BASF
Faster, safer and more durable production
for construction chemicals manufacturer BASF Swinton
The Challenge
Disheartened with their existing machine, which was breaking down and had no spare parts available, BASF needed a more robust solution to fill both their foaming and non-foaming chemical products. They needed to modernise their filling technology, which was mostly manual at the time, to improve time and cost-efficiency.
The Solution
Two Adelphi Masterfil Boom Arm filling machines; one with an integrated roller conveyor system that uses gravity to save energy, and the other with a 120 degree swinging arm, to fill IBC鈥檚 side by side, rather than having to move one out of the way to fill the next. Intelligent in-flight adjustment of fill volume according to the specific gravity of the different products, saves time and prevents costly product waste.
BASF is a world-leading manufacturer of concrete admixtures and concrete repair products, for the civil engineering and concrete manufacturing industries. BASF products have been, and continue to be, used in projects at the forefront of progressive construction, including the Channel Tunnel. Their modern purpose-built manufacturing facility with its on-site development laboratory has a meticulously run production schedule, aided by two new Adelphi Masterfil Boom Arm filling machines.
Improved Time and Cost-Efficiency
鈥淭he previous machine kept breaking down, and had no spare parts availability鈥, remembers BASF Swinton鈥檚 Quality & Environmental Manager Paul Higson. He now says that his Filling Supervisor is confident to leave the reliable new Boom Arm Filler to do its job, while he continues with other production tasks.
A centrifugal pump constantly feeds the Boom Filler, and Paul is pleased to report that 鈥渨e can fill an IBC in 2 minutes, depending on the product!鈥
The intelligent roller conveyor system integrated with this machine saves energy, by using gravity to take the full IBC鈥檚 down the length of the conveyor. The new fillers are accurate to within a vastly improved +/- 0.2%, meaning that less product is wasted and money is saved.
Increased job satisfaction for operators
The proven reliability of the new machines means that Paul鈥檚 team are now able to complete other more skilled production tasks, while leaving the Boom Arm Filler filling 鈥 鈥渋t works really well!鈥 Paul also cites the 鈥渟afety features, including less chance of the operator coming into contact with the chemical product鈥, as one of the most important benefits of these machines for BASF.
Production versatility
BASF鈥檚 second new Boom Arm filler was created with a 120 degree swing facility within the arm itself. This enables IBC鈥檚 to be filled side-by-side, by simply swinging the arm across. Many different BASF products are being filled on this machine, with various different viscosities. This includes some products which are soapy, but the Boom Arm filler comes with the capacity to adjust the fill style to minimise foaming. 鈥淲e鈥檙e reliant on them鈥, says Paul. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working 8-10 hours per day, 5 or 6 days per week, and we fill around 9,000 IBC鈥檚 per year鈥.
