Automated filling of flexible containers with free-flowing products

Abstract

734 Industries that rely on the packing and transporta� tion of freeflowing materials include metallurgy, con� struction, agriculture, food production, and the petro� chemical complex. In the delivery of freeflowing products from the producer to the consumer, they must be packaged, most often in soft modules, such as flexible containers, big bags, and elastic film. Flexible containers (sacks) are most common; their size (gen� erally no more than 5-50 kg) is limited by human car� rying capacity. They consist of a sleevelike body, a sewn or glued bottom, and a mouth. A system of hinged levers provides the basis for automatic manipulation of the flexible container as it is filled. Existing systems contain capture elements in the form of pins, moved by one or more pneumatic cylinders (1-3). These automatic manipulation devices can grab a flexible container lying in a heap,