Safely exporting US-made motorcycles overseas or shipping them long distances domestically has proved challenging for one of the world’s largest motorcycle producers. For overseas shipments to Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and other parts of the world, the motorcycles were strapped to an aluminum pallet, polybagged, and cartoned for shipment that, at times, took up to eight weeks or more. The problem was that moisture from the air caused rust spots, mildew, or mold to form on the motorcycle and resulted in many hours of repair work, primarily at the receiving dealer, before delivery to the customer.
Designing a Custom Solution
To solve the problem, the motorcycle manufacturer approached a custom designer and manufacturer of moisture absorbing pouches containing a granular mineral clay (Montmorillonite Clay Mineral) that would absorb moisture from the air during shipment. This manufacturer provides moisture-absorbing solutions for keeping industrial compressed air, hydraulic oil, and shipment spaces clean and dry.
The mineral clay would be ordered in 2,000 lb bulk bags and would have to be repackaged in 3 and 4 lb pouches. To accomplish this, the East Coast supplier turned to Gough Econ Inc, a specialist in providing cost efficient bulk material handling solutions.
“The challenge for us was to design and install a material handling system that was extremely gentle that could handle the very fragile granular mineral clay,” noted Andy Leitch, vice president of sales for Gough Econ. “We also had to integrate the system to a special pouch making machine developed by the East Coast manufacturer and design the system to fit into a confined space within their plant floor.”
Gough Econ recommended a system that included a Gough Econ bulk bag discharger, a small electromagnetic vibratory metering conveyer and the company’s unique Swinglink heavy-duty bucket elevator specifically designed for gentle handling of delicate material. The system began operating in August 2007.
The motorcycle manufacturer is pleased with the end product since very little moisture from the air now forms during shipment that can damage the product, Leitch noted. According to the East Coast manufacturer, the motorcycles arrive at the overseas destination in excellent condition without any rust, mold, or mildew, eliminating a lot of headaches and savings in repair costs.
Gough Econ Material Handling System Described
To handle the 2,000 lb bulk bags and to assure a gentle material handling system for “kids glove” care of the mineral clay, Gough Econ installed a fully self contained Gough Econ bulk bag discharger with an innovative hoist design.
With the system, a lift truck is not necessary and the 2,000 lb bags normally arrive on a pallet. A sole operator unloads the bags on a standard 1 ton hoist. The hoist runs along a fully load tested integral “I” lifting beam that lifts the 2,000 lb bag into the discharger. Integrated bag tensioning supports compensate for the capacity/weight of the bag and stretch it to ensure total and gentle discharge of the granules into the collection hopper.
The collection hopper has an integral locking access door and viewing port to assure dust tight operation. The door is amply sized to enable the operator to untie and retie the bag sprout and liner as needed.
Once in place, a support dish stretches vertically by compression springs within the side arms and supports the lifting frame used to raise the bag. The support dish houses the base massagers. These can operate manually in the event of a complicated or otherwise reluctant bag.
The hoist and lifting beam connects to an enclosed conveyor for direct transfer of the granules to Gough Econ’s small electromagnetic vibratory metering conveyor. Granules flow through an integral hopper and on to a 4 ft long conveyor. The conveyor has a simple, clean-line design with pockets and crevices virtually eliminated to assure a smooth, gentle and continuous product flow.
Savings and Efficiency
“We selected this type of vibratory conveyor since we feel it is one of the most economic methods of moving the material,” noted Leitch. “It assures added savings on productivity and an energy efficient operation.”
From the conveyor, the granules are discharged on to the Gough Econ “S” Series Swinglink bucket elevator. Movement of the conveyor is provided by a dual chain design with mesh panels. A plastic enclosure prevents contamination and assures integrity of the granules.
The “Z” shaped Swinglink bucket elevator consists of 18 in. dia stainless steel buckets. The buckets remain in an upward facing horizontal position while loading from the conveyor and throughout the circuit.
Buckets also overlapped to ensure there are no product spills. The smooth bucket surface also eliminates any product trap areas. A composite control panel controls product flow throughout this process. Heavy-duty twin stainless steel chains on the Swinglink system add to durability and long life.
The Swinglink system discharges the granules through a hopper to an especially designed polyester pouch making machine from the East Coast manufacturer.
