A leading New Zealand dairy plant had a major challenge with hygiene in their blending filler room. A vibratory discharging cone was connected to the hopper via a traditional connecting sock and steel clamps. There was excessive dust leakage and product build-up in the joins – a major hygiene issue. Since installing the BFM® fitting system, the room is clean and there has been a significant reduction in both downtime and replacement costs.
BEFORE
The Challenge
The regular gas purging of the system forced powder through small gaps in the old-style sock and steel clamp connector. This caused an unhygienic environment and hours of down-time for regular cleaning. There was also a major contamination point created by significant product build up between the externally fitted sock and hopper. The steel strapping clamps were very time consuming to remove and re-fit during sock cleaning & replacement.
AFTER
The Solution
The installation of a BFM® fitting for both the upper and lower connections has created a sealed system, and the filling room is now a dust-free environment. The pressure from the gas purging no longer causes product leakage, and because the fitting sits inside the spigot, there is no product build-up at the connector joins. When the fittings do need replacing, it’s now a quick and easy snap-fit process.
Downtime
Fast and efficient cleaning in between product runs means downtime has been significantly reduced.
Hygiene
There is no more dust leakage, eliminating cross contamination of products and reducing general housekeeping costs.
Installation
The simple snap-fit of the BFM® makes changeovers easy, and standard length always fits correctly - no metering accuracy issues.