How to choose a vacuum conveying system

If your business deals with large volumes of material transported as powders, pellets, or granules, you might benefit from a vacuum conveying system. For industries such as pharmaceuticals, switching from mechanical to vacuum conveying systems can provide a number of advantages.

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Here are some of the advantages of a vacuum conveyor, as well as some things to keep in mind when shopping for a vacuum conveying system.

Pneumatic or mechanical?

Mechanical conveyors are exactly what you would expect : conveyor belts or similar systems moving material in a ‘traditional’ manner. Vacuum conveying systems cut down on spillage by being entirely closed systems. Where material might spill off a mechanical conveyor, there is no chance with a vacuum system.

Vacuum systems, such as those from http://www.aptech.uk.com/pneumatic-conveying/vacuum-conveying/, also have no moving parts, which can contribute to lower maintenance requirements and higher reliability.

While vacuum systems are more expensive than mechanical systems, they provide higher speeds and substantially better hygiene, due to being a closed system, which is particularly beneficial to the pharmaceutical industry.

What pressure to choose?

Depending on the materials you are working with, you will want a different pressure vacuum system.

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If the pellets or powders being transported in your system are fragile, abrasive, sticky, or the integrity of each unit is important, a slower 50-1000 foot per second ‘dense phase’ system with a low material to air ratio is preferable.

If the condition of individual pellets is not important and the materials are not sticky or otherwise volatile, a 1000-9000 foot per second dilute phase system with a high material to air ratio can be used to maximise efficiency.

If your system needs to transport material over a longer distance, up to 4500 feet for dilute phase systems, a pressure-driven system rather than vacuum-driven might be preferable.

Filtration options

Vacuum conveying systems can offer a large variety of filtration options, from no filtration, where hygiene is not an issue, to a number of systems appropriate for food or pharmaceutical product.

Vacuum systems can include HEPA dust filters, for products requiring a very low safety exposure level, or silicon-free herding filters, to ensure proper adhesion during coating processes.

Vacuum conveying systems can be a boon to any business dealing with particulate materials, due to the speed and reduced waste offered by such a system.

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