Concetti, Perugia, Italy, has designed, manufactured and supplied an innovative fully automatic FFS (form, fill, seal) bagging line for precipitated amorphous silica to the Huber Corporation, in Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA. This product is a very low-density white powder engineered with excellent absorptive characteristics. The particulate contains air, which is why it is such a good anti-caking, carrier and thickening agent.

 

This new packaging concept introduced by Concetti involves the use of sophisticated de-aeration techniques and allows, for the first time, packaging of precipitated silica from a tubular reel of PE film, replacing paper bags with more robust PE bags. Reducing air trapped in the material before packaging was the main objective of the project. The more compact bag provides significant size reduction benefits across the supply chain, reduces packaging costs as well as improving stacking for more stable pallets during shipment, unloading, and warehousing. The new packaging is also easily recyclable.

 

The improved bags offer higher tensile strength, reduced dust and greater control of moisture to maintain the integrity of the material inside. The Huber installation consists of two complete FFS machines each with a gross weigher and complex densification screw feeders, including a double air evacuation process.  Both packaging machines deliver filled bags to a four-column robot palletizer. www.concetti.com 

 

 

Concetti FFS bagging line at the Huber plant