Dust-busting bag filler
headache, in particular when dealing with bulk materials, and
keeping production areas free from dust is a full-time job. A new
filling system from bagging specialists Chronos Richardson - which
works from the bottom up - is one means of reducing dust
contamination.
The BFW bottom-up filling system consists of a weighing system with an integrated feeding unit, designed to facilitate filling by allowing one continuous process. At the start of the filling process, the bag is automatically lifted over the feeding unit and then lowered in synchronisation with the filling level as material is fed in.
This ensures the distance between the material and the metering head is kept to a minimum, thereby reducing dust development, the company claims.
The BFW system is equipped with an axially driven, vertical screw, which has a rigidly fixed dosing cone. This is said to guarantee infinite control of the filling and metering process in relation to the characteristics and weight of the bulk material, making the system extremely versatile.
Depending on the type of bulk material being handled, Chronos Richardson claims that dosing is so accurate that a separate top-up system is not required - another factor which reduces dust generation but which also dramatically reduces the risk of contamination by keeping the bag completely enclosed until it is finally sealed.
The system can also cope with high-fat powders, used extensively in the baking industry as an alternative to real fats such as margarine.
Bag capacities of 10 to 30 kg can be filled and depending on the product, speeds of up to 600 bags per hour can be achieved.
Chronos Richardson said that the axial movement of the vertical screw provides another important benefit - it automatically cleans the screw pipe. High-fat powders tend to stick to filling elements and in the worst case this may totally clog up the fillers. With the BFW, however, material retention on the vertical screw is reduced to a minimum, the company claims.
In fact, the BFW is designed to comply with safety and hygiene requirements for food processing equipment as defined in DIN EN 1672.
The BFW is a fully modular system and can be combined with the Chrono-Fill PBS 2000 bagging line, FFS (form, fill & seal) technology or used as a stand-alone version.
