Almonds are pushed through the tube at low speed without the use of air, preserving product integrity and minimizing waste. Photo courtesy of: Cablevey Conveyors
Hilltop Ranch needed a new system to help process 50 million pounds of almonds a year without damage.
Most tubular cable conveyors have interchangeable components that allow the conveyor to be expanded or reconfigured to change the length, conveying path and number of inlets and outlets. Photo courtesy of: Cablevey Conveyors
Tubular cable conveyor systems move product through a sealed tube using a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop. Solid circular discs (flights) are attached to the cable, which push the product at low speed through the tube without the use of air, preserving product integrity and minimizing waste. The approach can also enhance cleanliness and production in a minimal footprint.
After successful testing, Jahn implemented a tubular drag cable conveyor system from Cablevey Conveyors, Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Tubular cable conveyors move product through a sealed tube using a coated flexible stainless steel drag cable pulled through on a loop. Photo courtesy of: Cablevey Conveyors
The installation at Hilltop Ranch helped in several ways. During the revamped line’s first three months, the plant operated the conveying system for 1,400 hours.
“The conveyors are working out very well,” says Jahn. “Compared to other systems we tried, they’re more dust-free and easier to clean, and they handle the almonds a lot more gently.”
The conveyor’s interchangeable components allow it to expand easily or to be reconfigured to change the length, conveying path and number of inlets and outlets. According to Seidel, these modifications are more complex and time consuming with a pneumatic conveying system, which has more components and electrical connections. //