application ensures the bags are filled to a weight of +/- .01% of the total bag weight, up to 4,500 pounds. The bulk bag filler process system manufacturer, National Bulk Equipment, Inc., designed and built the system-wide automation and equipment controls to centralize to a single, menu-driven HMI. The entire process operation communicates directly to the facility's SCADA center.
National Bulk Equipment implemented rigorous risk assessment procedures to ensure the bulk bag fillers would work to prevent operator hazards and improve the physical ergonomics for the operator.
NTEP-certified Weighing on Bulk Bag Filling Systems
There seems to be an increased recognition throughout the industry of the process advantages, and financial value, of NTEP-certified weigh systems used in bulk bag filling and bulk container filling applications. NTEP may have once been perceived as only appropriate for pharma or other applications with cGMP; but, outside of that, accurate weighing was good enough. The industry is now recognizing, regardless of the application, accurate weighing is only of real value when it can be done consistently and repeatedly, and with the assurance that the weigh values are certified accurate. There are obvious advantages to precision weigh accuracy in bulk bag filling systems such as reduced material waste and eliminating re-work. NTEP-certified bulk bag filling systems provide those advantages plus reduced labor allocation, improved process optimization, and downstream (or customer-side) assurance that incoming packages are process-ready. NTEP-certified weighing is available for bulk bag filling systems as well as other bulk container filling systems, including drums, totes, gaylords, and others.