Bagging conveyors are an integral part of your system, used in the positioning, conditioning, and movement of bags. They’re used to move filled bags from the filler, through the closer, and ultimately onto the palletizing area. We’ve put together a list of the different types of industrial bagging conveyors below, to help you better understand their use cases and decide which might be right for your facility.
Inline Bag Check Weigh Conveyor
Since bag filling scales can’t be weight certified, an inline weight certifiable conveyor can be used to weigh bags. As the bag passes over the weighing section, the weight is recorded. Out of weight specification bags trigger an alarm (visual &/or audible) and could be ejected from the line.
Bag Closing Conveyor
A bag closing horizontal conveyor is positioned between the bag filler and the bag closer. Typically 8–12’, it is a horizontal flat bed with side rail(s) or V-dual belt. The V-belt is used with flowable products that will not allow the filled bag to stand up.
Bag Flattening Conveyor
Bag flatteners are used to level out the contents of a bag to a consistent thickness for better stacking. There are two types of bag flatteners: pinch belt & square roller. The pinch belt conveyor has two belts that squeeze the bags flat as they pass between. The square roller conveyor has square rollers under the belt that “shake” the bag flat as it passes over.
Bag Indexing/Positioning Conveyor
An indexing conveyor is used to space out bags at specified distances to allow robots to pick them up. An indexing conveyor is typically found at the end of a transfer conveyor and uses a whisker switch or photo eye to start/stop the conveyor.
Bag Kicking Conveyor
A bag kicker is a flat belt horizontal conveyor that “kicks” an upright bag to a flat, bottom first position. Kicking conveyors are typically found after a bag closer and are used where linear floor space is limited and there is a need to make a 90-degree change in the direction of conveyors.
Bag Metal Detector Conveyor
Inline metal detector conveyors can screen bags for metal (ferrous & non-ferrous) contamination. Similar to the Check Weigh conveyors, the contaminated bag triggers an alarm (visual &/or audible) and could be ejected from the line.
Bag Transfer Conveyor
Typically, transfer conveyors are flat belt, horizontal, or incline conveyors. They can be any length depending on needs. For steep inclines, cleats may be required to prevent bags from sliding down. Incline conveyors often have a short, gravity roller conveyor that feeds a loading platform or accumulation table.
Bag Turning Conveyor
A bag turning conveyor is used to lay a bag flat and spin it to the bottom first position.
For more specific recommendations for your bagging conveyor, contact us.