Sack Tip Station for Corn Starch

The Project

Over the years Entecon has manufactured many types of Sack Tip Station (STS), for a wide variety of products, on this occasion the customer wanted to open and empty sacks of Corn Starch, a non-toxic food ingredient that is very finely divided and can cause a great deal of nuisance and explosive dust if handled incorrectly. The Corn Starch was used to stop grated cheese sticking together.

The customer used an external third party to carry out a DSEAR Risk Assessment and an LEV Exam on a piece of equipment that was made in house. The two reports showed that the in-house solution created an unacceptable dust explosion and operator exposure hazard.

The Design Brief

In close collaboration with the customer, the following design brief was agreed;

Allow the operator to open the Starch bags without creating a dust release thus removing the dust explosion and operator exposure hazards.
ATEX zone 21 internally and zone 22 externally.
Combine the tipping process with a sieving and vibrating process to de-lump the product.
Include a metal detection step to ensure the Corn Starch is free from metal contamination.
Design the machine around the product drums that the customer has, of which there are many in use in the factory.

The Solution

Entecon delivered a bespoke STS to satisfy the design brief which included these features:

A food grade Stainless Steel 304 STS

with built-in dust extraction and HEPA Filtration. The H13 HEPA was needed because Corn Starch has a fines fraction below 2 microns and the exhaust air was directed back into the factory.

Integrated vibratory check sieve

with 9000 gauss removable magnet array.

A bespoke drum sealing mechanism operated by air cylinders

to raise and lower a “lid” onto the customers existing drums. The mechanism to be controlled by two push button actuators at least one hands span apart so it is not possible for the operator to trap a hand inside the mechanism.

ATEX zone 21 internally

and zone 22 externally, including the locally mounted control panel.

The finished machine.

The benefits to the customer

The ASO delivered valuable real-world benefits:

Health and Safety

The introduction of the STS eliminated Corn Starch spillage in the factory which has made a big impact on the workplace environment: opening and emptying of bags is now a fully contained process, no product spillage or dust release, keeping the factory clean and adhering to Good Housing Keeping standards.

The STS combined several processes

In one easy to use machine; sieving, product de-lumping by vibration, metal detection and dust tight drum filling. The existing metal detection step could be decommissioned.

Designed & Built by Entecon

Entecon Industries Ltd are a leading UK specialist in bulk material and powder handling. Every machine is engineered to order, ensuring optimal performance, safety, and long-term reliability. We believe that our STS is the best machine of its type available on the market today.

For more information about our Sack Tip Station machine or any of our other products or services, please contact us, +44 (0) 1276 414540 .