Engineering to the millimeter
For Van Delft Biscuits, TBMA has supplied two Big-Bag filling units for handling spiced cookies. Fitting the Big-Bag filling installation into the reasonably compact factory hall where the new coating machine is located, was quite a challenge. The main reason was that the available height was only 4400 mm. Ultimately, TBMA managed to engineer a filling machine in which the two-meter-high big bag can be filled and weighed suspended, while there is also room for the more than one-meter high metal detector and an elevator belt. Above it is even a 30 cm space left for the operator to clean the installation.
Filling the Big-Bag suspended has the advantage that the bag can be stretched and is filled all the way into the corners. A chain belt conveyor is used for filling the Big-Bag. The metal detector is attached to the filler’s lifting and weighing frame and moves with the frame moving up and down. This solution was chosen to avoid vulnerable tube-in-tube constructions and to make the filling system more compact. Due to the limited height of the installation, the discharge pipe of the detector has a somewhat smaller dump angle than usual. This construction was possible thanks to the smooth flowing properties of the cookies. Also, this way the operator is not hindered in his work. The hopper of the filling tube is not as steep as it normally is and the conveyor belt is supported on legs and the ceiling. These adjustments provided the necessary space savings.
