We have recently developed a new FIBC filling station meeting the high demands of pharmaceutically industry applications. The system allows to convey very sensitive food and pharmaceutical powders from a reactor into special flexible containers in a clean, dust-free and efficient manner.

This FIBC filling station ideally combines a number of proved bulk system components to one unit.

Its main components are: - vacuum suction conveyor - FIBC connection socket designed as a   pneumatically inflatable clamp - surge air filter, pneuamtically cleaned - vertical lifting pillar with instrument rack - vibratory bottom with integrated removable   box for costumized containers - weighing system qualified for calibration with   interfaces to the process management system,   to quality assurance, and to the label printer Any system components are supplied with full documentation and manufactured of stainless steel, meeting the requirements of ATEX and FDA. The required vacuum is supplied by a vacuum blower station. The vertically movable lifting pillar allows quick access to the components mounted to the instrument rack as well as to the containers to be filled.

Thanks to the lock ring connections used, any contace parts can be disassembled and cleaned very quickly and easily. The easy-to-operate weighing terminal allows to store a multitude of paramters. Following please find a simplified description or the operational conveying/ filling sequence.

The material is intermittently aspirated from the costumer´s reactor into the conveyor by means of a mechanical vacuum pump and is discharged into the connected FIBC via the discharge flap and connecting socket. The displaced dusty air can escape through a surge air filter. After the material has been discharged, the bottom flap closes and a new conveying cycle starts.

As soon as the pre-set weight has been reached, the weighing device gives a signal to compact the filled material. The weight is intermediately stored. The vibrating table is pneumatically lifted by the load cells, and the material inside the bag is compacted by the table vibrations.

After the operator switched off the vibromotors, the table is lowered onto the load cells. Weighing starts again and filling continues. While the material is compacted, pneumatic conveying continues in parallel. The number of compactions repeated depends on the material and is fixed in co-operation with the user.

Once the requested final weight has been reached, dosing from the vacuum conveyor stops. The surge air filter is cleaned in one cycle, and a pneumatic vibrator mounted to the dockinge device is activated for a short time to release any material residues inside the connecting socket.

After a certain transition time the weighing device determines the real final weight which is printed by the label printer. The FIBC is the disconnected manually and the box including the FIBC is removed from the station by means of a lift truck. The function of the box is to form the filled bags for their later storage in cartons etc.

The filling station is always adjusted to the user´s individual requirements. Options such as vacuum generation, compressed air generation etc. are also available. Some technical features of an exemplary system are: bulk type:                        hydroxyehtyl starch bulk weight:                    0.5 kg/ dm³ grain size:                       fine, free-flow concistancy:                    powdery vacuum:                          500 mbar conveying line length:    6 m horizontal, 4 m vertical dosing accuracy:            +/- 0.5 kg conveying capacity:        2000 l/ h

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