PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: IBC2000 BULK BAG UNLOADER

Bulk Bag Unloaders come in all shape and sizes, and the IBC 2000 is no exception to this rule. We have designed our unloader with a modular approach so that we can meet any customer’s needs. We start with a heavy 3” square tubular 4-Leg structural frame. This frame is designed to handle bags that weigh up to 4000 pounds with plenty of safety factor for loading and unloading. Our normal frames are expecting to fit in a room with about 15’ of ceiling height, allowing the frame to be about 12’ tall and a discharge height of about 4’.  This is a good starting point for most applications.

Starting from the top, the first option that has to be decided is how you are going to get the full bag into the unloader. Our base machine is “forklift loaded”, meaning a forklift puts the bag in place.  A very common upgrade that makes the bag hanging and removal process cleaner and less dependent on a fork truck being available is our hoist and trolley option. In either case, each frame includes a UPD (universal pickup device) that can be designed for a forklift only, hoist and trolley or both. The bag is always attached to the UPD by the straps, lifted into the frame by the forklift or by the hoist and trolley.

All of our Bulk Bag Unloading units include a “dish” safety pan to separate the operator from the weight of the bag when working to untie and discharge the bag. This pan allows us to incorporate some other features that help to move product out of the bag such as “bag bottom massage” which helps clean out the corners of a nearly empty bag; “bag bottom vibration” that can help “activate” compacted powders and make them flow out of the bag and “air mounted isolation” to help impart more vibratory effect on the bag.

The outlet of the bag can be addressed in several ways on the IBC 2000 Bulk Bag Unloader. We offer a simple “Pellet Discharge” outlet, which is a tube that is about the size of the bag trunk to simply hold the trunk after it is open and direct the product toward your target.  The tube is moved away from the pan so you can untie the bag in between the safety pan and tube. Another option is the “bag tie off” outlet. This is a shielded outlet that provides a center spout for the bag discharge to fit around, and includes an air operated “bag cinch” that is a rope that pulls tight around the bag and holds it in place on the chute.

Our most popular discharge bottom is the “cone bottom” which is an enclosed box with a door, and a sloped outlet to a discharge stub.  This allows the operator to reach inside and untie the bag. The untie box has a dust collection port to capture dust generated during discharge. The box and cone can be shaped to meet most any target including rotary valves and gates or just into a bin or process.

If your product is really compacted and hard to discharge we offer “side squeezing arms” that can crush the product and cause it to flow out of the bag outlet. For extra hard bags we have “heavy-duty” arms. We have not found a product that can’t be caused to break up and flow.

Load cell frames that can show the weight in the bag and optional De-Weigh options to pre-set the amount you want to feed out and stop the flow when the right amount has been met. Some options include “totalizing” that can allow you to change out the bag and still hit the correct weight.

If you want to remove a partially filled bag our “circumferential cutoff” is a mechanical Iris style valve. It us much more durable than a standard iris valve and can stop the flow while the product is being discharged and in most cases even if the product is standing still.

At Magnum Systems we integrate your process equipment such as magnets, metal detectors, screw feeders, rotary valves and pneumatic convey lines right into our design. We make and supply many of the integrated features in our packaging and pneumatic handling systems. We have even made bulk bag unload stations that transfer through a process then directly into another bulk bag fill station, all in the same stack up. You can call on our expertise and experience the next time you have a need for a basic or deluxe bulk bag discharge station.