Company: Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, PA
Website: www.flexicon.com
Equipment Snapshot: The Bulk-Out Bulk Bag Discharging Station prevents cross-contamination during material changeovers, while eliminating downtime associated with hopper cleaning, says Flexicon Corp. Beneficial for applications involving food allergens, pigments, flavorings and other contamination-sensitive materials, the discharger features a shuttle system that allows a used hopper to be exchanged for a clean, dry hopper in less than a minute. Each hopper has a stainless steel rotary valve that meters material into process equipment positioned below the mezzanine. Once empty, a hopper can be rolled within two C-channels to either side of the central filling position for sanitizing offline. The discharger portion of the dust-tight system employs a Spout-Lock clamp ring that secures the clean side of the bag spout against the clean side of the discharger. A Tele-Tube telescoping tube promotes material flow through the bag spout by maintaining constant downward tension on the clamp ring as the bag empties and elongates. The discharging station is constructed of carbon steel with an industrial finish; all material contact surfaces are made of stainless steel.
