What is Mechanical Conveying?

Mechanical conveying is best suited for heavy, non-free-flowing materials, like crushed rock or gravel. It’s also the preferred system for materials with a high moisture, fat, or oil content, like cake mix, titanium dioxide, and brown sugar.

There are many different types of mechanical conveying systems, but the most common include:

• Screw conveyors: Commonly transport wet materials horizontally using an auger-type motion. Optimized for small areas and distances less than 24 feet

• Drag chain conveyors: Materials are transported using a chain and paddle design. En masse drag chain conveyors are best for moving dry products over long distances. Bulk flow drags are best for moving wet products at steep inclines

• Bucket elevators: As the name suggests, these are used when products need to be elevated to high positions

• Vibrating feeders: These use vibrating trays that are ideal for the transportation of moist products that are at risk of clumping or sticking

• Belt conveyors: Ideal for moving a lot of materials over very long distances because of the use of a wide belt on top of rollers, which provides a fast yet gentle transport