Bulk Bagger Filler for Ball Clay Packaging

Problem

Old Hickory Clay Company located in Kentucky had a problem with a gate they used above a bulk bagger filler for ball clay packaging. Their gate above their packaging area had opening and closing reliability issues and undesired dust emissions. The ball clay material would cling to the gate in use, wedging it open or closed. When the gate couldn’t close completely, it caused spillage and loss of product. It also pushed clay dust out the end of the gate when closing, which caused product loss and housekeeping issues.

In addition, the gate required excessive maintenance. The entire unit had to be removed and shipped to the manufacturer for repair several times each year, causing the company to purchase a second unit to keep on hand as a replacement unit during the repair.

Solution

TSA Sales proposed the PEBCO® designed Rolling Slide Gate. Since installing PEBCO®’s Rolling Slide Gate, the opening and closing reliability issue has been completely resolved. The customer states that the company gets “total closure, flawlessly” since the gate was installed in 2012.

The completely enclosed body of the gate has reduced the dust concern simply by preventing the dust from being pushed out of the gate when the blade opens and closes. The addition of a fluidizing air pad in the retract area of the gate allows material to be purged at the end of each cycle to insure no residual product escapes after the bulk bag is disconnected after being filled.

Old Hickory Clay’s consistent maintenance issues all but disappeared. The maintenance on PEBCO®’s Rolling Slide Gate has been limited to periodic seal adjustment, which can be performed in about 10 minutes and without removing the gate from the process line.

PEBCO®‘s Rolling Slide Gate provides:
• Positive shutoff of product when closed
• Reliable opening and closing operation
• Minimal maintenance and long operational life
• Totally enclosed design eliminates dust emissions to atmosphere
• Externally adjustable and replaceable seals eliminates the need to remove the gate from the process installation for seal maintenance

PEBCO’s Rolling Slide Gate