Investing in the right bulk bags can make all the difference to the safe transportation and storage of your materials. In this article, we’ll walk you through the most important considerations when choosing the optimal bulk bag for your products.
Load Capacity For Bulk Bags
The best place to start is to determine the load capacity you need from your bulk bag. A bag’s load capacity will affect its shape, strength, material, and size, and defines how much weight the bag can hold safely and securely.
Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container (FIBC) bags are ideal for a range of purposes, and come in a variety of dimensions and capacities – typically ranging from 0.5 m³ to 3 m3. FIBC bags are perfect for storing and transporting dry and flowable products such as fertiliser, granules, and sand. Constructed from durable woven polypropylene, a good bag will hold 500kg to 2000kg of material, and are the workhorses of the construction, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors due to their cost effectiveness, easy handling, and strength.
Specialist Bulk Bags For Specific Applications
Certain products and applications require a specialist bulk bag. For example, an extra-large capacity FIBC bag could be needed to handle bulk material such as agricultural grains, powders, pigments etc. These oversized bags give you the necessary volume and strength to manage substantial quantities safely and efficiently.
Antistatic bulk bags might also be essential in environments where the build-up of electrostatic charges could pose a risk to products or personnel. These bags are specially designed to prevent static accumulation during filling, storage, and emptying, making them suitable for use in flammable atmospheres and with volatile chemicals. Antistatic bags help mitigate the risk of combustion and ensure compliance with fire safety standards in your facility.
Food Grade Bags For Hygiene-Sensitive Products
For industries handling non-volatile food and pharmaceutical products, food grade bulk bags are indispensable. A food grade bag is clinically sterile and meticulously cleaned during manufacturing to eliminate the risk of cross contamination to your products in transit or storage. A food grade bulk bag is manufactured in a stringently hygienic environment, often certified by regulatory bodies. Materials are carefully chosen to not react with the stored products, preserving their quality and safety.
Filling And Discharging Methods
The filling and discharging methods used by your bag are essential factors in determining how efficient your product is handled. Depending on the flowability of your product, the equipment used, and the level of automation in your pack house, different types of bag openings and closures are available to facilitate your processes.
Top fill spouts, duffle tops, and open tops are the commonest options for filling bulk bags, with each type offering different advantages depending on your product and operational needs. For instance, top fill spouts are perfect for the controlled filling of free-flowing materials, while open top bulk bags are more suited for manual filling of bulky items.
Discharging methods also vary, with some bags coming with discharge spouts, full open bottoms, and discharge valves. A discharge spout allows controlled emptying of material from the bag and reduces the risk of spillage. Full open bottoms are less precise, but are useful for quick unloading of large quantities, while discharge valves offer a balance between versatility and control.
Get In Touch
Please get in touch with the team at Cliffe Packaging today and explore our range of environmentally responsible, versatile, and cost-effective packaging solutions.
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