Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems, LLC

Process Control Corporation

John Hotchkiss

Michael F Flagg

John W Cash, Iii

Rafe T Patterson

John Beal

Patrick King

A plunger assembly () is disposed on the access side of a conveyor (). The conveyor () has a conveying surface upon which it transports articles by moving the conveying surface in a direction of flow (F). The plunger assembly () is mounted overhead vertically with respect to the conveying surface of the conveyor () such that sufficient clearance below the plunger assembly () is maintained to provide an access space through which the conveyor () and mechanisms and elements thereof can be accessed. Further, the plunger assembly () may be mounted both above and at least partially offset horizontally from the conveyor surface of the conveyor (), such that no operative portion of the plunger assembly () breaks the plane (C) of the conveyor surface.

Offset overhead plunger

A removable material hopper assembly for gravimetric batch blenders including a hopper, a metering assembly and a releasable securing assembly. The hopper is removable from the blender, and includes a metering slide gate that can be used to tightly seal off the bottom of the hopper during the removable operation. The releasable securing assembly incorporates a tongue and groove subassembly and a pin and bracket subassembly to properly align and secure the hopper to the blender during operation, but also enables easy removal of the hopper when necessary.

Removable material hopper assembly and method of using same to eliminate residual ingredient material

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Duluth, GA, United States of America

John Hotchkiss