A vibrating hopper and auger feed assembly including an infeed auger which transfers product from a main storage bin to a live bottom hopper, the live bottom hopper having a vibrating bottom pan and discharge spout, an inverted pressure cone which is centrally vented to the exterior of the hopper, and a central vertical feed auger which extends through the inverted pressure cone and the discharge spout. A transverse cross auger transfers product from the live bottom hopper to a bottom fill auger assembly for filling bags carried on a bag elevator. Each of four augers in the assembly sequentially compresses and deaerates the product, the backpressure being vented to the exterior of the assembly, to achieve a very uniform product density within the fill tube and dispensing spout. The operation of the infeed auger may be controlled by the level of product within the live bottom hopper, and the bottom fill auger revolution rate may similarly be interlocked with other functions of the assembly, particularly the raising and lowering of the bag elevator. Conventional bag hanging and handling devices may be utilized, or the assembly may be customized to a particular application.
A vertical bottom-fill auger assembly including a bottom-fill auger bowl containing an internal rotating agitator or wiper element. The agitator or wiper has a blade element disposed at least partially within the auger bowl and carried on a rotating ring horizontally disposed at or near the top of the auger bowl.
A vertical auger bottom-fill bag filling machine including a conical auger bowl depending from a cylindrical hopper on rocker arms, with the auger bowl being connected to the cylindrical hopper and a fill tube by flexible gaskets. A vertical auger shaft extends through the cylindrical hopper, auger bowl, and fill tube, with a section of flighting disposed within the auger bowl and fill tube to compress, de-aerate, and dispense the product. An agitator is mounted on the bottom of an agitator drive shaft which circumscribes the auger shaft and rotates independent thereof, the agitator having paddles which move the product and press the product downwardly in the auger bowl. An inverted venting cone is disposed within the auger bowl, with a vent tube extending upwardly and terminating proximate to the top of the cylindrical hopper. The inverted venting cone and vent tube are connected to the auger bowl to vibrate therewith, the vent tube surrounding and being spaced apart from the auger shaft and agitator drive shaft. The fill tube includes an enlarged upper section which permits the auger bowl to vibrate even though the diameters of the section of flighting and lower section of the fill tube are closely fitted. The vertical auger bottom-fill bag filling machine is incorporated into an automated bag filling system including a bag magazine, bag pickup and hanging mechanism, bag elevator assembly, bag weighing mechanism, bag conveyor, sealing station, and associated controls.
A vertical bottom-fill auger assembly including a bottom-fill auger bowl containing an internal rotating agitator or wiper element, and a vertical moving carriage or bag handling mechanism including a traveling bag settler. The vertical movement of the carriage or bag handling mechanism may be adjusted in response to the vertical auger revolution rate, the product density or weight as measured by a bulk or net weigh scale attached to the bag support assembly, or to comport to a premeasured charge that is bulk loaded into the auger bowl. The agitator or wiper may be of a configuration having a blade mounted on a rotating shaft vertically disposed in the center of the auger bowl, or may be carried on a rotating ring horizontally disposed at or near the top of the auger bowl. The traveling bag settler includes an arm which may be oscillated in a vertical plane to strike the bottom of a bag being filled, and which travels with the bag as it descends during filling and when lowered to a conveyor. The conveyor is split to form two spaced-apart tracks with the arm of the bag settler being received between the tracks when the bag and bag settler are lowered.
A vertical bottom-fill auger assembly including a bottom-fill auger bowl containing an internal rotating agitator or wiper element, and a vertical moving carriage or bag handling mechanism including a traveling bag settler. The vertical movement of the carriage or bag handling mechanism may be adjusted in response to the vertical auger revolution rate, the product density or weight as measured by a bulk or net weigh scale attached to the bag support assembly, or to comport to a premeasured charge that is bulk loaded into the auger bowl. The agitator or wiper may be of a configuration having a blade mounted on a rotating shaft vertically disposed in the center of the auger bowl, or may be carried on a rotating ring horizontally disposed at or near the top of the auger bowl. The traveling bag settler includes an arm which may be oscillated in a vertical plane to strike the bottom of a bag being filled, and which travels with the bag as it descends during filling and when lowered to a conveyor. The conveyor is split to form two spaced-apart tracks with the arm of the bag settler being received between the tracks when the bag and bag settler are lowered.
A vertical bottom-fill auger assembly including a bottom-fill auger bowl containing an internal rotating agitator or wiper element, and a vertical moving carriage or bag handling mechanism including a traveling bag settler. The vertical movement of the carriage or bag handling mechanism may be adjusted in response to the vertical auger revolution rate, the product density or weight as measured by a bulk or net weigh scale attached to the bag support assembly, or to comport to a premeasured charge that is bulk loaded into the auger bowl. The agitator or wiper may be of a configuration having a blade mounted on a rotating shaft vertically disposed in the center of the auger bowl, or may be carried on a rotating ring horizontally disposed at or near the top of the auger bowl. The traveling bag settler includes an arm which may be oscillated in a vertical plane to strike the bottom of a bag being filled, and which travels with the bag as it descends during filling and when lowered to a conveyor. The conveyor is split to form two-spaced apart tracks with the arm of the bag settler being received between the tracks when the bag and bag settler are lowered.
