A technology company like TMI that develops solutions for so many different industries, will have to face from time to time a challenging project that, once taken, represents the opportunity for a quantum leap.

The experience and know-how that TMI has gained in the food industry, together with the previous experience of the customer, have led to developing a bagging machine that is highly accurate and efficient in the hygiene processes that are essential to food industry.

The Challenge
A customer needed a solution to bag an unstable hygroscopic product (sodium lactate) for the food industry, which implied a strict washing routine. Additionally, the cost and market price of the product required a high dosing accuracy.

A crucial point was that powder release during bagging process had to be avoided at any costs, and the structure had to be designed to prevent product accumulations.

The customer’s experience suggested that the continuous washing process needed to be improved in order to reduce the rusting, wearing, and maintenance of the bagging equipment.

The customer had been bagging its product with a horizontal form fill & seal (HFFS) system and wanted to continue using the same kind of technology. HFFS allows for a consumable standardization, while keeping the approved technical configuration of the bag, which protects the product from the air moisture.

The space allotted for the machine had to be small, as the room in which it would be placed needed to be completely climatized, which would save the customer additional costs.

The Solution
TMI developed the ILERBAG H-C. This FFS bagging machine was designed to be completely washable, tool-free manageable, complying to food-grade specifications, and highly accurate and safe, while staying compact.

Completely washable: The ILERBAG H-C is fully water-resistant, completely constructed of stainless steel, as it must be washed thoroughly after every cycle. To this scope a special water collection system has been designed to fit the bagging spout and connected to the customer’s drainage system. This contributes to prevent an increase of humidity in the room that could harm the conditioning of the room, and with it the product itself. Additionally, several entrance points for conditioned air have been foreseen to dry the entire machine before the bagging process.

Tool-free manageable: The tool-free manipulation design of the dosing system guarantees accessibility and ease of the cleaning process. Its configuration with manual clamps allows access to the entire machine so operators can easily open each section by hand and clean it separately. This minimizes the handling times and cleaning changeover labor costs, as well as the risk of dropping tools into the parts in contact with the product.

Complying food-grade specifications: The ILERBAG H-C has been designed to provide 200 filled and sealed bags per hour, keeping a clean working environment. Product leakage has been minimized, whereas a supplementary aspiration system has been installed to prevent any powder to pollute the environment. Its diamond-shaped design helps avoid product accumulation on the machine’s surfaces. Additionally, the ground support points for the machine’s structure have been reduced to a strict minimum, which makes the machine base and surroundings much more accessible for cleaning. Finally, the wiring was designed so all connections are outside of the cleanroom, where the control cabinets are placed.

Highly accurate and safe: Its dosing system consists on a loss-weight scale with a vertical screw transport that assures the highest accuracy in the bagging process, while keeping the right output rhythm. A further benefit of this dosing system--in contrast to horizontal screw systems--is its small footprint. There is a double point metal detection system to ensure the safety of the bagged product.

Applications of ILERBAG H-C
These features enable the machine to work in the food and chemical industries where powdery products are produced. ILERBAG H-C is suitable for those industries where a thorough cleaning and a dust-free environment are key for the proper operation of the plant. This compact solution is designed to suit small climatized or white rooms. Its tool-free configuration, together with its high-accuracy, contribute to increasing overall production efficiency in the bagging process, while minimizing downtime and reducing labor costs.

For mor information on TMI S.L. (Lleida, Spain) call +34 973 25 70 98 or visit www.tmipal.com

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