Assembling a bulk material handling system requires a number of elements. Material handling machinery must work together to augment material flow to minimize downtime and cut down on bottlenecks. For bulk material processing, equipment needs to ensure a continuous and smooth flow of product, optimizing and streamlining production. It must also incorporate safety features to lower the risk of injury or accident. Engineers should consider these and other factors when constructing a bulk material handling system.

Optimizing Bulk Material Handling Efficiency

Careful consideration must be given to the type of machinery that should go into any system for handling bulk material. Processing equipment should ideally be customized for dealing with a specific bulk material. Handling bulk products should be looked at holistically, with each piece of bulk material processing equipment integrated seamlessly into the system while also considering the throughput required.

The layout of the facility also plays an essential role in bulk material handling systems. Bulk material processing equipment must be placed advantageously to maximize the space available and minimize time spent conveying between various points within the system, such as storage areas and processing points. Efficient design decreases operating costs, enhances safety and increases productivity. In contrast, inefficient system design leads to bottlenecks, intensifying hazards and wastefulness.

Bulk Material: Handling Considerations for Systems

Bulk material processing equipment deals with an array of different materials, from sand to plastic pellets and from grains to metals recovered in recycling operations. Understanding the characteristics of these materials is integral when designing effective bulk material handling systems. For example, particle size and density affect the best type of feeders and conveying devices to use, while abrasiveness determines what type of construction materials and coatings will be used. Bulk material handling should take into account these material characteristics.

These considerations include: 

  • Abrasiveness: This influences the need for protective coatings and other wear-resistant features.
  • Adhesiveness: Sticky substances cause material to build up within equipment, which may require specialized cleaning systems or coatings to mitigate this issue.
  • Bulk density: Influences flow from hoppers and silos, along with type of storage used.
  • Flowability: Choosing chutes, discharging devices and feeders relies on how material flows.
  • Friability: To prevent unwanted breakdown of product during bulk material processing, equipment must be designed to handle brittle materials more gently.  
  • Hygroscopicity: How easily a product absorbs moisture affects how it ought to be stored.
  • Moisture content: Affects clumping risk, flowability and microbic growth.
  • Particle size and distribution: Determines type of separators, feeders and conveyors.
  • Temperature sensitivity: For materials whose properties alter when exposed to extreme cold or heat, certain material handling machinery works better than others.
  • Toxicity: Potentially hazardous substances need to be properly contained and ventilated to ensure compliance with regulations, standards and other directives.

In addition to these traits of bulk materials, handling systems must effectively accept, stockpile, convey, and transfer product. In addition to streamlining material handling, machinery in systems needs to also provide sufficient flexibility to increase or reduce production when necessary.

Scalability in Bulk Material Handling Systems

Scalability is a prime consideration for any processing facility involved in bulk material handling. Machinery within systems must adapt to fluctuating production needs, as these will ebb and flow over time. Engineers building bulk material handling systems must consider how these systems will operate when faced with higher or lower throughputs. Contemplating these eventualities adds flexibility to any system that relies on bulk material processing. Equipment integrated into the system must handle increased or decreased capacities with ease.

Prater Industries: Bulk Material Processing Equipment for Effective Systems

Prater Industries builds material handling systems for various industries, using a range of bulk material processing equipment developed by our engineers. Many of the systems our company designs integrate equipment from our company and other manufacturers.  

Prater’s bulk material handling machinery includes:

  • Air classifiers: By separating particles based on density and size, Prater’s air classifiers and air classifying mills augment product consistency and quality through classification into various product grades.
  • Hammer mills: The first type of material handling machinery made by Prater, their hammer mills make bulk material handling and processing easier.
  • Lump breakers: Also know as flake breakers, Prater’s lump breakers are designed to reduce agglomerated material into smaller segments to boost product flow and prevent blockages.
  • Rotary airlock feeders: Prater makes a selection of these devices that can act as airlocks, feeders or both to regulate material flow within systems while also maintaining pressure differentials between processing points.
  • Rota-Sieves®: Prater’s own trademarked rotary sifter (also known as a centrifugal sifter), they help ensure uniformity of particle size, removing both undersized and oversized particles from the processing stream.  

To learn more about our bulk material processing equipment, contact the bulk material handling experts at Prater today.