What was the problem?
Our customer needed to improve the efficiency of their hand tipping and prevent the risk of product contamination at their animal feed mill in Milton Keynes.
Hand tip stations are used in the animal feed mills to add small inclusions of proteins and nutrients to the feed, that will then be mixed and pelleted. When tipping, the user is protected from fumes and dust by an extraction system pulling the dust away from the operator.
The existing tipping station needed to be upgraded to maintain the quality of their products and protect members of staff operating the machinery.
What was our solution?
ISF designed a bespoke system to reduce the chances of product contamination and to enhance user health and safety when adding additional ingredients to the feed mix by hand.
The design included a hand tip directly into the mixer, so that micro products such as proteins and nutrients, needed for a specific ration, could be placed directly on top of the feed already being mixed, ready for processing. This introduced a more effective system to prevent any product residue being left in the conveying system and mitigating the risk of cross contamination of different products.
We also designed an integral dust extraction unit so that as the correct product inclusion is weighed for the specific batch, the air borne dust is extracted to protect the user from inhaling potentially harmful dust particles. The extraction point switches over to the tipping hopper when the cover is opened. The extracted dust is then recycled back into the mix, saving our client the costs of disposal, and reducing the environmental impact.
The result
Our client’s hand tipping station and conveying system now operate more efficiently, improving throughput, retaining feed quality, and minimising the impact of harmful dust particles. This subsequently contributes to improving the long-term health and safety of employees at the feed mill.
