Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1242780
24 / May 2020 powderbulk.com SIZING, FILLING, AND HANDLING FLEXIBLE INTERMEDIATE BULK CONTAINERS As more materials are supplied in flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) to facilities in the powder and bulk solids indus- try, such as food and beverage, chemical, and mineral manufacturers, the number of people who interact with FIBCs grows. Therefore, it's important that everyone's aware of all aspects of the bulk bag packaging system. This article addresses those aspects, which include FIBC sizing, filling, and handling. Don Mackrill, Spiroflow Systems • the weight of the material going into the FIBC and the filled FIBC's tamped bulk density. Bag size. First, you want to make sure you have the right size FIBC for the material you're moving and the vehicle transporting the FIBCs. Most FIBCs with a square or rectangular base will round out in their midsection during filling, similar to a bloated cube, as shown in Figure 1. Certain bag types don't round out as much, like bags with internal corner baffles that have fabric panels sewn across the FIBC's four corners and four-panel bags that are constructed with four individ- ual side pieces sewn together with four vertical seams. To arrive at the correct base size, the internal dimen- F lexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) are used throughout the powder and bulk solids industry to store and transport materials, such as food ingredients, chemical additives, pigments, and plastic resin compounding fillers. A variety of companies in this industry use FIBCs as packaging units, and the companies usually fall into one of the following categories: • suppliers or manufacturers of materials going into FIBCs, • end users or buyers of materials supplied in FIBCs, • companies using FIBCs as handling units within their own plants, • custom packers receiving materials in bulk for packing into FIBCs, and • transportation, shipping, or storage companies handling FIBCs. Each of these parties is interested in the safe and easy handling, reduced costs, and minimum risk of damage or loss in relation to FIBCs. In order to achieve these goals, it's necessary for those who use FIBCs to take into consideration the many factors for efficient and safe use, including the bags' design, the filling principles, and handling filled FIBCs. Designing your FIBC FIBCs, also known as bulk bags, are industrial con- tainers made of woven polypropylene, but not all FIBCs are created equal. When preparing to integrate FIBCs into your process, the following criteria must be taken into account: • the internal dimensions of the shipping container or road vehicle where the filled FIBC will be placed for transportation, • the net filled height of the FIBC, and FIGURE 1 A tall FIBC suspended by lifting loops during filling