Flexible conveying

31 October 2011 – Customers use mobile flexible screw conveyors so that one conveyor can be used to load bulk materials, ingredients or additives into a multiplicity of processing or packing machines. Others choose them because they want to remove them from the production or packaging area to a remote wash station for thorough cleaning between batches.

Spiroflow has introduced a new model, with tilting conveyor support beam, which makes cleaning easy as the operator can access, remove and clean most of the components at bench height. In addition, it means that the conveyor can negotiate areas of low headroom when being moved.

Lowering the conveyor support beam is a simple, safe one person operation. A gas strut counter-balances the weight of the beam and has an integral automatic locking mechanism that has to be released before the beam can be pulled gently down. Once lowered, an over-centre clamp holds the beam in place whilst the conveyor is cleaned or moved.

Such machines are in action at a major producer of chocolate to add cocoa powder into their process when they want to make batches of dark chocolate.