This document discusses using bucket conveyors to convey mixes and blends. It notes that maintaining consistency of mixes is important for quality but can be challenging when conveying. Bucket conveyors are presented as a good solution because the material settles in the bucket but ingredient ratios are preserved, unlike with other conveyor types. Bucket conveyors will also not aerate mixes. The document concludes that bucket conveyors provide a reliable way to convey mixes and blends while maintaining consistency.

1. VORTEX INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD
E-mail: info@incmachine.com www.incmachine.com
Add: No.128 Huayuan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, China
Using a Bucket Conveyor to Convey Mixes and Blends
Bucket conveyors successfully conveying mixer and blends without any loss of
product integrity.
When conveying mixes and blends, the major challenge is to move the material
without any separation or loss of consistency in the ingredients which make up
the mix. Should ingredient separation or loss of consistency occur when a mix is
transported through a conveyor, product quality is degraded, leading to
increased costs associated with scrap, rework, or customer complaints.
Maintaining blend consistency and uniformity is a major challenge for food
processors, plastics resins manufactures, chemical producers, and indeed any
processing situation where the proportions and consistency of mixed ingredients
must be maintained and assured through all stages of production.
In processes that involve mixes and blends, conveyors are often employed to
move product from mixers and blenders to downstream processes. It is at this
critical stage of production that degradation of blend uniformity and consistency
can occur.

2. VORTEX INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD
E-mail: info@incmachine.com www.incmachine.com
Add: No.128 Huayuan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, China
Advances in mixing technology have led to more thorough and gentle mixing,
which results in blends of superior consistency and uniformity. Employing
conveyors that are not up to task of maintaining blend quality during handling
can defeat the gains achieved with the latest generation mixing technology.
Equipment solutions for the task of conveying mixes and blends include
pneumatic conveying and mechanical conveyors, such flexible screws,
aeromechanicals, tubular drag, and bucket conveyors. Each of these equipment
choices has its pros and cons in terms of being able to convey mixes without any
degradation in blend uniformity and consistency.
Of the more traditional equipment solutions, a bucket conveyor is the preferred
equipment choice for successfully conveying mixes and blends. The basic
operating principle of a bucket conveyor – that what goes in is what comes out –
assures that mixes and blends can be transported without any loss of product
integrity.
As a mix or blend is fed into a bucket conveyor, the material will settle
somewhat in the bucket as the product moves through the conveyor. However,
the ratios of the constituent ingredients will be preserved. When the product is
discharged, blend integrity is assured since the ingredient ratios have been
maintained during transport.
in contrast, with pneumatic, flexile screw, aeromechanical, and tubular drag
conveyors, the ratios of mixed ingredients may not be maintained during
transport. This is due to the way that these conveying technologies interact with
the different densities of the ingredients making up the mix. For example, with
pneumatic conveyors, blend ingredients with different densities may enter and
move through the conveyor at different rates, resulting in a degraded mix being
discharged. As noted above, this degradation in product quality increases
production costs and diminishes customer satisfaction.
a further advantage of bucket conveyor is that, unlike dilute phase pneumatic or
other mechanical conveyors, they will not aerate a mix or blend. This advantage
can be important when the mix or blend is comprised of ingredients that may
tend to fluidize when conveyed.
Mixes and blends are found in continuous and batch-type processes. Bucket
conveyors are readily adaptable to support either type of process. For batch-type
processes, smaller bucket conveyors which are readily mobile are available to

3. VORTEX INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD
E-mail: info@incmachine.com www.incmachine.com
Add: No.128 Huayuan Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai, China
support these types of operations. In addition, to support higher product variety
which batch-type processing usually entails, these right-sized bucket conveyors
can be fitted with Clean-In-Place systems to enable rapid equipment washdown
and turnaround between product runs.
In summary, while successfully conveying mixes and blends can be challenging,
bucket conveyors can offer a proven and reliable solution for handling these
types of products.
In summary, while successfully conveying mixes and blends can be challenging,
bucket conveyors can offer a proven and reliable solution for handling these
types of products.