BETHLEHEM, PA — A new sanitary mobile Tilt-Down Flexible Screw Conveyor with Integral Bag Dump Station and Compactor allows the transfer of material manually dumped from handheld bags into elevated process equipment, and the disposal of empty bags, dust-free.

Mounted on a mobile frame with locking casters and a fold-down step, the Bag Dump Station is secured to the floor hopper with quick-release clamps, and features a gasketed bag disposal chute through the side wall of the hopper hood, allowing the operator to pass empty bags directly into the bag compactor.

Dust generated from both dumping and compaction is drawn onto the system's two cartridge filters. An automatic reverse-pulse filter cleaning system releases short blasts of compressed air inside the filters at timed intervals. This causes any dust built up on the outer surfaces to fall into the hopper, conserving useable product. Filters are readily accessed by removing the interior baffle, and replaced using quick-disconnect fittings.

The compactor employs a pneumatic air cylinder to compress 50 to 80 empty bags into a removable bin lined with a plastic waste bag for dust-free tie-off and disposal. The main door, and a flapper door within the bag infeed chute, are equipped with safety interlocks that prevent operation of the compactor unless both doors are closed.

The hopper discharges into an enclosed, 15 ft (4.6 m) flexible screw conveyor that handles a broad range of materials including free- and non-free-flowing bulk solids ranging from large pellets to sub-micron powders, including products that pack, cake, seize, smear, fluidize, or crumble, with no separation of blended products. The flexible screw is the only moving part contacting material, and is driven by an electric motor beyond the point at which material is discharged, preventing material contact with seals.

The Bag Dump Station, support boom and conveyor assembly can be tilted down to maneuver through standard doorways and aisles, and around corners for use anywhere in the plant.

The entire unit can be rolled to a cleaning station where a lower clean-out cap on the conveyor tube can be removed to flush the smooth interior surfaces with steam, water or cleaning solutions, or to fully remove the flexible screw for cleaning and inspection.

The system is available in carbon steel with durable industrial coating, with stainless steel material contact surfaces, or in all-stainless steel (shown) finished to industrial, food, dairy or pharmaceutical standards.