Mechanical Conveying 1936

Belt-and-Bucket Elevator  The RGEL belt-and-bucket elevator is designed for vertical materials conveying in bulk storage and transfer facilities (storage elevators, silos) requiring high throughputs. It allows up to 1540 tn/hr of material to be elevated as high as 262 ft, regardless of whether the material involved is fine- or coarse-grained, floury or mealy. Materials suitable for conveying include grain, animal feeds, pellets, oilseeds, derivatives, and meals and flours. The high-capacity belt-and-bucket elevator is ideal for bulk storage facilities of port terminals, inland elevators (silos), and processing plants. The integrated zero-speed detector, off-track detector, and a holdback ensure optimal monitoring of performance. Buhler Inc., Plymouth, MN 763-847-9900 www.buhlergroup.com

Aero-Mechanical Conveyor  This aero-mechanical conveyor with bag dump station is designed for high throughput of semi-free flowing powders like talc and TiO2. With an excellent tensioning system, it can be built up to 25 ft long. Aerocon has introduced improvements to the conveyor, including clean-in-place housings, independent tensioning, and flood feed inlets. The properties of a combination of fluidized and mechanically assisted conveying enables high transfer rates at low levels of power. Aerocon, Belleville, NJ 800-405-2376  www.aeromechanical.com

Flexible Screw and Vibratory Tube Conveyors Convey-All flexible screw and vibratory tube conveyors provide economical, yet effective, conveying for dry bulk solids materials. They feature a rugged design with only two moving parts for ease of maintenance and cleaning, are available in 10- to 20-ft lengths, and offer a choice of a 3-in.diam helix screw that nominally conveys up to 150 cu ft/hr or a 4-in.-diam helix screw that conveys up to 450 cu ft/hr. The conveyors have only one moving part for long-lasting operation with low power consumption, are available in 4- to 10-ft lengths with 6- to 10-in.-diam tubes, and convey high rates of difficult flowing or friable dry solids up to 400 cu ft/hr. Metalfab Inc., Vernon, NJ 800-764-2999 www.metalfabinc.com

Conveyor Grease DAYLube high-performance grease uses nanoceramic particles that act as sub-microscopic ball bearings to provide continuous lubrication to steel surfaces, and is especially suited for use with conveyors. With a lower coefficient of friction at all temperatures than traditional PTFE greases, chemically inert DAYLube is also environmentally friendly. It maintains its viscosity across full temperature range and is NSF-H1 Food Grade Certified. Better adhesion extends production up to 10 times that of other greases. This proven nanoceramic lubricating grease does not soften or run out; after 100,000 production strokes it shows no evidence of breaking down. In addition to the protection of conveyors and their bearings, DAYLube is also proven on bushings cables, cams, chains, gears, lifters, machine parts, robotics, slides, wear plates, and more.  Dayton Progress, Dayton, OH 937-859-5111 www.daytonprogress.com

Horizontal Motion Conveyor  The Slipstick horizontal motion conveyor is ideal where dust control and downtime carry significant costs. It offers a high level of mechanical simplicity and is intrinsically safer. En Masse conveying assures mixtures are delivered as originally blended. The conveyor in the photo conveys quicklime, and dust emissions are gone with the sealed conveyor system. A horizontal motion conveyor utilizes no springs or counterweights and requires no periodic tuning. Without any moving parts inside the conveyor, or in contact with the product flow, the Slipstick does not require the maintenance attention required by many other types of mechanical conveyors. The only maintenance required is periodic lubrication. Triple/S Dynamics, Dallas, TX 214-828-8657 www.sssdynamics.com

Screw Conveyors  These screw conveyors are designed to move virtually any dry, granular, or powdery material, even abrasive substances like fly ash, coal, coke, volcanic cinders, diatomaceous earth, and pebble lime, smoothly and uniformly without packing or jamming. To solve tough material handling problems, they include screws with variable pitch, tapered flights, cut flights, mixing paddles, and ribbon screws. Long, unsupported screws eliminate the need for congestion-causing hangers, and all screws are manufactured in the U.S. with durable materials, machined to tight tolerances to fight wear and tear.  Precision Machine & Manufacturing Inc., Eugene, OR 800-722-9841 www.premach.com

Trough Idler Conveyor The conveyor pictured is based on the TCC-Series trough idler conveyor to handle the most severe industrial operating conditions. This unit receives up to 3000-lb impact loads from six feet above the belt along an 8-ft-long impact zone. The conveyor drive is controlled by an AC inverter to smoothly regulate the flow of material into a grinder. At full capacity this conveyor is designed to hold a 26,000-lb load. The center drive assembly allows easy access for maintenance and the expanded metal guarding protects personnel while permitting clear visibility of the components. Chantland-MHS, Humboldt, IA 515-332-4045 www.chantland.com

Tilt-Down Portable Bulk Conveyor This bulk conveyor with tilt-down portable base fits through tight spaces and provides easy access for removal of the flexible screw. Its reduced footprint enables the caster-mounted frame to maneuver through narrow aisles and around corners. With the hopper, support boom, and conveyor assembly tilted down, the unit fits through standard doorways and orients the conveyor tube horizontally, allowing the flexible screw to be removed easily for thorough cleaning and inspection. Each unit is custom configured according to the discharge height, tilt-down height, discharge overhang, and overall size parameters of individual applications. The hopper, which is equipped with a hinged lid, feeds a flexible screw conveyor that transports bulk ingredients ranging from sub-micron powders to large pellets. The enclosed conveyor tube prevents product and plant contamination, while the gentle rolling action of material being conveyed prevents the separation of blends. The rugged inner screw is the only moving part contacting material, resulting in reduced maintenance and increased reliability. Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, PA 888-353-9426 www.flexicon.com

Multiple Mechanical Conveyor System Multiple mechanical conveying methods are integrated into this automated bulk material handling system to move highly fibrous, non free-flowing material from infeed to discharge, from material conditioning to supply metering, and from metering to downstream processing. At infeed, a chain-driven live roller conveyor, and integrated, 3000-lb-capacity, pop-up chain transfer conveyor, move gaylords into position for automatic alignment with the gaylord dumper lift carriage. From the material conditioning stage, a 2500 lb/hr feed rate, continuous-duty weigh belt conveyor ensures accurate, reliable material supply. From material weighing an inclined, boxed-cleat belt conveyor delivers material to downstream processes at a final drive speed of up to 30 ft/min. National Bulk Equipment Inc., Holland, MI 616-399-2220 www.nbe-inc.com

Aero-Mechanical Conveyors  These aero-mechanical conveyors offer an energy efficient alternative to pneumatic conveying but correct rope monitoring is absolutely essential for optimum operation and maximum rope life. The patented integral Dynamic Automatic Rope Tensioner (D.A.R.T.) automatically measures and adjusts rope tension and also indicates when rope replacement is required. This increases efficiency, and reduces maintenance and energy costs as well. The D.A.R.T.’s continuous monitoring and adjustment results in rope life extension. Since rope monitoring is automated, maintenance-related downtime is minimized, labor costs are reduced, and productivity is naturally increased. Automated rope monitoring is especially significant for larger, taller conveying systems as it eliminates the need to use scaffolding or long ladders to check tensioning and rope wear. Spiroflow Systems Inc., Monroe, NC 704-291-9595  www.spiroflowsystems.com

Elevator Buckets These 20 x 10 in. Xtreme Duty (CC-XD) elevator buckets offer 1056.6 cu in. of actual capacity and run at speeds up to 940 ft/min. They feature a 5/8-in.-thick rounded front lip for optimum discharge and throughput. The buckets are available in nylon, urethane, and polyethylene, and are rated at industry standard of 110% of water level.  Tapco Inc., St. Louis, MO 800-288-2726  www.tapcoinc.com

Flexible Screw Conveyor  The patented Helix Hi/Lo flexible screw conveyor now features an optional mass-flow hopper that encourages discharge of sluggish or non-free flowing ingredients without the need for separate in-hopper agitation. The hopper’s steep, conical shape moves challenging materials, such as those with high moisture or fat content. Optional external vibration can be added to assist with material flow. The Helix Hi/Lo conveyor’s design allows a single worker to safely and easily handle washdowns, auger changeouts, and servicing from floor level. An electric actuator automatically lowers the auger to an easy-to-access height. Exclusive T-handle couplings allow disassembly in minutes. The support framing is angled at 45 degrees – or diamond shape – to discourage ingredients and washwater from settling on the conveyor. Stainless steel is utilized for construction with 150 grit sanitary finish. The unit can convey to heights up to 12 ft and at rates up to 25 cu ft/m.  Hapman, Kalamazoo, MI  800-427-6260  www.hapman.com

Vertical Screw Conveyors When applications require conveying powders and bulk materials vertically, WAM offers vertical screw conveyor systems and bucket elevators. A vertical screw conveyor is used when capacity, height, and elevated products meet easy-to-handle characteristics. A bucket elevator is used when the capacity gets big, the elevation gets high, and the product to handle gets more difficult. During the elevating process there is no impact of mechanical force to the product, which makes the bucket elevator applicable for delicate or abrasive products. Centrifugal and continuous gravity discharge styles of elevators are offered in a wide variety of bucket styles and materials, mounted on chains or belts. WAM Inc., Fort Worth, TX 817-232-2678  www.waminc.com