Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1355344
April 2021 / 43 CASE HISTORY ADVERTISEMENT Flexicon Corporation 888-353-9426 610-814-2400 sales@flexicon.com www.flexicon.com The boxes are hydraulically raised to create a dust-tight seal against a discharge hood, which is then rotated to mate with a gasketed non-metered inlet adapter of the conveyor, for re-transporting of the material to the pack- aging machines. The oatmeal process is also fully automated, although it requires neither baking nor addition of minor ingredi- ents. Received in 2000 lb (907 kg) bulk bags, all ingredi- ents are emptied by a BULK-OUT ® BFC Series Bulk Bag Discharger equipped with an electric hoist and trolley that can accommodate bags up to 63 in. (1600 mm) tall. The contents discharge onto a vibratory feeder that flows into a non-metered inlet adapter of a 4 in. (100 mm) diameter, 36 ft (11 m) TCC circuit that, in turn, dis- charges through a full flow inline discharge adapter into another separately purchased mixer. Blended ingredi- ents are then auger-fed to a packaging machine. A second 4 in. (100 mm) diameter, 28 ft (8.4 m) TCC circuit, fed by a TIP-TITE Box Dumper, hopper and vibratory feeder, supplies a second packaging machine. "The Flexicon people were detail oriented," says Smulders. "They had all the engineering resources needed to tailor the system to our exact needs, including suspending everything except the fillers and dischargers from the ceiling in order to minimize our space require- ments. They were responsive and very easy to work with." "The new facility gives us the increased capacity we need without increasing our manpower requirements," says Smulders. "It now takes less time to produce a batch. The new systems reduce damage to ingredients and are much easier on the workers. Also, because the new systems are enclosed, ingredients have much less contact with the atmosphere." Smulders anticipates the need for additional capacity as the market for gluten-free foods continues to grow. "With the production lines and team we've put together, we don't anticipate any problems with meeting future demand," he says. The second TCC circuit supplies surge hoppers of two granola packaging machines though inline tubular discharge valves. TIP-TITE ® box dumper deposits contents of boxes of excess granola back into the TCC line to the packaging machines. In the first oatmeal TCC circuit, ingredients from the cantilevered hoist style bulk bag discharger exit through a full flow inline discharge adapter into the mixer below. An inclined screw conveyor moves the mixed ingredients to a packaging machine (left). The first oatmeal TCC line, fed by a bulk bag discharger, is in the foreground. The second oatmeal TCC line, fed by a TIP- TITE ® box dumper, is in the background.