Reliability in a restricted area

Six years after a Flexicon bulk bag discharger and screw conveyor operation first went live at The Plastics Group's production facility in Woonsocket, Rhode Island the company has invested in a second Flexicon system that feeds additives to a new twinscrew compounding line in the manufacture of thermoplastics.

One of the constraints was plant headroom - 5m max.

With careful planning, the original single screw compounder was replaced by a twin, 70mm diameter screw compounder, the use of a Flexicon bulk bag discharger and conveyor enabling everything to be fitted on one level of the 5600m2 building.

Additives arrive in bags weighing 450 to 1130kg, but some are shipped at 1360kg.

Therefore Flexicon ensured the BFC Bulk Bag Discharger frames had a safety load rating of 1800kg. Each bag is attached to a four-cornered low-profile lifting cradle with Z-Clip bag-strap holders and raised into position by an electric trolley hoist mounted on a cantilevered I-beam.