Bale Opening Machines for Fibre Bales

A manufacturer of solid fibre bales approached Entecon with the challenge of adapting its Automatic Sack Opener technology to handle fibre rather than the powdered materials normally processed by the equipment. The fibre behaved very differently, making this a significant development project.

The objective was to remove the plastic wrapper effectively, separate it from the fibre and reduce the customer's manufacturing cost per kilogram. Entecon developed an ASO 300ML, a longer modified version of its standard Automatic Sack Opener, capable of handling three different bale core sizes without physical adjustment between batches.

The machine was configured around the customer's existing standards, including Allen-Bradley Rockwell controls and SMC/Norgren pneumatics, helping simplify integration and minimise the number of additional spare parts required on site.

Previously, two operators wearing full PPE manually slit bags containing a carcinogenic product. The automated ASO-Bale removes operators from much of this process and separates the plastic wrapping into its own waste stream.

Two enclosed hoppers replace the four pull-out trays used on the standard machine, with access by vacuum cleaner because of the product's hazardous properties.

The machine handles three different 25kg plastic-bagged fibre bales and operates according to the customer's batch requirements. Following commissioning, the customer highlighted the repeatability and reliability of the system, while the original objective of reducing manufacturing cost per kilogram was achieved.