Illaterials Hwndling
d u r 1t?50
A new container system utilizes large aluminum bins and a suecial emutvina - - device for the efficient handlhg and Gorage of bulk materials b# Robert E. Wriqbt
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in the cheniical industry, fairly large quantities of a material must he handled-quantities almost large enough to warrant the use of bulk shipments-yet the nature of the material may he such that the use of boxcar8 or hopper cars would not he desirahle. A recently developed system makes use of large, tightly sealed aluminum containers which hold 1.5 to 2 tons and which o m he handled like a loaded pallet by fork trucks. The system provides carefully desigped equipment for filling, transporting, and emptying the containers. BTXN
The bin is emptied through this door by the use of a tilting mechanism (Figure 1). A bin which is to he emptied is placed on the tilt hy a fork truck while the tilt is in a hori~ontalposition. The emDtvine door in the bin is unlatched through a small hole in the cover of the tilt. The tilt is gasketed so that when the bin door is opened and thebin is tilted there is no leakage of product. There are two types of tilts: One has an opening which permits product to flow out by gravity and the ofher has a screw conveyer which can discharge directly into a conveying system. The latter can he used t o blend materials or to withdraw small lots. A high frequency vibrator can he used to ensure that the hins discharge completely. 1
Tote &atem The aontainers or bins used in the Tote System are 42 X 48 X 68 inches, with a volume of 74 cubic feet and a capacity of 3000 to 4000 pounds, depending on the material being handled. The bottom of the bin h a s 4-inch legs to permit handling by either pallet or fork truck. Top corners are strengthened so the bins can be stacked two or three high, if ceiling heights and floor loadings perniit, The interior of the bin is completely smooth, and corners are filleted to facilitate complete emptying. The bin is of welded construction, 61ST aluminum, 0.25 inch thick at the bottom and 0.1102 inch thick at the sides and the top; tare weight is 225 pounds. The filling lid a t the top of the bin has a diameter of 9 inches. A rubber gasket hermetically seek t.he bin when the lid is closed. If dense packing is needed it may he acconiplisted by a low frequency, high amplitude jolter. A horizontal spinner unit has been devised as pert of the Tote System and this can he lowered into the bin for level filling. Control devices permit the jolter and the spinner to be used together to give automatic packing of the bin (Figure I)., At the bottom of one side of the bin, there i8 a horizontally hinged emptying door, 16 x 36 inches, which is provided with a stainlq,B steel latching mechanism and a rubber gasket.
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Tote E h s Tote Bins %re designed to be used for either truck or rsil yhipments. A large truck will hold up 14 to 18 hins (Figure 1); a 40-foot boxcar holds 22 hins and a 5O-foot hoxcar holds 28 bins. A s'unple shoring method has been devised for h d d ing the hins in place during rail shipment. The shoring unit consists of B nylon or canvm cover over a rubber bladder which is inserted into the small space remaining after the hins are placed in a hoxcar. The unit is about 5 feet high hy 8 ieet ldng and will expand to about 18 inches in depth (from a collapsed size of 2 or 3 inches) when inflated with one to three pounds per square inoh of air pressure. Because of the area of the shoring unit, the air pressure exerts a force of nearly 3 tons for each pound per square inch of air pressure. This forces the bins into an aligned position and wedges them in place.
Jolter for Filling
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(Continued on paye 80 A)
Tote Bins, the tilter, and the pneumatic shoring unit are manufactured by Tote Systems, Incorporated, Beatrice, Neb. Advantage8 of the e@em
The relative large size of Tote Bins results in labor savings due to easy, mechanized handling of a few large units instead of many small units. For example, a typical 60,000-pound carload shipment requires 600 paper bags, or 240 fiber drums, or 22 Tote Bins. It is said that one man with a pallet truck can load or unload a carload of bins in less than an hour. When a bin is emptied there is no material left in the container as there may be with a paper bag. If three or four ounces remained in each 100-pound bag emptied in a plant the product loss for a shipment of 600 bags would be 120 pounds. This could be an important consideration if the product was valuable. Compared to paper bags, bins are more sanitary: No dust or dirt can adhere to the bin to fall off as it is being emptied. In spite of care in handling, a paper bag will occasionally be broken; the bin eliminates this possibility and thus contributes to a cleaner plant and helps reduce product loss. Tote Bins protect prcducts in shipment and reduce damage claims. They also prevent breakage of flaky or crystalline materials, and the tightness of the bins is said to permit the flavor and aroma of some products to be retained. The bins keep the moisture content of a product constant or prevent deterioration due to oxidation.
Emnarnic coneiderattons Tote Bins do not eliminate the cost of containers because the bins themselves represent a cost which must be recovered. The cost of a bin, as a container, depends on its life. These products are so new that experience data are not available on the life of bins, but they are strong and durable and should be good for many trips. In comparison with other containers, Tote Bins will produce substantial labor savings in the filling, handling, and emptying operations, but these savings will be offset by the freight cost for returning the empty bins. However, in evaluating the total cost of various types of containers, it is necessary to analyze each operation from the time the producer receives the empty container until the consumer finally disposes of it. Such cost comparisons can only be developed for specific cases. A general analysis shows that in some cases Tote Bins can produce attractive savings for both the producer and consumer, and in other cases savings might not justify the investment. Sometimes other advantages of the bins might outweigh purely economic factors. Where considerable quantities of a product are moved regularly from a producing plant to a user, there is a good possibility that the Tote System would be worth further consideration by either the plant or the user. The Tote System may fit into the movement of material from one proces~ingarea to another inside the same plant. Tote Bins also permit interim storage so that 8-hour packing can be accomplished in a 24-hour production plant.
