Features of Screw Conveyor Operation

In flour milling and compound feed production, screw conveyors are widely used. This refers to a helical conveyor that transports granular or chunky materials, horizontally or at an incline, moving grain and its processed products in the required direction. Screw conveyors are made from stainless steel coated with polymer materials. Due to the polymer coating, the raw material does not oxidize during transport. The design of helical conveyors is very simple, as is their technical maintenance. The ability to extract grain from stockpiles allows optimizing production transport processes and reducing costs.

Mills, compound feed plants, grain cleaning and drying complexes use screw conveyors in conjunction with mechanical lines for moving and loading/unloading raw materials from grain dryers and silos.

Screw Conveyor Construction

What is the construction of a helical screw conveyor? The entire unit consists of a casing, grain culture couplings, drives, shafts, bearing units, and discharge nozzles. In recent years, screw conveyor production has included the application of a special wear-resistant polyurethane coating, possessing high anti-adhesive properties (raw material does not stick to the equipment surface). This significantly extends the operational lifespan of helical equipment.

Fairly speaking, a high-quality screw conveyor, whose price is now accessible and low, will always demonstrate uninterrupted operation over an extended period. When selecting equipment, pay attention to the manufacturer’s warranty duration.

Principle of Screw Conveyor Operation

Understanding how the conveyor functions is quite straightforward. The material moves into the hopper through the screw, which rotates inside the trough. The material can be grain or other types of products (granular products). After entering the hopper, the material moves along the direction of the screw’s rotation. The force of gravity and friction of the transported grain prevent the screw from rotating together with the load. Once the path inside the screw conveyor is completed, the granular raw material is discharged through the discharge nozzles.

Despite the apparent simplicity of the construction and the process, manufacturers of milling equipment continuously improve the already functional screw conveyor design.