Bulk bag packing line with a capacity of 40 super sacks per hour

Case study reference:

1-17-005

white sugar cristal sugar big bag loading palamati

Processed powders: white refined sugar, surfine caster sugar, crystal sugar

Automated bulk bag packaging line

Our customer, a leading sugar manufacturer for the Maghreb, wanted to increase its bulk bag packing capacity to deliver to a larger number of manufacturers using their refined sugar. This bulk bag filling facility is designed to achieve a minimum throughput of 40 bulk bags per hour with minimum operator action. To achieve this, the Palamatic Process solution integrates a complete set of bulk bag handling components and the necessary transfer equipment for pallet handling. The entire system design is conceived and manufactured according to the EHEDG - Equipment Hygienic Design Guide.

The processed materials being crystal sugar, refined sugar and surfine granulated sugar, at a bulk density 0.8 with good flow characteristics, where packed with our FlowMatic® 06 bulk bag packaging station. This system incorporates an intermediate weighing hopper with a capacity of 2 tons, allowing dosing with efficient timing. When the empty super sack is placed by the operator on the filling head, the PLC controls the sugar metering in the weighing hopper. The weighing management is provided by a Palamatic Process dosing unit specifically developed for super sack filling applications. This dosing unit integrates a very high speed by using a 4-20mA butterfly valve coupled in parallel to a dosing screw managed by a frequency variator. This unique technology ensures that the sugar is dosed in less than 3 seconds with an accuracy of less than 300g.

The use of the dosing hopper allows all manual operations to be carried out without loss of packing flow rate. The operations carried out during the hopper metering of the packing system are: positioning the bulk bag, connecting the bulk bag spout to the inflatable seal, attaching the loops of the bulk bag to the automatic hooks, inflation of the bulk bag via the pre-forming fan and closing the previous bulk bag by welding the spout.
When the sugar dose is metered into the weigher, the drain valve opens to almost instantly fill the empty bulk bag. A pneumatic tensioning system and pre-inflation of the super sack ensures optimal filling of the inner bag. A dust collection and venting line provides the containment and balancing of volumes during sugar transfer.

Hooks in position to allow
the big bag to be hung

Hooks in position to allow
the big bag to be filled

Welding of the big bag cuff

The handling of the filled bulk bags is ensured by a set of belt conveyors, thus avoiding the use of pallets in the packing area. The bulk bag is positioned on its pallet outside the packaging area via a double deck conveyor: pallet/bulk bag. An empty pallet unstacker feeds the bulk bag "docking" conveyor.
From an ergonomic point of view, the operator works on a single-floor platform with a drop-off area for empty bulk bag pallets. Similarly, the connection head of the bulk bag has mobile hooks that move towards the operator to facilitate the installation of the bulk bag loops. At the end of the packing operation, the bulk bag is unhooked automatically via the pneumatic tilting hooks.
The weighing chain integrated on the dosing hopper consists of three load cells connected to a commercially certified weighing transmitter. This weighing hopper is certified annually.
In addition, the bulk bag conveyor incorporates a weighing chain (scale) providing additional control of the weight of the bulk bag for complete traceability of the packed batches.

Features integrated into the bulk bag packaging line: