For many manufacturing processes that handle Bulk Materials, Bulk Bags or 1 tonne FIBCs (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers) form a vital part of the process. These types of bags provide an extremely affordable and convenient way of handling bulk materials when typically a feed rate of over 1 tonne a day and less than 5 tonne a day is required.
The receiving of Bulk materials can be controlled in many forms and generally comprises:
| Usage | Receiving Form | Receiving Size | Storage Form | Benefits & Downsides |
| Major Bulk Ingredients High Volume Use | Road Tankers Containers | 20 Tonnes | Silos, Bunkers, Flat Store | Process can be automated direct from road tanker to silo and silo to process. Requires higher capital cost for silos and bulk handling system |
| Intermediate Ingredients Mid Volume Use | Bulk Bags FIBC’s | 1 Tonnes | Bulk Bags or transfer to bins | Bulk bags handled by Fork Truck, discharge from bag to process can be automated. Flexible, cost effective, small capital cost |
| Minor & Micro Ingredients Low Volume Use | 25kg Sacks Boxes, bags | 1 to 25kg | Sacks on Pallets | Each 25kg or material must be manually handled and discharged. High operator costs. Small capital costs. |
Bulk Bags / FIBC – generally 1 tonne capacity & discharged direct from the bag into processRoad Tankers and Containers – generally 20 Tonne loads (15 to 28T max) and discharged into silo storage
Sacks, Bags and boxes – generally 25kg and manually discharged direct from the bag into the process.
Using Bulk Bags / 1 tonne FIBC’s as a means of handling ingredients within a manufacturing process provides a very convenient, cost effective and adaptable way of managing bulk materials storage, discharge, flow and input into a process.
At STB Engineering, we can offer over 20 years of big bag handling experience, with our systems incorporating various innovative design features, making them as efficient as possible. As experts in our field, we can design, manufacture and supply such bag handling systems, also to be used in combination with our conveying transfer systems, commonly used in industries including food, plastics, pharmaceuticals and chemical, and more.
Our bulk bag discharge systems are developed with your business in mind, whatever the size and weight you need. We can offer systems that are either totally automated or partly automatic, depending on your requirements. As our services include the design, manufacture and installation for all mechanical and electrical equipment for bulk bag handling, we are able to fulfil all your needs. Examples of features we can offer as part of these bulk bag discharge systems include loss of weight, batch or continuous weighing, accurate dosing/feeding, part bag emptying and equipment for hazardous areas.
Here at STB Engineering, we also work with our partners to provide an advanced range of big bag and sack filling systems. These systems are bespoke and built to the needs of your company, whatever the industry, whether handling minerals and chemicals or high care and food. These big bag and sack filling systems can either be highly automated, semi-automatic or manually controlled.
Our sack tipping stations offer a safe and dust-free method, whereby powders and granules can be manually emptied from sacks, bags boxes into an automated process that will weigh, dose, feed and transfer to process line equipment.
