Types of Screw Conveyors

Types of Screw Conveyors

Screw conveyors are versatile tools with numerous applications due to the wide range of materials, industrial environments, and safety concerns involved in handling bulk materials. Consequently, different types of screw conveyors have been developed to cater to these diverse needs. Selecting the right type is crucial for achieving optimal results. Here are some common types of conveyors used across various industries and at different stages of bulk material handling.

Horizontal Screw Conveyor

Horizontal screw conveyors are one of the most popular types. This is thanks to its simple nature, coupled with a design that’s easy to use. A horizontal screw conveyor consists of a trough with a drive unit at the discharge end. This design allows for the material to be pulled towards the discharge, resulting in reduced conveyor wear. The straightforward nature of horizontal screw conveyors makes them highly favored in various industries.

Helicoid Conveyor

The construction of a helicoid conveyor differs from that of other types. It consists of a flat bar or strip of steel that’s been cold-rolled to form a helix. Additionally, a smooth and reinforced flighting material is formed using the same metal strip. As a result, the helicoid conveyor is well-suited for handling materials that range from light to moderately abrasive, such as fertilizer and limestone. This design ensures efficient and reliable material transportation.

Sectional Conveyor

A sectional conveyor consists of flights that have been constructed from flat steel discs that have uniform diameters on the inside and the outside. These are cut by laser, water jet, or plasma to extend the length of the conveyor and then pressed to form a helix that has an individual flight corresponding to one revolution. These screw conveyors are ideal for conveying highly abrasive materials, like alumina and glass cullet.

U-Trough Conveyor

The u-trough conveyor is typically a screw conveyor that’s paired with a u-shaped trough. This makes for a simple construction that’s cost-effective to set up and use.

Tubular Conveyor

A tubular conveyor, also known as a tubular drag conveyor, is designed to smoothly transport bulk materials through stainless steel tubing. It utilizes low-friction polymer discs that are connected to a stainless steel cable. The setup is driven by a wheel placed at one end of the circuit, with another wheel placed at the other end for tension.

Inclined Screw Conveyor

Inclined screw conveyors convey and elevate bulk material from one level to another. The correct design is based on the objective as well as the specific bulk material that’s getting conveyed.

Shaftless Conveyor

A shaftless screw conveyor has a single helix or spiral, but no central shaft. It rotates on a liner that’s usually made out of engineering plastic, connected at the end to a drive. While it can be long and run faster, it’s not well-suited to pasty or fibrous materials.

Vertical Screw Conveyor

This screw conveyor typically elevates bulk material at a steep incline, therefore taking up little space. It has few moving parts and can be constructed from a number of different materials to make it better suited to various consistency of bulk materials.

Flexible Screw Conveyor

A flexible screw conveyor, also known as an auger screw conveyor, is a highly efficient and versatile conveyor system. It is capable of conveying a wide range of bulk materials, including sub-micron powders and large pellets. Whether the materials are free-flowing or non-free flowing, and even when blended, this type of conveyor ensures minimal separation. Due to its high level of customization, the flexible screw conveyor proves to be an excellent choice for various industries.

Screw-Lift Conveyor

A screw-lift conveyor is typically used by those who want a solution that takes up minimal floor space. There are various configurations to choose from, meaning that they can be used for a number of materials as long as they’re not extremely abrasive.