BETHLEHEM, PA — A new ultra-heavy-duty Bulk Bag Filling System from Flexicon receives abrasives, high-density solids and other difficult-to-handle bulk materials from upstream processes or storage vessels, and fills the material by weight into bulk bags. Intended for mining, glass, ceramics and other demanding industrial applications, the system is comprised of heavy-gauge variants of the company's patented TWIN-CENTERPOST™ filler and FLEXICON^® flexible screw conveyor consolidated on a robust skid with integral forklifting tubes for mobility.

The filler is equipped with fill head height adjustment to accommodate all popular bag sizes, pneumatically retractable bag hooks and an inflatable connector to seal the bag inlet spout. A feed chute outlet port can be

supplied with a filter sock for dust-free air displacement during filling, or vented to an optional BAG-VAC^® dust collector or the plant's bag house.

The FLEXICON^® conveyor consists of a steel outer tube with a rugged flexible screw that self-centers as it rotates, preventing material from grinding between the screw and tube wall, while eliminating the need for a bearing at the intake end. Since the screw is driven at its upper end beyond the discharge point, material contact with seals or bearings is eliminated.

Once the operator attaches the bag straps and activates the inflatable spout seal, all functions are automatic. The conveyor runs at full rate as the filler's vibratory deck cycles on and off to densify and stabilize the material.

Load cells transmit weight gain data to the PLC, which slows the conveyor rotation to dribble-feed rate, stops the conveyor once the bag has gained its target weight, and releases the bag straps, enabling a forklift to remove the palletized bag.

Options are available for human-machine interfaces with touch screens and graphic representations of equipment inputs and outputs, customized by application.

The company also offers REAR-POST bulk bag fillers for pass-through roller conveying, and SWING-DOWN^® fillers which additionally pivot the fill head to the operator at floor level for the fastest and safest bag connections.