TECHNICALARTICLE SERIES

SOUTH AFRICA

FLEXICON AFRICA (PTY) LTD P.O. Box 10450 Linton Grange Port Elizabeth 6015 South Africa Tel: +27 41 453 1871Fax: +27 41 453 1670E-mail: sales@flexicon.co.zaWeb: www.flexicon.co.za

CHILE

FLEXICON CHILE LTD Avenida Andres Bello #1051 Oficina #1602 Providencia Santiago ChileTel: +56 2 2415 1286 Fax: +56 2 2415 1393E-mail: ventas@flexicon.comWeb: www.flexicon.com

SINGAPORE

FLEXICON SINGAPORE PTE LTD27 West Coast Highway#02-22Singapore 117867Tel: +65 6778 9225Fax: +65 6690 8850E-mail: sales@flexicon.com.sg

GERMANY

FLEXICON (EUROPE) LTD Matthäusstrasse 13 63743 Aschaffenburg GERMANY Tel: +49 170 8 187 613 E-mail: vertrieb@flexiconeurope.deWeb: www.flexiconeurope.de

AUSTRALIA (SYDNEY)

FLEXICON CORPORATION (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTDSuite 5, Level 3 45-47 Hunter St.Hornsby, NSW 2077 Australia Tel: +61 (0)7 3879 4180Fax: +61 (0)2 9477 5548E-mail: sales@flexicon.com.auWeb: www.flexicon.com.au

AUSTRALIA (BRISBANE)

FLEXICON CORPORATION (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD 78 Westgate Street Wacol, QLD 4076 Australia Tel: +61 (0)7 3879 4180 Fax: +61 (0)7 3879 4183E-mail: sales@flexicon.com.auWeb: www.flexicon.com.au

USA

FLEXICON CORPORATION 2400 Emrick Boulevard Bethlehem, PA 18020-8006 USATel: 1 888 FLEXICON (1 888 353 9426) Tel: 1 610 814 2400Fax: 1 610 814 0600E-mail: sales@flexicon.comWeb: www.flexicon.com

UK

FLEXICON (EUROPE) LTD 182 John Wilson Business Park Harvey Drive Whitstable, Kent CT5 3RB United KingdomTel: +44 (0)1227 374710Fax: +44 (0)1227 365821E-mail: sales@flexicon.co.ukWeb: www.flexicon.co.uk

SPAIN

FLEXICON (EUROPE) LTD Méndez Núñez 3-5, Principal 08003 Barcelona Spain Tel: +34 930 020 509E-mail: ventas@flexicon.esWeb: www.flexicon.es

Rotating Drum/Bulk Bag FillerPlays Role in Quality ofSurfactant Packaging at BASF

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Rotating Drum/Bulk Bag Filler Plays Role in Quality ofSurfactant Packaging at BASF

Automated drum filler utilizes an indexing diverterhead to fill four 55-gal (208-liter) drumssequentially with surfactant powder gravityfeeding from rotary valve at top. System can alsobe configured for loading 2000-lb (907-kg) bulkbags.

PLC communicates with weigh-filler scale toregulate product flow into each drum and shut downon reaching a pre-set weight. Four drums awaitfilling as four are about to exit the room. Systemimproves product output, worker safety, andquality control.

WASHINGTON, NJ — Chemicals producer BASF Corp. recently upgraded thepackaging of surfactants with two key additions to its manufacturing plant.One was a purpose-built room designed for greater cleanliness and control inloading surfactants in drums or bulk bags prior to shipping. The other wasinstallation of a rotating drum and bulk bag filler from Flexicon Corp.,Bethlehem, PA, that automates the process and yields greater product outputand quality control than the previous method of manual loading.

Surfactants are additives that reduce surface tension in liquids, making themeasier to formulate and use in a range of consumer, industrial and healthcareproducts. BASF surfactants are formulated as liquids and then converted intopowders. The materials are usually packaged in 55-gal (208-l) fiber drumsand sometimes in 2000-lb (907-kg) bulk bags for shipment to productmanufacturers.

Since many surfactants produced by BASF are for the personal care market,such as toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, shampoo and laundry detergent, theirmanufacture must meet rigorous quality standards. The plant is certified asISO 9001:2000, is FDA regulated and conforms to Good ManufacturingPractices. Processes comply with U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) and NationalFormulary (NF) guidelines. Hence, the need for a packaging operation that isaccurate, efficient and capable of maintaining high levels of quality control,says Sherri Molomo, senior process engineer at BASF.

The loading room was designed to meet these needs. Molomo says the roomis part of BASF's commitment to continuous improvement in operations andproduct quality. Its efficiency will help BASF expand production of USP andNF surfactants and share of the market, she adds.

Automation of the loading process also has safety and regulatory benefits.Prior to construction of the room and installation of the bulk bag and drumfiller, containers were manually loaded. This meant that an operator had tomove a drum to a weigh-filling station, operate a slide gate to fill it, check theweight and, if it exceeded the limit, adjust as needed. After filling, a drum wasphysically moved onto a pallet for transport to the shipping area. The processrequired multiple steps, took time, and exposed workers to possible injuryfrom handling the drums, says Molomo.

To automate the process, BASF engineers worked with Flexicon engineersand PME Equipment Co., Flanders, NJ, to specify a Rear-Post Bulk Bag Fillerthat also has the capability to fill four fiber drums sequentially. An automatedconveyor system now moves drums and bulk bags in and out of the fillingstation, and a rotary valve meters the required weight of material with a highdegree of accuracy.

The bulk bag and drum filler installed in the loading room incorporates designfeatures developed by both companies. BASF added a dust-collection systemon the machine attached via flex-hose to contain particles that rise up duringloading. The company also specified an Allen-Bradley PLC (programmablelogic controller) to automate operations. The PLC communicates with aMettler Toledo weigh-filler scale to regulate product flow and shut down theoperation when a pre-set weight is reached.

An operator selects the appropriate product-loading program on the PLC andpushes a button to start the filling process. Surfactants are transported from

Pallet of four drums is conveyed into purpose-builtloading room where they are filled by rotatingdrum/bulk bag filler.

Filled drums are conveyed from loading room toshipping area.

the main plant to a vessel above the rotary valve, then gravity-fed into either adrum or a bulk bag.

When filling drums, the operator attaches the automatically rotating drum filladapter to the Flexicon bulk filling station. Once the four drums have beenpositioned on the deck of the filling station, the operator presses a start-upbutton on the PLC and surfactant begins flowing. Each drum has a plasticlining into which the surfactant empties. When one drum fills, flow isinterrupted while the diverter head indexes to fill the next drum in sequence.Once all drums are filled, the operator seals the liners, and puts lids on thedrums. The drums are then transported via conveyor out of the purpose-builtloading room into the shipping area.

When filling a bulk bag, an operator attaches the four bag straps to eachcorner of the loading frame, engages the bulk bag fill spout to the fill headutilizing an inflatable collar to provide a dust tight connection and puts the bagin a rubber bladder, which seals the surfactant in the bag after product isloaded, and acts as an extra layer of protection during transport. The frameraises to accommodate the height of the bag. The bag rests on a pallet atopthe weigh-filler scale, which takes up about 25 sq. ft. (2.3 sq. m.) of floorspace. The scale transmits weight data to the PLC, which automatically stopsthe flow of material when the correct weight of surfactant has been loaded.The bag is then closed and moved on the roller conveyor to the shipping area.

Molomo states that the automated loading process significantly enhances thesurfactants packaging operation and increases operator productivity. Mostimportantly, though, is the improvement in operator ergonomics and safety, aswell as elimination of operator involvement in the filling process. This hasresulted in a more effective use of personnel. These benefits also mean lesspotential for contamination of surfactants during packaging.

In assessing the impact of the loading room and the Flexicon bulk bag anddrum filler on operations, Molomo notes, "Our products have become better byusing better tools."