Tobacco processors gather harvested leaves and put them through a drying, cleaning and curing process to be sold based off of the specifications of the buyer. At this stage, the product is ready to be packaged. The finished product will be put into one of two containers: cardboard-like boxes that hold between 400 to 1000 pounds or wooden barrels that hold between 1500 to 1800 pounds. The tobacco is then fed into the appropriate container and compressed into its final size for the shipping process.
METTLER TOLEDO and Carlton Scale designed a solution using the 3390 GAGEMOUNT weigh module that would allow the tobacco processors to fill, weigh and compress the tobacco into the containers in one continuous operation. Previously, the scale had to be disengaged to protect the load cell from the 60 tons of force the bale holder endures during the compression cycle.
The GAGEMOUNT weigh module can deliver accurate and repeatable performance in heavy-duty weighing environments and is constructed with a safety support block that protects the weigh system in the case of an extreme overload.
A temporary assembly was set up at Carlton’s Greensboro, N.C. facility with four 50-ton GAGEMOUNT modules. The modules were placed beneath a platform, interfaced with a JagXtreme display terminal and programmed to read up to 2000 pounds (the maximum bale size) at one pound increments. The display terminal was set up to “blank out” or automatically disengage once the reading hit 2005 pounds to ensure each load met the required weight limit but did not go over.
The team brought in two large tobacco processors from the South Atlantic area to observe the set up. And even though the modules were set up for temporary use and the stringent requirements normally used in a production facility weren’t in place, the system performed flawlessly. The tobacco processors were able to see a steady one pound graduation during the filling process and were amazed by the sensitivity of the readout. Previously, the scale had to be disengaged during the compression process and shutting down production could take up to one hour. The ability to fill, weigh and compress in one continuous operation impressed and excited the processors. Additionally, both processors liked the simplicity of the GAGEMOUNT design, especially the ease of replacing a load cell if necessary.
After discussions between METTLER TOLEDO, Carlton Scale and the tobacco processors, it was decided that both customers could use the 30-ton module assembly safely and easily in their daily process. One of the processors proposed retrofitting three process lines in their North Carolina plant and intend to be up and running by mid-July. The other processor will be buying eight of the 30-ton module assemblies for trial in their eastern North Carolina plant.
The potential in this market is high and METTLER TOLEDO foresees additional tobacco processors implementing this setup not only in their United States facilities but globally as well.
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