Depending on the industry in which you work, you may or may not have heard of vacuum conveyors.
What are vacuum conveyors?
Vacuum conveyors are specially designed machines that use air pressure and suction to ‘convey’ materials through a pipeline (usually enclosed). Instead of using belts, they use a ‘blower’ to move the materials.
There are several types of vacuum conveyor. The most commonly used types are dilute-phase vacuum conveyors, dense-phase vacuum conveyors, and vacuum belt conveyors. Each of these has its own pros and cons, and is suited to certain applications.
Vacuum conveyors use negative pressure produced by the vacuum pump to draw the materials to one end. Negative pressure is used because it reduces the chances of dust particle accumulation.
Advantages of vacuum conveyors
Vacuum conveyors have a significant number of advantages when compared to other similar systems. Materials can be transferred without creating dust, and they are handled in a gentle manner. Vacuum conveyors are easier to clean, more reliable, and more hygienic, requiring only limited maintenance.
When compared to more traditional mechanical transfer systems, vacuum conveyors have significantly smaller footprints and are highly flexible in terms of the applications in which they can be used. They can be easily adapted for capsules, granules, pellets, pigments, powders, small parts, or tablets.
Vacuum conveying systems
If you are interested in how your business could potentially benefit from using a vacuum conveying system, there are several experts in this sphere in the UK. A number of firms have online resources such as the examples seen here https://www.aptech.uk.com/pneumatic-conveying-systems/vacuum-conveying.
Applications
Vacuum conveyors are used across a range of industries, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, engineering, bulk materials, and food processing/packaging.
When selecting a vacuum conveyor, it is important to consider the environment, material, operation, footprint, and cost.
