BETHLEHEM, PA — A new portable half-frame Bulk Bag Discharger with manual Bag Dump Station and integral Flexible Screw Conveyor transfers material discharged from bulk bags and/or manually dumped from hand-held sacks into downstream process equipment or storage vessels, dust free.

Mounted on a mobile frame with locking casters for in-plant mobility, the system minimizes weight and maintains a low center of gravity by eliminating upper frame components, relying on the user's forklift or plant hoist to suspend bulk bags above the discharger during unloading.

A TELE-TUBE^® telescoping tube raises a SPOUT-LOCK^® clamp ring pneumatically for connection to the bag spout, and then descends by gravity, maintaining constant downward tension on the spout as the bag empties and elongates, promoting flow.

At timed intervals, FLOW-FLEXER^® bag activators raise and lower opposite bottom edges of the bag to loosen agglomerates and direct material through the bag spout. As the bag lightens, the stroke of the bag activators increases, ultimately forming a steep "V" shape to promote total discharge.

For manual dumping, the operator raises a hinged bag-dump support shelf and a hinged hopper door, and pours material through a coarse screen into the hopper.

When the hopper lid is open for manual dumping, an integral BAG-VAC^® dust collector draws air and dust away from the operator. When the hopper lid is closed, the dust collector creates negative pressure within the dust-tight system to contain dust during discharge, and to collapse empty bags prior to retying and disconnection, eliminating dust emitted during manual flattening of empty bags.

The flexible screw conveyor transports both free- and non-free-flowing bulk materials including products that pack, cake, smear, seize or fluidize, with no separation of blends. The conveyor support mast cantilevers from the frame, and runs parallel to the conveyor tube, allowing the caster-mounted system to maneuver in restricted areas.

Ready to plug in and run, the self-contained system can serve multiple functions throughout the plant. Afterwards it 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 offered in all-stainless construction (shown), with stainless material contact surfaces, or in carbon steel with durable industrial coatings.