Shower Tray Manufacturer Increases Capacity with Spiroflow Bulk Bag Unloaders & Integral Flex Screw Conveyors

Customer Requirements

Just Trays Ltd of Farley, Leeds (JT) manufactures an extensive range of shower trays. They needed to find a totally enclosed dust-tight Bulk Bag Unloader for its manufacturing plant which produces adhesives for a variety of industries.

Their previous casting machine included an integral bulk bag unloading hopper. The bag was loaded into place and supported during discharge by an overhead hoist. When they had problems unloading calcium carbonate from compacted or otherwise problematic bags, the hoist had to be used to raise and lower the bag to promote flow.

1. JT’s new casting machine differs in that it requires calcium carbonate beads and, additionally, recycled glass beads, to be delivered to 2 separate buffer hoppers at the top of the machine.
2. These additives are then metered, at differing rates, into the mixing chamber where they are mixed with resins according to the specification of the shower trays to be cast.

Spiroflow Solution

Spiroflow supplied two Model T5 Low Headroom Bulk Bag Unloaders with integral Flexible Screw Conveyors. Darren Rhodes, JT’s Operations Director, confirms, “My criteria were: UK manufacture, a competitive price, a supplier with a reputation for quality products and a quick delivery. In the end, it was Spiroflow that met them all.”

• The Bulk Bag Unloaders supplied to JT are Model T5 Low Headroom Unloaders.
• With this model the top frame is removed to floor level, a full bulk bag installed and then the frame, complete with bag, is re-sited.
• Installing the bag this way considerably reduces the headroom required meaning that Spiroflow Bulk Bag Unloaders can often be used in places where others cannot.
• Resins are gravity fed by the Universal T2 Unloader through the hopper into a vacuum conveyor at the base of the unloader.
• The Bulk Bag Unloader for the calcium carbonate beads was furnished with bag massagers to promote the flow of compacted bags.

Darren Rhodes notes, “This is much more efficient, cleaner and safer than having to bump the bag up and down on a hoist.”