DCL’s four-post bag fill station begins its operational sequence when the operator places the pallet and the bulk bag inside the bag fill station. The product bag is suspended on the bag support forks. If equipped, the bag neck bladder is inflated to provide a seal around the bag neck, to reduce dust emissions and to hold the bag neck in place during filling. The bag inflation blower runs before filling starts, to expand the bag and improve loading of the product into the bag. The product flow is started, and dust collection air withdrawal begins to remove any nuisance dust that is generated by the product. When the product bag is filled to the proper product weight (as sensed by the load cells and scale or by the operator if the bag fill station is not equipped with load cells), the product flow is stopped. The bag neck air bladder is then deflated, and the bag can then be detached. The pallet and loaded product bag are then removed from the bag fill station by roller conveyor, fork truck, or other means as desired.

Several automation options are available to streamline the operation of the station and reduce the operator effort requirements. Powered bag suspension forks are the most common option, along with a powered roller conveyor to move the filled bags. A PLC for the fill cycle sequencing is another common option. Load cells and scale controllers are available for more accurate bag loading, and ticket/document printers can be added. Vibration equipment can be added to improve the density of loaded bags. Gates and other flow control devices are available, depending on the needs of the installation, and dust collection equipment can be provided if centralized collectors are not used.

DCL Inc., Charlevoix, MI 231-547-5600 www.dclinc.com

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