Gough Engineering says that its equipment range can not only improve the product flow through a factory but also deliver a quick return on investment.
Given that energy accounts for 15% of food and drink manufacturers’ costs, according to research by Centrica Business Solutions, the continued rise of energy prices is a major concern. Indeed, the same study found that 56% of manufacturers believe investing in energy efficiency technologies is “very important” for their business.
Stephen Harding, managing director of Gough Engineering, believes that improving materials handling processes is one way to help manufacturers overcome rising energy costs.
Harding believes that enlisting a trusted materials handling expert is essential in reviewing the sequential and functional needs of materials management on a production line, and to plan how to optimise these processes in order to best serve the plant’s KPIs.
After identifying the material to be transported, and the required throughput rates, Gough Engineering’s specialists then establish further clarification of volume rates, bulk densities, transfer lengths and orientations, feed points, distribution points, before they prescribe a suitable solution.
Bucket elevators are often overlooked when considering material transportation, but they can be a more suitable option than linear conveyors, says Gough. This is particularly important for transporting dry bulk materials, ingredients and part-completed products. A materials handling expert can provide guidance on what’s best for a specific material.
To determine the best elevator design to convey a product, three factors need to be considered. First, bucket capacity. Every bucket is filled to a specific percentage of its overall capacity, to ensure that all of the product is retained and doesn’t spill over the edges during transport.
The second factor is bucket pitch. For instance, when the bucket elevator system is mounted between two parallel chains, correct bucket pitch means determining the correct distance between the centres of each bucket. This determines how much product can be transported. Third is bucket speed, or the rate at which the buckets are travelling.
These factors combined give the total volumetric capacity moving through a specific conveying design. This allows the product to be transported correctly and carefully to suit the required distance of travel, while also integrating the process into the overall feed, distribution and production line requirements.
In some cases, a belt and bucket elevator, where buckets are fixed to a belt running at high speeds, might be the best choice. These systems allow high throughput rates of cubic metres per hour. However, they also involve a lot of kinetic energy due to the centrifugal forces created, which can lead to product degradation and damage.
As an alternative, a pendulum bucket elevator system, mounted between two parallel chains, might be more suitable. As the name suggests, the buckets hang as in a pendulum, travelling in all elevator positions in a horizontal position, and are eventually tipped using a cam to discharge the product at the desired location. While this system can be slower than other solutions, it offers gentler product handling with less spillage than high-speed alternatives.
A pendulum bucket elevator can convey buckets in many shape configurations, with multiple inlets (feeds) and controlled discharge positions.
In terms of waste, let’s consider when 25 kg bags are emptied into the necessary production processes. In this scenario, waste can accumulate in terms of lost produce during de-bagging, as well as packaging materials. Not only is this process wasteful, but the manual approach also creates safety concerns for human workers. There’s the repetitiveness of the materials handling task itself, and the need to perform multiple operations in order to move pallets of product bags around for de-bagging. These factors can also, of course, cause bottlenecks in the flow of production.
As a solution, Gough Engineering recommends the installation of FIBC big bag dischargers. This technology provides lifting support to make emptying large bags easy and efficient. FIBC big bag dischargers can eliminate product loss, capture any dust and prevent contamination thanks to their enclosed design. By automating the debagging process, the customer increases throughout and minimises waste.
“Equipment schemes and automated materials handling give manufacturers new ways to offset rising energy costs, while boosting production and ROI,” says Harding. “Moreover, these systems can also empower manufacturers to tackle the rising prices head-on.”
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