TYPES OF SCREW CONVEYORS

The function of a Screw Conveyor is to push material as the screw rotates in a fixed trough, pipe or housing.

Using rotating helical screw blades (also referred to as flights or augers), screw conveyors appear in almost every industry and transport all types of materials. They consist of a tube or trough containing a helical screw blade, which transports material according to its rotational direction as driven by conveyor motors.

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Conveyors come in many different types, screw diameters, and material-moving capacities per hour. Screw conveyors can provide precise volumetric material-moving control, which makes them appropriate for dosing applications.
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Choosing appropriate screw conveyors relies on successful accounting of desired capacity, material particle size, viscosity, flow-ability, density, abrasiveness, flammability, toxicity, hygienic concerns, and chemical compatibility.

Screw conveyors benefit a wide range of applications, including:

• Grain transport in agriculture applications
• Metal chip removal systems
• Food & Fishery processing plants
• Flow control of plastic pellets in injection-molding operations
• Powder dosing in the pharmaceutical industry
• Cement mixing
• Petroleum refining
• Mining and mineral processing
• Mixing, blending, and agitating materials or solutions
• Conveying non-flowing caking materials

Characteristics of Screw Conveyors

Position
Horizontal Screw Conveyors
The most widely used conveyor type, horizontal screw conveyors move material depending on its characteristics at a range of 15–45% trough loading.

Operators use higher feed ranges for lighter, free-flowing materials, whereas lower feed ranges aid with sluggish, more difficult to move, and abrasive materials.

Inclined Screw Conveyors
Typically operating at angles between 0° and 45°, inclined screw conveyors transport and elevate material through different levels of your facility.

However, note that increasing the incline degree increases friction loss, thus reducing conveyor efficiency.

Sizing
Screw Conveyors are specified by:

• Outside Diameter of Flighting
• Pitch
• Inside Diameter of Flighting. This is also the size of the pipe or tube the flights are mounted on.
• Flight Thickness
• Material
• Overall Length
• The direction of Flighting: Right or Left hand

Material
Screw material types include carbon steel, abrasion resistant steel, and stainless steel. Wear resistance can also be increased by adding hard facing material to the edge or the entire flight.

Type of Screw – With or without a center core

Screw Conveyor
Flights mounted on a pipe or tube. Typically screw does not contact the bottom of the trough. The screw is supported by bearing and hangers

Centerless
Flights are fabricated as a continuous ribbon. Typically center-less ribbon will ride in the bottom of the trough or tube. Often used with chip conveyors and sticky material

Screw Conveyors for All Occasions

Let us help you find the best screw conveyor design for your facility. With Decades of experience in providing custom metal fabrication services, we also offer custom spiral screw conveyor design and fabrication for your unique needs.

We’ve implemented our solutions in industries ranging from food and beverage, bulk handling, water treatment, waste treatment processing to heavy industrial machinery.

Contact Todd Augers & Equipment North Island today to discover custom screw conveyor and metal fabrication solutions tailored to your needs and budget.
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Let us know your requirements and we will find a solution!