 Judy Martin B.A.G. Corp. Technical Services Manager Visit Website |
Judy Martin, Engineering and Technical Services Manager for B.A.G. Corp., has 15 years experience in bulk bag manufacturing. She was a bag manufacturing plant manager for five years and continues to work with B.A.G. Corp.’s plant in Mexico. As a member of B.A.G. Corp.’s Technical Services Team, she helps customers design the best bag for the application. Additionally, she is the ISO internal auditor, helped prepare the Mexico plant for AIB (American Institute of Baking) audits, and is one of the presenters for B.A.G. Corp.’s Bag School.She has a BS in mathematics from the University of Oklahoma, where she was selected for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. She earned an MS in Industrial Engineering from Oklahoma State University, where she was selected for membership in the Industrial Engineering Honor Society Alpha Pi Mu. She is a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Ask this Expert a Question |
FIBCs/Bulk Bags Q&A
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We have a PVC paste plant that will produce the paste powder and transfer it through a silo into a packaging section. In the packaging section, 25 kilo bags are made by a semi-automatic bagging machine. The problem is in the hopper, the material gets stuck, so the operator has to use a hammer on the hopper to get a free flow of material into bagging machine. How do we solve this problem?Although this is an equipment problem, my experience with bulk bags allows me to offer a couple of suggestions. A cone-shaped hopper, a larger diameter outlet spout, and some type of slick surface coating, e.g., Teflon, on the inside of the hopper walls should help with the product blocking. If the product is blocking due to humidity, desiccant pouches might help, too.
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Do you have any suggestions for a container or pail/drum/supersack that can “breathe” - that is, let air and head space to breathe out, during storage and shipping?
Using uncoated woven polypropylene fabric will allow a Super Sack Container to “breath.” Depending on the weight requirement of the filled bag, either 5-ounce or 6.5-ounce uncoated fabric could be used. Uncoated fabrics are commonly used for bulk bags in the nut and grain industries.
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Do you design bulk bags for the simple purpose as a transportation device, or are they designed to also be utilized as a feed hopper for some type of downstream equipment?
The Technical Services Team at B.A.G. Corp. designs primarily for transportation. However we have designed bags to fit/be a hopper and others to provide filtration for dry products and dewatering/filtration for wet products. Our goal is to try to provide a bag to meet your requirements.
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What information do I need to size a bulk bag?
The information necessary to size a bag is:
a. Bulk density of the product packaged (lb/cu ft)
b. Maximum weight or capacity of bulk bag (typically, one metric ton or 2205 lb)
c. Height restrictions during filling and/or discharge
d. Filling and discharging spout diameters and lengths (14 in. D x 19 in. L is standard size)
e. Size of pallet that will be used to ship a filled bag
f. Method of shipment by truck or rail
g. Size of truck (92 in. x 92 in. x 40 ft or 102 in. x 102 in. x 48 ft)
h. Size of container for rail shipment (92 in. W x 106 in. H x 20 ft or 40 ft long)