AlfaLFA - Auto Baling Machine
Client
A Poucher & Sons produce alfalfa and grass animal feed products under the Emerald Green Feeds brand. Their crops are grown and processed locally in Lincolnshire. https://emeraldgreenfeeds.co.uk/
Challenge
A Poucher & Sons were looking to procure a line that could form compressed, stackable bales of their Emerald Green grass and afalfa products fit for palletising and transportation. This had to be an automatic solution.
Webster Griffin identified the following challenges:
- Forming tubes suitable to create rectangular bales with square ends suitable for palletising
- Providing an automatic baling solution suitable for handling both Alfalfa and Grass
- Provide a low cost and eco-friendly bagging and baling solution delivering efficiency in production
- Provide an advanced control panel allowing operators to switch baling and bagging programmes
- Provide a robust, durable system capable of operating continuously
Solution
Webster Griffin developed an automatic 2 in 1 bagging and baling system, in answer to the customer's brief. The turn key system included the following elements:
- Automatic 2 in 1 baling machine, baling with form fill seal technology
- Forming tubes to create rectangular shaped 15kg bales
- Interchangeable forming tubes for 25 kg bales allowing A Poucher & Sons to switch between products to be bagged and bag weights
- One net weighing system complete with programmable electronic control ensuring product weight accuracy is delivered to within ±0.5%
- Easy to use operator's control panel with 8.4” colour touch screen and graphic display
- Heavy duty folded steel frame, for hygiene and easy cleaning
- Film reel support to hold 500mm diameter reel
- Film reel un-winder device including a powered un winder with integral film tensioning device
- Photoelectric cell to control the film unwinding operation
- Vertical sealing arm with anti-adhesive Teflon coating
- Ropex electronic temperature controllers to accurately control the temperature of the impulse sealing bars
- Guides with rollers for easy change of forming tubes
Result
The 2 in 1 Baling and Bagging system was installed at the A Pouchers & Sons site in Lincolnshire by Webster Griffin leaving the customer with a tailored solution.
- Production of rectangular bales of alfalfa in 15 kg bales and Grass in 15 - 20kg bales
- One system suitable for different bale weights and products
- The system is capable of operating continuously with reel changeovers only taking 5 minutes every 6 – 10 hours
- Highly accurate product weight on every bag and bale within ±0.5%
- Flexibility in production as one system is capable of producing varying bale weights including alfalafa in 15kg bales and grass in 15 – 20kg bales
- Ease of Palletising & Transportation with compressed, rectangular bales.
- Autonomy. The system is fully automatic and will run without an operator until reel changeover stops.
- Throughput achieved of 3 -4 bales a minute.