How to implement an efficient and reliable big bag filling station?

Big bags are used for a wide variety of products such as construction products, fertilizers, various flour, pellets and metal processing products. The big bag filling station can be built as a business support tool, in which case the station also acts as a commercial scale.

Things to consider when acquiring a big bag station

When starting to design a new big bagging station , the most important thing is to find out the most relevant initial information first. In this case, the type of big bag and the mechanical structure of the filling station with its feeding devices can be designed according to the customer’s needs.  A fairly typical problem for customers is that when designing a big bag station, the dimensions of all possible bags are not yet clear. This means that the person designing the station must have a good understanding of the effect of bag variation on the construction of the filling connections. The material to be bagged and its properties must be known carefully before deciding, for example with what kind of dosing devices will be used to fill the bags.

The image shows a large bagging station implemented for nickel bagging

Properties of the material to be bagged

The big bag device can be used to bag a wide range of materials, from light to coarse to heavy. For example, a fluid material behaves differently than other materials. In this case, excess air must be removed from the filled bag, and sometimes this type of fine material may result in design planning measures to keep the shape of the bag as well. In the process before bagging, our fluidization technology that we provide makes it possible for bulk material to be transferred to the silos and tubes by gravity like a liquid. Because there are no motors, significantly less energy is used and the efficiency of the production process is increased. In addition, due to the tightness of the equipment, spread dust is reduced, which significantly improves working conditions.

The big bag size and its intended use

The purpose of the bag must be known in advance. Is it an outdoor breakable bag, is there a separate inner bag inside the bag? What kind of valve is inside the bag? What about the feeding collar? Even such small factors have a significant effect on the technical solutions of the big bagging device.

The image shows the raw materials for a chocolate factory in big bagsScale accuracy and weighing data managementBagging always involves essentially weighing the product and managing the weighing information. In the case of a bag with a specific weight (e.g. 1000 kg), the customer only pays for that weight. However, if a bag of non-specific weight is used (weighing result, e.g. 996 kg), the customer adds up the weights of the weighing receipts and pays for this weighed quantity. It is also important to discuss how the weighing data is managed and how connections to ERP and other systems are handled. The type of dosing device and the coarse and fine dosing functions of the dosing control determine the dosing accuracy of the specific bagging.

Irrespective of the manufacturer, scales used in big bagging can also be connected to a digital mScales-weighing service. With the help of the service, by automating operations, it is possible to increase the efficiency of many different functions, such as stock balance maintenance, invoicing speed and material flow management. The amount of manual work is significantly reduced and at the same time the number of errors is minimised.

Commercial or non-commercial scales

The scale is commercially used  when the weighing result is used to determine the price of a product or service. In addition to the weighing result, the identification data of the weighing is also transferred to the subscriber’s system. This same information is also stored in the log memory of the dosing controller. The structure and operation of the scale must meet certain criteria, which are determined by laws, directives and many other standards.

In addition, the design and implementation of scale-related automation is not as straightforward as in the case of a non-commercial scale. In other words, the design of a commercial scale requires expertise in a completely different way than a basic process scale in order to comply with the legal requirements.

Long-lasting and a reliable big bag station with lifecycle services

Cost-effective service and maintenance during the life cycle of the weighing system is ensured by the are Care^LAHTI–service. By connecting the scales to the mScales-weighing service, we also enable remote diagnostics. In addition to the periodic inspection of the scale, we can also perform the initial verification and maintenance sealing of the scales.  We also  take care of the maintenance and modernization of old scales. Lahti Precision maintains broader rights to carry out various inspections based on metrological standards than any other company performing scale maintenance service in Finland. 

The image shows a large bagging station delivered to the battery factory

The bagging station is an integral part of the efficiency of the production process

Our design emphasis’s long-term experience with the behavior of various dry powdered substances at different stages of the production process. Over the years, we have supplied more than 200 demanding systems for handling dozens of different powdered materials.  We are also able to use this experience in the dosing and weighing of individual substances. In many cases, dosing and weighing go hand in hand, and the choice of the right dosing method also affects the technology used for weighing. Consideration and understanding of the properties of the materials to be bagged is also essential when building a reliable and accurate production process.

Our bagging stations are always in compliance with the EU type-examination certificate and the Machinery Directive, as well as CE-marked. You will receive a turnkey package from us, including the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the equipment.

The author of the article is Jari Haraholma, Sales Manager of dosing- and weighing systems. He has extensive experience and expertise in dosing and weighing systems.