Big bag scales are frequently used in production and serve for filling, dosing, and weighing a wide variety of goods. In the following article, you will learn more about where these scales are used, what advantages they offer, and we will present our individual solution for a big bag scale that we recently manufactured and delivered according to customer requirements.
What are Big Bag Scales?
Big bag scales are weighing and filling systems specifically developed for filling big bags. They enable goods to be filled directly and weighed simultaneously. In technical terminology, big bags are also called FIBC (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container) and are flexible, robust plastic containers with lifting loops. They are available in different designs and are particularly suitable for dry, free-flowing products such as sand or powder. Due to their high load capacity of several hundred to several thousand kilograms and their durable construction, they can also be used for a variety of other materials.
What is special about the customer’s order?
One of our customers from the Ruhr area recently commissioned us to create an individual solution for a big bag scale for dust filling. This big bag scale consists of a floor scale and an additional frame that has four hooks for attaching the loops of the big bags. In addition, the frame has two forklift pockets to enable it to be moved. This means the scale can also be used as a floor scale for weighing pallets, for example, and thus offers an ideal solution for combining the functions of two scales in one.
Functionality
The frame is placed on the floor scale using a forklift and the empty big bag is hung on the hooks via the loops. The weight is now tared and filling of the big bag can begin. During filling, the weight is continuously recorded via the load cells and the weighing terminal of the floor scale.
Filling processes are often automated by software and the target weight is specified. As soon as the target weight is reached, the big bag can be removed from the scale and a new big bag can be hung and filled. There are options within the weighing terminal to use standardized software solutions or to create individual programming.
Filling is often controlled by a higher-level control system, so that the scale continuously transmits the weight, e.g., via an analog output.
Depending on the customer’s requirements, the dosing or filling process can be interrupted and the contents can be better distributed using vibration or compaction units.
Advantages
Efficiency Increase & Time Savings
Direct weighing during filling eliminates the need for a separate weighing process, as the weight can be controlled directly.
Prevention of Material Loss
Exact weight controls during filling ensure optimal use of big bags and prevent under- or overfilling.
Improvement of Logistics & Transport
Optimally filled big bags are stable, stackable, and easier to store and transport. This facilitates logistics and reduces the risk of damage or instability of the big bags.
Quality Assurance
Weight controls directly during filling ensure compliance with legal requirements and maintain product quality.
Transparency and Traceability
Weighing operations are documented directly and can be integrated into production systems. This provides a good overview and enables immediate verification at any time.
Process Optimization
Weight data enables continuous process analysis. This allows deviations/errors to be identified early and processes to be optimized.
Low-Dust Filling
Especially when filling fine powders or hazardous substances, big bag scales enable precise and low-dust filling. For example, filling head seals and dust extraction can be used to protect the environment and the health of employees.
Additional advantages of our solution presented here:
2-in-1 Solution
The scale can be used both as a big bag scale and as a floor scale, thus creating flexibility in the use of the scale.
Quick and Easy Conversion
The removable frame with integrated forklift pockets can be moved or removed effortlessly and without complex conversion using a forklift.
Efficient Operation
No additional space or purchase of a second scale is necessary, as the functions of two scales are combined in one.
Areas of Application
Production
Big bag scales are used here on production lines to fill, control, and weigh big bags with raw materials or intermediate products.
Food Industry
Here, for example, ingredients such as sugar, flour, or salt are filled, weighed, and documented in order to comply with prescribed weight specifications and to be able to trace batches.
Recycling and Disposal
In disposal, for example, metal residues, dust, or slag are weighed, while in the recycling industry, recycled plastic granulates or flakes, as well as wood chips and paper fibers, are weighed, which can then be further processed into new products.
Building Materials Industry
Exact filling of cement, sand, or gravel facilitates storage and transport of big bags and reduces material waste through overfilling.
Chemical Industry
Especially in the chemical industry, it is particularly important to record precise measurements of powders, granulates, or plastics, for example, as minimal deviations can pose health or safety risks to people and the environment. Big bag scales are also frequently used here.
Agriculture
Big bag scales are used in agriculture to weigh grain, seeds, or fertilizers, for example. Here too, they help to avoid over- or underfilling and, for example, when selling harvested products, to create transparency through precise weighing and to determine fair billing.
Conclusion
Big bag scales offer an ideal solution for efficient, safe, and precise filling of big bags. They enable exact weighing of bulk materials with loads of several hundred to several thousand kilograms, for example, as well as direct control and documentation of weight values directly during filling. When filled exactly, the big bags are easy to transport, stack, and store. Thanks to individual customization options, big bag scales can be tailored to different requirements and can therefore be used in almost any industry.
