Two ingredients, (potato flake and crumpet mix) needed to be conveyed from bulk bags through an existing wall and into two mixers in the room beyond. The mixers were situated 10m apart and needed to be fed at precise rates in order to ensure compliance with batch recipes.

Customer requirements

Production of the end products required very accurate dosing of powders at set intervals. A clever use of controls would allow automation of the process and the use of bulk bags reduces the need for operator intervention.

With any food product, a high level of hygiene was needed with a dust free atmosphere being maintained for the plant.

The equipment should incorporate all of the above criteria, require little maintenance and be easy to operate.

Spiroflow solutions

Spiroflow supplied two bulk bag dischargers complete with integral hoists to eliminate the need for a forklift truck to load the 1 tonne FIBCs.

The semi-free flowing nature of the product required both base and side massage to be fitted to the discharge frame to ensure consistent flow of product from the bag.

A dust seal located in the bag support dish along with the use of pinch bars to untie the bag spout helps to reduce the risk of dust escaping into the atmosphere.

Both systems used integral flexible screw conveyors which conveyed intermittently to intermediate weigh hoppers, controlled to release the two products at a rate suitable for the required recipe.

Agitators situated above these conveyors serve to stir the ingredients into the centre of the conveyor inlet.

The first conveyor for the potato flakes was only 5m long whilst the second conveyed over a distance of 17m.

Steel contact parts finished to high levels of hygiene were used throughout.