Vector Equipment Sales » ntep-certified

Bulk Bag Fillers Process Combustible Dry Powder Material

timw — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:12:01 +0000

Here is a unique bulk bag filler application in a process where high volumes of combustible powders are present. Three bulk bag fillers, each being fed by a 1,060 cubic foot capacity storage vessel, process up to 17,000 pounds per hour of the combustible powder. The process area is defined to include Class I, Division 1, Groups C and D; and Class II, Division 1, Groups F and G. The bulk bag fillers are being filled with materials of various characteristics, including flakes and rods. Integrated bulk bag densification ensures a full and stable finished bulk bag, regardless of material type. An integrated, NTEP-certified weigh system bulk bag filler for combustible dust-generating application ensures the bags are filled to a weight of +/- .01% of the total bag weight, up to 4,500 pounds. The bulk bag filler process system manufacturer, National Bulk Equipment, Inc., designed and built the system-wide automation and equipment controls to centralize to a single, menu-driven HMI. The entire process operation communicates directly to the facility’s SCADA center.

National Bulk Equipment implemented rigorous risk assessment procedures to ensure the bulk bag fillers would work to prevent operator hazards and improve the physical ergonomics for the operator.

Bulk Material Handling Equipment Design and Automation

timw — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:14:50 +0000

What are the primary factors influencing machine design and process automation specification in the bulk material handling industry? Operator safety, of course, comes to mind as an essential priority. Yet, even with operator safety, varied equipment applications will have differing requirements. Perhaps a good place to start when addressing operator safety would be the ANSI B11.TR3-2000 Technical Report on Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction. However, as the bulk material handling marketplace becomes more global, and European influences continue to lead the unification process of international standards, simply relying on domestic standards will clearly not be sufficient. In fact, global organizations purchasing U.S.-made equipment for their U.S. processing or packaging operations are commonly requiring international standards for such equipment.

The issue of identifying appropriate codes and standards reaches far beyond the single aspect of operator safety. And, regulatory codes and standards are but two of the many machine design and automation factors bulk material handling OEMs and end users must address. From the OEM’s perspective, what about mechatronics as a whole? From the end user’s perspective, what about matters of overall equipment effectiveness, or sustainability?

Bulk material handling manufacturers must take the initiative and proactively bring products to market that will meet or exceed the standards of the marketplace (domestic or international); both from a regulatory perspective and from a functional perspective.

NTEP-certified Weighing on Bulk Bag Filling Systems

daver — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:14:45 +0000

There seems to be an increased recognition throughout the industry of the process advantages, and financial value, of NTEP-certified weigh systems used in bulk bag filling and bulk container filling applications. NTEP may have once been perceived as only appropriate for pharma or other applications with cGMP; but, outside of that, accurate weighing was good enough. The industry is now recognizing, regardless of the application, accurate weighing is only of real value when it can be done consistently and repeatedly, and with the assurance that the weigh values are certified accurate. There are obvious advantages to precision weigh accuracy in bulk bag filling systems such as reduced material waste and eliminating re-work. NTEP-certified bulk bag filling systems provide those advantages plus reduced labor allocation, improved process optimization, and downstream (or customer-side) assurance that incoming packages are process-ready. NTEP-certified weighing is available for bulk bag filling systems as well as other bulk container filling systems, including drums, totes, gaylords, and others.