General Conveying

I would like to move wood pellets from a bulk bag to a hopper - what would you suggest?
Handling wood pellets from a bulk bag can be approached several different ways. Assuming elevation is needed, a screw, drag, or inclined belt conveyor can work with few restrictions. Bucket elevators may have some application in combination with vibratory feeders/conveyors. Lateral transfer alone could be achieved with vibrating conveyors, although natural frequency tuned versions could have issues with varying head loads. Horizontal motion vibrating conveyors can handle various head load conditions.

What are the advantages of a horizontal motion conveyor vs. a vibratory conveyor?
The horizontal motion conveyor design offers a number of advantages over conventional vibrating conveyors, screw conveyors, and drag conveyors often used in bulk handling applications. Compared to conventional vibrating conveyors, which are usually powered by springs and convey material through the impact on the conveyed material, the horizontal motion conveyor provides gentle transportation. Fragile materials like food products, agglomerated powders, and extruded, flaked, or pelletized products are undamaged and remain intact during the conveying process using the horizontal motion conveyor, the Slipstick.

Our vibratory conveyor tends to break too much of our product and causes some of the coating and seasoning to come off. What can we do?
Consider replacing vibratory conveyors with the Slipstick Horizontal Motion Conveyor. Fragile materials like food products, agglomerated powders, and extruded, flaked, or pelletized products are undamaged and remain intact during the conveying process. The key to horizontal motion conveying is the action of the conveyor upon the inertia of the conveyed materials. During the slow advance of the conveyor’s cycle, material is at a relative rest on the conveying surface. The quick return segment of the cycle gently slides the conveying surface under the material bed. Repeating this cycle 200 – 300 times per minute serves to smoothly convey the material up to forty feet per minute along the length of the conveying surface.

Do the slats need to be tracked on my slat conveyor?
No slat chains do not need to be tracked.

Can I transport raw food on a slat conveyor?
Yes in fact there are very few products that cannot be transported on a slat conveyor. Slats are available in plastic or stainless steel.

Can I accumulate product using a slat conveyor?
Yes there are many different types of material available from very low friction to extremely high grip. Once again it is vital to select the correct slat chain for your product.

Can a slat conveyor be made USDA/3A sanitary standards?
Yes. Most of the slat conveyors we design are food sanitary compliant.

Are slat chain conveyors more expensive than the traditional belts?
Initially they are, but the slat would expect to outlast a traditional belt. It is also easier to clean, easier to replace, you can just replace one link rather than the whole belt and there are no tracking problems.