National Bulk Equipment, Inc.  

Holland,  MI 
United States

• Booth: 6837

National Bulk Equipment designs, engineers, manufactures, installs, and commissions equipment, systems, and fullstream projects for processing and packaging of dry and liquid bulk materials. NBE bulk material handling applications include: discharging, filling, conveying, mixing, storage, packaged-product reclamation, and material infeed

 Press Releases

• Bulk Bag Filling System is Engineered to Application to Improve Operator Interaction, Reduce Material Waste, and Increase Package Throughput (Jun 21, 2022)

  (HOLLAND, MICHIGAN) -- This bulk material packaging system was engineered and built to application-specific performance requirements identified during the collaborative project execution process led by National Bulk Equipment (NBE), in cooperation with the project owner. Priority performance requirements for this bulk bag filling system included: improving operator interaction events for safety and efficiency, reducing material waste, and increasing package throughput.

  The bulk raw material supplied to this NBE bulk bag filling system is highly abrasive, fine, and dusty. The material temperature, when received at the bulk bag filler, is between 100- and 120-degrees F. To improve operator-equipment interaction this NBE bulk bag filler was designed with a cantilevered bulk bag support framework, eliminating vertical frame obstructions that impede operator accessibility. The NBE cantilevered bag support framework has a bag-load capacity of 4,000 pounds. To further improve operator safety and ergonomics, the cantilevered bulk bag support framework has NBE automatic, traversing rear bag loop hangers and an NBE automatic, traversing fillhead. The pneumatically actuated traversing rear bag loop hangers bring the rear bag loop hangers forward to well within operator reach. The operator can hang the bag loops without awkward over-reaching into equipment. A one-button operation returns the loop hangers to their rear position. The traversing fillhead also functions by pneumatic action to position the fillhead forward toward the operator. The operator can easily access the full radius of the fillspout to ensure a fully sealed spout connection to the fillhead. A one-button operation returns the fillhead back to the machine center for optimal material flow.

  To eliminate costly material waste and rework associated with overfilled or underfilled bulk bags, this NBE bulk bag filler has an NBE base-weigh scale system engineered into the framework. The isolation-mount design of the scale system protects the weigh devices from damage and contamination. To ensure reliable and repeatable fill accuracy, NBE automation monitors the scale system, and based on pre-set weight specifications, adjusts upstream material supply to deliver controlled material infeed and highly accurate bag filling that is accurate to within one percent of the total filled-bag weight.

  To further increase throughput performance, NBE engineered and built an application-specific bag densification system into the base of the bulk bag filling station. At pre-set intervals during the bag filling cycle, the densification base will raise to isolate the pallet and bulk bag from the conveyor deck. The densification system then initiates a vertical-motion vibratory action. This action directs 3Gs of high-speed, low-intensity vibration into the bagged material causing air to be displaced and the material to quickly settle into a dense, evenly dispersed, flat-bottomed package; increasing total process throughput rate by reducing the cycle time per filling sequence.

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  About NBE Holdings Company

  NBE Holdings Company, based in Holland, Michigan, is a privately held corporation. The NBE Holdings Company portfolio of companies includes National Bulk Equipment, Inc. and Brawn Mixer. Employing over 200 staff members, the companies of NBE Holdings Company design, engineer, manufacture, automate, and integrate bulk material handling systems for dry and liquid processing operations, and fluid mixing systems for liquid processing operations. The processing projects and systems of National Bulk Equipment and Brawn Mixer bring optimal process performance to end customers, engineering firms, integrators, and OEMs in industries including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and ingredients processing.

  Contact: Tim Wiersma, Director of Marketing
  Phone: 616-399-2220
  Email: timw@nbe-inc.com

• Engineered-to-Application Bulk Material Processing and Packaging Project Increases Process Yield and Improves Downstream Production Throughput Efficiency (Jun 21, 2022)

  (HOLLAND, MICHIGAN) -- This bulk material processing and packaging project was designed, engineered, installed, and commissioned by National Bulk Equipment [NBE] for a fullstream application requiring the discharge, screening, decontamination, and bulk packaging of multiple specialty-engineered, extreme-performance materials. Raw materials are received in bulk bags and bulk bins of differing sizes and weights. Specific formulations of the end-product and particular material infeed interfaces of downstream production equipment require the project to simultaneously fill bulk bags, bulk storage totes, and drums. These functional requirements, together with the customer’s need for quantifiable performance metrics, application-specific guidance, and collaborative project management made engineer-to-application (ETA) project delivery a necessity.

  Upstream bulk material unloading begins with two, NBE forklift-loaded, bulk container discharging stations. Each station has a load capacity of 3,000 pounds and can receive bulk bags and bulk bins. When preparing a bulk bag for discharge, the spout interface of the NBE discharge station enables the operator to easily access the bag spout, connect the spout to the system, and enclose the bag spout prior to beginning material flow. When preparing a bulk bin for discharge, a flex connection spout from the bin bottom functions in the same manner as the bag spout. With the bag spout or bin spout connected, the operator initiates material discharge.

  Midstream bulk material processing operations of this NBE project prepare the bulk materials to ensure characteristics of the finished, bulk-packaged product meet the demanding size and purity specifications for downstream production. Preparations necessary for the received raw material will determine which of the two NBE bulk material processing and packaging systems will handle the input. These midstream preparation functions include sizing the materials to micron-level specifications, separating the materials according to size, and magnetic decontaminating of the sized and separated materials.

  Downstream bulk material packaging operations utilize NBE engineered-to-application bulk container filling systems. Each of these filling systems is designed to easily changeover for filling bulk bags, bulk totes, or drums. Depending on processing requirements, filled-container weights range from 600 to 4,000 pounds. The fillhead on each NBE bulk container filling system is designed to provide a dust-tight interface to the container being filled, whether the interconnect is a bulk bag spout, a tote cover flange, or a drum cover. Material dusting that may occur within the fillhead is routed away within the system and recovered at a central collection unit. This NBE engineered-to-application fullstream project enabled this bulk processing and packaging enterprise to move beyond the constraints of build-to-order and engineer-to-order machines and leverage NBE engineered-to-application project delivery to increase process yield and improve downstream throughput efficiency.

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  About NBE Holdings Company

  NBE Holdings Company, based in Holland, Michigan, is a privately held corporation. The NBE Holdings Company portfolio of companies includes National Bulk Equipment, Inc. and Brawn Mixer. Employing over 200 staff members, the companies of NBE Holdings Company design, engineer, manufacture, automate, and integrate bulk material handling systems for dry and liquid processing operations, and fluid mixing systems for liquid processing operations. The processing projects and systems of National Bulk Equipment and Brawn Mixer bring optimal process performance to end customers, engineering firms, integrators, and OEMs in industries including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and ingredients processing.

  Contact: Tim Wiersma, Director of Marketing
  Phone: 616-399-2220
  Email: timw@nbe-inc.com

• Fullstream Project Integrates Dry Bulk Material Discharging Systems and Bulk Liquid Handling Systems to Increase Batch Process Line Yield and Reduce Product Quality Loss (Jun 21, 2022)

  (HOLLAND, MICHIGAN) -- This engineered-to-application batch processing project integrates National Bulk Equipment (NBE) performance-proven dry bulk material handling and bulk liquid handling systems to ensure a homogeneous slurry is accurately produced, and reliably supplied to downstream food processing operations. This NBE fullstream project is engineered to comply with the hygienic requirements of the process environment and is built to stringent sanitary design and materials-of-construction specifications.

  Beginning upstream, major dry ingredients are introduced into the batch processing operation through controlled supply from the NBE bulk bag discharging system. The NBE bulk bag discharging system provides a dust-tight bag spout interconnect that encloses the bag spout and the material discharge path, protecting the operator and the surrounding work area from dust escape during material discharge. Material from the bulk bag is discharged directly into the NBE metering hopper. Based on the recipe of each slurry batch, and controlled by NBE process automation, the major dry ingredient is metered from the hopper into the NBE wetting bowl where the major ingredient enters the project’s secondary liquid flow. Also, upstream, an NBE bag break station enables the operator to introduce minor dry ingredients directly into the wetting bowl and into the secondary liquid flow. NBE dust collectors, ducted to the bag break station and the bulk bag spout enclosure, draw material dust away from the operator and into the filtration system. A reverse air-pulse action from the dust collector removes material from the filter for later reintroduction into the process, reducing material loss and improving process yield.

  At the midstream stage, the motive action of the secondary liquid flow into the NBE wetting bowl is sufficient to wet the major and minor dry ingredients and facilitate supply of these wetted ingredients into the venturi eductor at the base of the wetting bowl. A separate, primary flow of the liquid ingredient, also received from upstream, is pumped through the venturi eductor. The venturi eductor mixes the wetted dry ingredients with the primary liquid ingredient to produce the slurry to its correct concentration and suspension of solids. The finished slurry is pumped downstream at a rate of 150 gallons per minute to a high-capacity mixing tank.

  This engineered-to-application fullstream project, executed and delivered by National Bulk Equipment, enabled this global food processing enterprise to move beyond the constraints of build-to-order and engineer-to-order processing operations. From pre-RFQ stages through project turnover, the project owner was able to advance its equipment project delivery experience while also reducing its capital equipment total cost of ownership.

  About NBE Holdings Company

  NBE Holdings Company, based in Holland, Michigan, is a privately held corporation. The NBE Holdings Company portfolio of companies includes National Bulk Equipment, Inc. and Brawn Mixer. Employing over 200 staff members, the companies of NBE Holdings Company design, engineer, manufacture, automate, and integrate bulk material handling systems for dry and liquid processing operations, and fluid mixing systems for liquid processing operations. The processing projects and systems of National Bulk Equipment and Brawn Mixer bring optimal process performance to end customers, engineering firms, integrators, and OEMs in industries including food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, and ingredients processing.

  Contact: Tim Wiersma, Director of Marketing
  Phone: 616-399-2220
  Email: timw@nbe-inc.com

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