Correct handling of the discharge and transfer of bulk materials can greatly impact a number of aspects of a company’s production process - from staff safety to profitability.
The uncontrolled discharge of bulk materials is linked to increased material degradation, which may affect the quality of the final product. The correct design of transfer points can potentially reduce product degradation and in some cases, may even eliminate it.
Weba Chute Systems custom engineer solutions for individual applications and materials in a variety of commodity sectors worldwide. The company describes its system as a ‘supertube’ with a cascade scenario, where 95% of the material simultaneously runs on material in a tumbling motion, creating a boundary layer, rather than sliding down the chute. The tumbling or rolling motion causes less wear than sliding particles, which can cause extensive wear.
In addition, the company has designed the internal angle of its transfer chutes to match the product to the belt speed. By doing this, product degradation can be potentially reduced or may even be completely eliminated.
Using a systems approach, the company takes into account a number of aspects of bulk materials handling, including belt speed, belt width, material size, shape and throughput. A custom design allows control of the direction, flow and velocity of a calculated volume and type of material in each individual application and also helps to reduce the amount of dust generated.
In addition, discharge onto the conveyor system must be correctly controlled, to be as close to the belt speed as possible. Controlling the transfer of material onto the conveyor belt can help to improve cost savings as well as the health of staff and overall company safety.