The normal way to solve this problem is to use a discharge station which has a pair of parallel pneumatically operated bars at the level of the discharge spout. When you want to remove the partially discharged bags, the bars are forced together cutting off the flow from the bag, when the material level below the bars drops, it is then possible to re-tie the neck of the bag by hand and remove it.

If you google big bag discharge stations, you should find someone in your part of the world who makes a discharger of this type.

If you don't have too many different bags to handle, the other approach is to hang the bag in a frame with a tundish at the base and a valve on the outlet of the tundish. When you want to change materials, you then just close the valve and move the whole bag frame and tundish assembly away with a FLT or hoist. ■

To: Bullet USA

You stated:

"I'm looking for a super sac for dry goods that has a closeable discharge spout such that the entire contents of the super sac do not have to be discharged at one time. Anyone have any leads"?

My advice:

Before anyone can give you the best solution to this temporary problem, and yes, there are solutions, it all depends on how much you want to spend to resolve it.

But to properly answer, many questions comes to mind, that need to be answered:

What is the present size of the super sac you are using and the weight and particle size of the dry goods you are handling?

What dry goods you are handling?

Are the dry goods a haz-mats or explosive? (A static producer?)

Are you trying to do a ‘batch-control’ or just control the dry goods ‘flow’?

I suggest to contact other Forum participants/members that are ‘local-to-your location’ that perhaps, already have customers with the same need as you, or they can custom-engineer a discharge system just for your application (most custom-engineering services are free of charges if they will lead to obtain your future bulk-bag business, ask for costs before engaging anyone firm.)

http://www.bulk-online.com/Cat/318.htm Browse by categories: bulk-online > Mechanical Feeders

Wishing success, ‘Ed’ in Ft. Lauderdale FL. USA ■

We need more information about your issue, but you could visit our web site at www.livingjumbo.ro or send me an email at mirela@livingjumbo.ro and figure it out what it might fit.

Our experience on the big bags market should help you.

Have a nice day ! ■

Spiroflow Systems Inc. manufacture Bulk Bag Dischargers (BBD's)

that enable you to do just what your application requires. Our pinch bar system can be used to both control the rate of flow and to stop flow at any point. This enables part used bags to be tied off and removed from the Discharger allowing another bag containing a different material to be installed. Our BBD's can

incorporate 'loss-in-weight' systems to measure out precise quantities from Bulk Bags".

Thank you- Christina Holt

Contact:

Spiroflow Systems, Inc.

Monroe, NC

Phone: 704-291-9595 Fax: 704-291-9594

Website: www.spiroflowsystems.com ■

I guess i'm a bit of a johnn-come-latley on this reply - but one of the options not yet mentioned is a simple and inexpensive iris valve. In trying to solve your problem with a feature added to the bag itself (which will cost you an incremental amount on every bag you buy from now on - somewhere in the $1 to $10 for either cord lock closures that don't work great - to slide gate bottom bags) the better solution is something you invest in once to solve the problem. The best solution then is a bulk bag unloading frame. This will allow you to not only safely support and discharge the bag, but can create a flow control system via the bag discharge spout. We (as others in the equipment business on these posts do) offer a pinch style pnuematically actuated positive cut-off device. However, these are not cheap, and will require maintenance at some point. We often provide our units with a manual iris valve from either Mucon or Salina Vortex. These units have a very low stack up, go from fully open to fully closed in a 180 degree rotation, and are pretty darned reliable. Best of all, their inexpensive - try $895 for the 12" model we add to most of our unloaders. They aren't a panacea, they are for bulk flow cut off and material must be moving through the spout for them to "cut" through the material. But for 1/4 the price of a pinch style system, they are definatley worth considering.

Let me know if we can help:

FormPak, Inc

Mike Owens

www.formpakinc.com ■

ISL have a new way of discharging Bulk Bags which enables the bag to be removed part empty without even having to tie it off!

See

href="http://www.conevalve.co.uk/bbb.html" target="blank">http://www.conevalve.co.uk/bbb.html for more details

Attachments

ubbd (GIF)

■

With all due respect taken Kevin - let me point out that I never mentioned or intimated that this was a perfect fix - it's definatley not. However, we have supplied hundreds of units with iris valves and have replaced at most (3) diaphrams on these units. They cost about $100 - not what I would cosider a major wear part or expensive to maintain.

You are correct as to the inconvenience of working through the iris valve - that is the biggest pain, however, I wouldn't call it ergonomically challenging unless the BBU has been incorrecly set up. The access or untie box needs to be at shoulder height (48" - 52" for most folks) for the best results. The only thing the iris valve does to complicate the untiying of the bag, is that the diaphram will need to be pushed out of the way to access the bag spout. Again, we have dozens of companies that do this every day without complaint - lot's of return customers in fact who actually love what the valve allows them to do.

Not sure what your recommendation is if you don't want the operator to access the bag spout - by the way the US and international standard for bulk bag fill and discharge spouts is 14" not 12". The only other option in dispensing the bag without unitying the spout is to pierce them. We build lot's of those too, but then your dust control and fiberous contamination become issues.

Again, it's not perfect, but it offers a solution to the problem. We have been in the "SuperSack" (the trade name of BAG Corp - they pioneered the bags in this country) business for over 25 years. It's all we do, and we do it for some of the largest companies in the world.

Mike ■