Bulk Material Handling Equipment Key Terms

Know bulk material handling equipment key terms

If you handle bulk materials in your factory or warehouse, you need to know some key terms. That way you can be sure you purchase the right bulk material handling equipment for your needs. For example, you need to know the difference between equipment that handles dry ingredients versus other equipment that handles liquids. Reading this guide can help you can develop a better understanding which you can then apply towards making smart purchasing decisions.

 

Conveyor

A conveyor is a number of belts or series of rollers that move bulk materials from one place to another. The conveyor loops continuously, and it's a matter of placing the material on the conveyor system to get it moved from point A to point B.
Try: See several types of conveyors at Titan Industries.

Feeder

A feeder allows you to put a quantity of bulk raw materials in one place. This container then allows the materials to flow into the manufacturing process according to your specifications.
Try: The Amada Industries feeder works with large volumes of dense products. Other feeders are available for smaller products as well.

Hoppers

Hoppers can carry bulk quantities of materials to wherever they need to be. The hoppers either dump the contents by turning to one side to allow the contents to flow out. Or the hoppers have an opening in the bottom that allows them to dump the contents in that manner.
Try: Solutions Dynamics has examples of self-dumping hoppers.

Bucket elevator

A bucket elevator acts like a conveyor belt, except it has small containers or buckets that hold the bulk material. Some bucket elevators move the product in a straight line horizontally or vertically, while other bucket elevators move products in a variety of directions.
Try: Gough Econ has samples of multi-directional bucket elevators, as well as straight-line models.

Box dumpers

Box dumpers are another way to quickly put bulk materials in one location. You can elevate box dumpers to a desired height to help you quickly offload bulk materials.
Try: See the box dumper offered by Meyer Industries.

Rotary style railway dumper

For dumping railway cars with bulk materials, you have a number of options. The rotary-style railway dumper allows you to pull the boxcar off the tracks and tip it on its side to dump bulk materials. Railway cars with this feature dump much faster than those with hopper-style dumping systems.
Try: You can read more about rotary-style railway dumper cars at Heyl and Patterson.

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