Dry roller chains used in Big Bag Machine


and can operate at much higher temperatures, an important criterion for the environments the equipment works in. The life expectancy is greater than for a piston‐type compressor, and maintenance is significantly reduced. Combined with a high volume, low dew point air dryer, modular micro/mist filter and auto‐drain system, the supply of clean and water/oil‐free air throughout the system is guaranteed.


The latest version of the PLC program has a new high resolution level indicator mimicking the behaviour of the cargo flowing into the weigh bunkers in real time. This facilitates the adjustment of the recipe settings, improving bag weight accuracy and repeatability. The controller is now easier to use, faster and more accurate, but also has greater connectivity. Remote access and diagnostic support from the engineering team at the HQ is now possible from anywhere in the world with internet access. A remote data acquisition and management system is also under development, which will be accessible through a web‐based dashboard. This will allow for more accurate and up to date performance data and reporting to the clients as well as providing a higher level of technical support.


Another technological innovation under development is testing an inkjet printing system to mark the bags as they are processed, adding value for clients by providing greater levels of traceability of their commodity and protection from fraud. Clients would have the freedom to choose what should be printed on the bags: bag weight, batch number, serial number/ID or other unique information. Preliminary testing has been successful, and once further field testing has been completed, the system will be implemented at various locations.


Society of Maritime Industries Annual Review 2018


Having manufactured the first 1T bagging machine just under 10 years ago, several alterations were made to the system to improve downtime and reduce maintenance costs. The 1T machines use roller conveyors to transfer bags away from the bagging process. We have found that lubricated drive chains, designed to prolong the life of the conveyor, absorb and collect corrosive particles causing the drive chains and links to corrode. This is not an issue when the machine is constantly in operation, but problems arise when the machine is idle for a period of time.


Following a period of R&D introducing dry drive chains and links significantly improved downtime. These chains consist of 2 additional layers on top of the base chain; a zinc primer then a resin coating, providing a high‐quality protection to the base chain, elongating its lifespan significantly.


The above are just a small number of technological innovations that have been implemented over the years to improve the performance of equipment and the overall services provided. New technical innovations and ideas are constantly present in the engineering industry. Developing these ideas and putting them into practice to correlate with the business is key to perfecting any machinery.


Pirashanth Sathananthan Technical Engineer, Nectar Group Limited. With thanks to: Georgia Atallah, Technical Engineer and Ian Watts, Technical Manager.


Members of the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) 31


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