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"Blogging for Books" Rolls on with Tom Taylor's New Guide to IBCs |
May 28, 2007 |
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Posted by Don Dunnington at 08:34 PM | Comments (0) |
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Our "blogging for books" event continues with a new book by Tom Taylor, "Selection and Use of Intermediate Bulk Containers" published by the British Materials Handling Board. Each of the next three bloggers who post an article will receive a free book.
To become a powderandbulk blogger. just send an email with your contact information to don@powderandbulk.com with the subject line: sign me up for the powder blog. We'll create an account for you and help you get started. If you’re one of the next three bloggers, you’ll receive one of these IBC Guides by Tom Taylor.
Intermediate Bulk Containers or IBCs have grown in popularity for a wide range of applications because of their convenience and the ease with which they can be taken directly to the final point of use for their contents.
Taylor's guide covers the full breadth of IBCs, whether constructed of plastic, aluminium, mild or stainless steel, and a wide choice of contact surfaces and finishes.
The guide includes appendices with specific product information from some leading manufacturers of IBC handling systems. IBC design involves some proprietary design features or integrated handling systems which are presented by these manufacturers.
Blog for Your Book Now
To receive one of these books free, register today as a blog author by emailing don@powderandbulk.com and requesting a free account. Be sure to include in the subject line: sign me up for the powder blog. To create an account for you, we need your name (first and last), email address, business address and phone number.
Everyone is welcome to become a blog author; however, a free book can only be sent to addresses in North America.
Don Dunnington
Blog Moderator
Two 'Blogging for Books' Winners |
May 27, 2007 |
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Posted by Don Dunnington at 07:10 PM | Comments (0) |
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We've had two winners in our "Blog for Books" give-away. Joe Lewis, who wrote "Planting seeds," chose "User Guide to Segregation" as his prize.
Joe has been a long-time contributor to this blog. His most recent article discusses how guided wave radar measures the level of seed in bins as they are treated to resist disease and insects.
Our second winner is Kevin Hood, who is a new author to the blog. In his first post, "The Importance of Safely Discharging Bulk Bags," he discusses operator safety issues associated with unloading these 1,000-5,000 pound bags.
Kevin chose as his prize "Guide to the Design, Selection and Application of Screw Feeders."
Upon learning that he had won a book, Kevin wrote, "A sincere thank you for letting me blog and also for the free book! I hope my article was worth it The website is a great resource and I’ve been a big fan for several years."
Don Dunnington
Moderator
The Importance of Safely Discharging Bulk Bags |
May 16, 2007 |
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Posted by Kevin Hood at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) |
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During on-site plant visits, I am constantly surprised to see how companies are discharging bulk bags. Bulk bags, Super Sacks, FIBCs (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container)...whatever you call them. For whatever reason, engineers, supervisors and operators still have the mentality that it’s just “dumping a bag.” They seem to forget that this is not your average bag. Bulk bags can range from 1,000 to 5,000 pounds in weight and the importance of safely handling them cannot be stressed enough.
I have seen many companies simply raise the bulk bag with a forklift or hoist and dump them into a downstream hopper, tank or feeder. This forces the operator to reach under a suspended load to untie the outlet spout of the bag. You would never see an operator stand underneath a large suspended piece of equipment, but they think it is common practice to untie an unsupported and heavy bulk bag. Unfortunately, it is a somewhat common practice.
The possibilities of injury to the operator are numerous: the bulk bag straps could break, the hoist or forklift could fail, or operator error could cause the operator to be pinned underneath a 2,000 pound bulk bag. A trip to the hospital doesn’t result in a very fun day at work. This happened to one of our customers in Pennsylvania . They used to suspend the bag over a bin and cut it open. One of the operators was found by co-workers pinned between a 4,200 pound bulk bag and a downstream bin which resulted in extensive injuries and a helicopter ride while unconscious to the local hospital.
Most companies tend to take OSHA very seriously, but again it doesn’t seem to apply when unloading bulk bags. OSHA requirements prohibit putting people under suspended loads. Section 1926.550(a)(19) requires that “all employees be kept clear of loads about to be lifted and of suspended loads.” You must follow the requirements in Appendix B of NSS/GO 1740.9B if working under a suspended load is necessary. But is it ever absolutely necessary to work under a suspended (and unsupported) bulk bag? Of course not, there are many bulk bag discharging systems on the market and numerous methods of conveying the material up and over to the desired downstream equipment.
The use of a properly designed bulk bag discharger is important for both safety and ergonomics. If the bulk bags have outlet spouts, it is important to design the discharger so the operator access door is at shoulder level. We have seen systems where operators have to bend over, reach down, and look up in order to untie the bulk bag. This is obviously not good for the back and neck and is an ergonomic “no-no.”
Many bulk bag unloaders currently on the market require the operator to blindly reach up and through an iris valve to find the outlet spout, pull it down and untie. Not only is the iris valve a wear item, but the design is not operator friendly. It is such a pain for the operators that they end up untying the outlet spout while the bulk bag is still suspended. Once the outlet spout is untied the operator lowers the bulk bag into the bulk bag unloader. This not only causes dust issues, but it completely negates the main purpose of the bulk bag unloader – to keep the operator safe! (Yes, although the flow out of the bag and dust control are important issues, the safety of your operator should be the number one priority.)
These same “paddle” or “massager” type unloaders feature a flat plate or “paddles” for the bulk bag to rest on. The paddles push the bag from side to side to discharge the product, but they do not completely support the weight of the bulk bag. The bag may become unstable if it is raised by hoist or raised by vertical support springs in an attempt to improve flow. The paddles themselves can be a pinch point and safety hazard. A bulk bag unloader with a steep sloped hopper and pulsed vibration completely supports the weight of the bulk bag, and is typically better suited for discharging a wide range of ingredients.
Other designs to be careful of are systems which use a liner tensioner with a cable affair as it can be a hazard if it breaks or otherwise comes loose. Some bulk bag unloader manufacturers still use spring loaded hooks to secure the bag loops to their “rigging frame.” This is another safety hazard as the operator’s fingers can be pinched and injured in the spring while rigging the bulk bag.
We have also seen operators lift a bulk bag with a forklift and drive as fast as they can into an I-Beam or wall. This kind of helps to break the bridge of ingredient and make it easier to unload the bulk bag. It’s obviously not an ideal situation and could lead to other operator injuries or accidents. Bulk bag dischargers provide flow inducement to help get the ingredient out of the bag, without having to ram the bulk bag into a beam or pole numerous times. If the product in the bag is very set-up and feels like concrete when you punch the bag, there are devices such as Bulk Bag Squeezers which can help to break down the bridge of ingredient prior to or during discharge. If the “clumps” of product in your bag are larger than the outlet spout, it will be very difficult for any kind of bulk bag unloader to discharge the product without the use of a device such as a Bulk Bag Squeezer. Regardless, driving a forklift like a mad man into a beam should not be recommended by anyone, even if they are your boss.
There are many other factors to consider when selecting a bulk bag discharger which probably deserve their own blog post. Flow inducement, dust control, ease of use and wear items just to name a few. However, the number one priority should be ergonomics and safety for the people in your plant.
Written by Kevin Hood
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
B & H Industrial Products, Inc.
Packaging : Maximum Impact! |
May 14, 2007 |
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Posted by Joseph Taylor at 12:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) |
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Greetings, this month the Victorian Division of AIP did not have a meeting but hosted the National folks and the AIP seminar sessions at Auspack the bi-annual Packaging Machinery exhibition.
Bryce Hedditch Packaging Technologist, Masterfoods Australia, snack foods division, delivered an address entitled Packaging: Maximum Impact!
To get maximum impact from packaging Hedditch says that one must put the goods into wrappings or a container, in a compact form for transportation or storage but satisfy the following criteria:
- Product protected from foreseeable elements
- Labelled for legal sale
- Satisfy marketing desires
On a cautionary note he decreed that as well as maximising the packaging benefit, we must minimize its wastes such as excess material or energy, or those latent by poor material choices that can lead to inefficient densities and ultimately damaged stock.
An important issue often overlooked when seeking to obtain maximum benefit is to involve the consumer. The salient questions are: - What defines satisfaction for a consumer and how will they use the finished article. Packaging that together Bryce said that after determining the consumers’ needs, wants and expectations you must find the right balance for: -
“A fancy package may attract a new consumer, but a product that delivers will bring them back”
Turning to inefficiencies that detract from obtaining Maximum Impact Hedditch explained that excess energy can come from slow running machinery, energy leaks, and poor processes including design and also from workforce morale.
He challenged designers to mass a cubic metre of the product in its most raw form and then calculate the number of cubic metres of packaged product on a pallet at despatch. To determine if you are achieving maximum impact you must recalculate all processes and look for where valuable space or mass has been lost. In other words “How much air do you ship?”
Continuation on a theme brought an explanation that poor material costs can affect shelf life and the ability to protect the goods in the supply chain and may well have legal ramifications. There is a need to determine the cost of packaging as a percentage of the return delivered at point of sale. As environmental issues bite it is highly recommended that budgeting considerations have capital for life cycle analysis.
Bryce summed up with a dictionary definition of commend and the verb recommend which is to present or mention as worthy of confidence. His message was if you don’t have enough confidence to back your recommendations go back and review until you do otherwise your packaging will not have maximum impact.
After two days of exacting concentration the delegates joined with the National Chairman of AIP when he thanked all presenters and presented them with a certificate of appreciation and a small token of gratitude. The latter was packaged but environmentally friendly and recyclable would be a good descriptor.
Written by Michael B Halley FAIP
Australian Institute of Packaging
Web site: http://www.aipack.com.au/
Planting seeds |
May 04, 2007 |
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Posted by at 11:15 AM | Comments (0) |
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Seed undergoes treatment for disease and to keep insects from eating them before they germinate. This treatment process is important to producing high yields and seed manufacturers have spent much energy into research and in production using various seed treating systems to produce the best possible product for their customers.In the treatment process a variety of bins must be monitored for the level of the seed. This is a great example of an application perfect for guided wave radar technology. The seed has a dielectric of >2.0 and the bins are relatively short in range so mounting details aren't as stringent as for much longer range applications. Guided wave radar is not affected by dust, temperature or other factors and it works reliably and accurately measures levels of a wide variety of products.
Guided wave radar uses TDR (time domain reflectometry) to measure levels. TDR has been used since the early 1990's for level measurement and was pioneered in the geological area in the earlier 1900's. TDR generates radar pulses about 1 nanosecond in width and these pulses are guided to the material surface by the probe or wave-guide. This is why guided wave radar can be so much more reliable and effective than open-are radar, laser or ultrasonic technologies. The pulses reflect off the material surface and the time-of-flight is directly related to the distance, and inversely the level of material.
Guided wave radar measures the level of seed, feed, cement powder, flour, carbon black, coffee and a wide range of other materials. Have any questions, post a comment or visit the Level Measurement blog for more data.
Joe Lewis
