
Client
Ewos Innovation is the research and development arm of aquaculture giant Ewos/Cargill, a marine feed supplier. https://www.cargill.com/animal-nutrition/brands/ewos
Challenge
Ewos Innovation were looking for an integrated system capable of handling large single loop bags of different sizes and weights for their commercial fish feed and smaller 20-25kg bags to be processed by a separate form fill seal machine.
- High throughput targets of 20 – 25 x 1000kg and 30 – 35 x 500kg bags.
- Stable full big bags in which feed must be compacted and consolidated.
- Compacted small form fill seal bags suitable for palletising.
- Flexible – The big bag filling machine must cater to single loop bags of three different sizes whilst the form fill seal machine has to alter between 20 and 25kg bags.
- Compact system – constructive factory floor space
- Easy & Simple operation with low maintenance and labour input
- Short delivery required – Ewos Innovation needed a rapid system installation for immediate results.
Solution
Having reviewed Ewos Innovation requirements, Webster Griffin proposed a integrated IBC-PF4 big bag filling system and a Compacta Easy tubular form fill seal bagging machine.
- IBC-PF4 including conveyor system with self-adjusting weigh fill station, automatically adjusting for three different bag sizes. Minimising product wastage.
- Compacta Easy Tubular Form Fill bagging system in which bags are forms from a reel of plastic - capable of a throughput up to 1400 bags an hour.
- Ticket printer – printed “passport” ticket placed into pocket of bag, following bag discharge by downstream conveyors.
- ‘Bag inflation technology’ – reduces risk of inner bag rupturing during filling.
- Vibrating platform - during filling cycle, a grid on a vibrating platform positioned underneath bag at filling station is raised up, lifting bag off the weighing system, and consolidates product in the bag.
- Touch screen PLC control system – Microprocessor PLC technology ensures perfect function.
- Pallet magazine conveyor - Lifting and lowering assembly incorporating a geared electric brake motor.
Result
The installation of the integrated system presented a number of key benefits to Ewos Innovation.
- Big Bag Filling at a throughput of 35 x 500kg and 25 x 1000kg bulk bags an hour.
- Tubular Form Fill Seal bagging at rates of 1400 bags an hour.
- Flexibility – the system catering to various bagging requirements allows Ewos to respond to customer demands immediately.
- Labour Productivity Boost – employees now enjoy more time to accomplish other production tasks.
- Increased batch traceability - identification ticket or ‘passport’ is automatically placed into pocket of each bag.
- Reduced product wastage – flexible weigh station automatically adjusts for varying bag sizes and weights, meaning ‘manual change over’ is no longer necessary.