Conventional Grain Auger V.S Custom Screw Conveyor

What do I need to know to select between Conventional Grain Auger or Custom Made Screw Conveyor?

Conventional Grain Auger and Custom made Screw Conveyor

Usually when you have the need to handle bulk materials in the plant, it is very common for the search and selection process of the machinery to begin with the investigation of suppliers or manufacturing experts, through the internet, recommendations from acquaintances who already They have tested some equipment, visits to companies where they solve the handling of bulk materials using specialized machinery, or with their experience they decide what type of machinery would be the most convenient to solve their immediate need. After this process of selecting the best material handling method, the search for suppliers and formal technical and economic proposals begins, in order to find the best option.

It is very important that in your search for machinery suppliers you take into account technical aspects, because the success of your investment depends on this. By finding and contacting expert suppliers in the manufacture of material handling machinery, you are ensuring that you will avoid problems in the start-up and operation of your machine and you will have after-sales support.

Experts in the field of machine building (whether screw conveyors, conveyors, bucket elevators or drag conveyors) will ask you questions such as:

What type of material will it handle? (Sometimes they will ask you for samples)
Product density
Physical and chemical characteristics of the product
Is the material abrasive, corrosive, explosive?
Capacity sw material you want to handle per hour
Equipment configuration (Inclined, Vertical, Horizontal) or floor space available
The equipment needs to be mobile or fixed

These are some questions that your machinery supplier would have to ask you so that he can offer you a product that adapts to what you need, the answers to the listed questions will help your supplier to make a diagnosis and recommend the type of machinery that you need. It is more convenient for you and select the type of steel or material of manufacture of the machinery, the speed and power that the equipment requires to reach the capacity in tons per hour, the final surface finish, to select the material of manufacture of the internal components, to find out if a heavy-duty or light-use equipment is convenient for you, because the cost of a equipment that will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is not the same as a equipment that will operate intermittently or in short periods of 5 hours up to date. The equipment will be designed and manufactured based on the characteristics of the bulk material to be handled and the space in your plant.

It is important that you do a research of reliable manufacturers, taking into account experience, time in the market, type of clients they serve and if you are able to, you can make a personal visit to the facilities. The manufacturer is obliged to extend a warranty specifying the conditions in which it applies, in addition to including operation manuals and maintenance guide.

You are likely to come into contact with multiple machinery suppliers in the course of the technical and financial request for proposals process, and will sometimes encounter considerable differences between the products offered from one manufacturer to another. If the equipment they offer you is a screw conveyor, it is necessary to read this article, and clear your doubts and take into account that there are manufacturers in the market that do not explain or guide customers in an adequate way, either because the staff is not trained or they supply conventional ones that are not customized (supplied to handle any material), which causes people or companies to acquire a screw conveyor based solely on a low acquisition cost, compared to other suppliers, and what you get are disastrous results, where the equipment does not work properly, and you get into an abyss of internal problems and with the manufacturer. This is very common in large companies where purchases are made by specialized personnel in their area, where the task is to find the supplier that offers the equipment with the lowest acquisition cost, leaving aside the technical characteristics.

If in the process of searching for screw conveyor manufacturers you have been offered custom made screw conveyors considering characteristics of the material to be handled and have made a technical proposal specially designed for the application or have been offered a known conventional screw conveyor also like conventional grain auger, you have come to the right place to know what type of screw conveyor is right for you and that your investment is a success.

Why should I purchase a custom made Screw Conveyor?

Buying a custom made screw conveyor is always the best option, since selecting a good manufacturer, the priority will be to adapt the equipment to your needs.

Custom made Screw Conveyor Advantages:

A custom-built screw conveyor will be specially designed and built to handle a specific material, so it will work right the first time.
A custom built screw conveyor will have warranty and after sales support as the equipment was designed and manufactured by the manufacturer.
A custom made screw conveyor will have a scheduled maintenance manual, with exact knowledge of the wear parts, a great benefit to avoid unexpected equipment downtime.
A custom-built screw conveyor will be very easy to install, as the dimensions with which it was designed are based entirely on the space where the equipment will be located.
A custom-built screw conveyor will always have spare parts available from the equipment supplier or local industrial aftermarket stores.
A custom made screw conveyor will be able to handle several materials of different densities, for this it is necessary that you inform your supplier so that they consider this point in the selection of the power and implement a variable speed drive.
A custom made screw conveyor will always be the best option and will reduce the risks of jeopardizing your investment, as you will always have the support of the supplier.

Custom made screw conveyor Disadvantages :

A custom made screw conveyor has a higher acquisition cost compared to a Conventional grain Auger, due to the engineering and manufacturing time required, yet it has all the benefits described above.
A custom made screw conveyor has a relatively longer delivery time, as it goes through a design and manufacturing process, this depends on the manufacturer and their workload at the time of order.
A custom made screw conveyor cannot be used for materials other than those for which it was designed, without first consulting with the equipment manufacturer. This is due to the fact that bulk materials have different characteristics so that it can present problems in the mechanical and electrical components, resulting in the loss of the warranty.

Pellets Screw Conveyor

Pellets Handling

Flour Screw Conveyor

Flour Handling

Why should I purchase a Conventional Grain Auger?

A Conventional Grain Auger is a mass-produced equipment that is supplied for agricultural purposes, such as handling grains or seeds such as corn, wheat, barley and some other "hard" seeds that do not press to break easily. , and there are versions for handling powders such as flours. These equipments are supplied based on the capacity or tons per hour to be moved and are supplied in standard lengths ranging from 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 20 meters. They usually have a mobile chassis for transfers within the warehouse and some models have mechanisms of variable height, which allow modifying the unloading height by varying the working angle of the equipment.

Conventional Grain Auger Advantages:

One of the advantages of a conventional grain auger is that they are economical equipment compared to the investment cost of a custom designed and manufactured equipment.
They are equipment that the manufacturer delivers quickly, since being online, some suppliers have prefabricated equipment and delivery is immediate.
The helical basucas are tested for certain very specific materials, for some seeds and powders such as corn, wheat, barley, flour etc. So if your manufacturer meets the requirements of having a presence in the market and experience, it will be a successful purchase.
They are versatile equipment, since they are mobile, with variable discharge height and with electric or gasoline transmission depending on the model you choose, so you can easily move it, you can vary the discharge height and if it is a gasoline engine the transmission, You can use it in places where there is no electric power.
Spare parts are easily found, so you will have no problem finding spare parts such as bearings, engines and some other mechanical elements.

Convetional Grain Auger Disadvantages:

A Conventional Grain Auger is guaranteed to work for a limited number of materials, and its use is restricted to the experience of the supplier that manufactures it. As mentioned it is tested for grains, seeds and some flours, or for materials that your supplier has a record of use.
If a Conventional Grain Auger is purchased to handle some material that the supplier is not aware of, the equipment runs the risk that it does not work in the correct way and may have problems such as: The motor power is not adequate and the material to driving is very dense and after a few seconds or minutes of operation it stops, that the displacement capacity is not what it requires. And the equipment will have no warranty.
A Conventional Grain Auger is supplied in standard lengths that go in sections of 3 meters, so there may be installation problems when the measurements in your plant do not match.
A Conventional Grain Auger has a variable discharge height mechanism, so the random modification of the conveyor's working angle directly impacts the efficiency of displaced tons per hour, the higher the angle the lower the efficiency in the capacity of displaced tons per hour and higher power consumption.
A Conventional Grain Auger works at high speeds of screw rotation, so its use is limited to handling hard materials or it does not imply a problem in that the material to be handled is broken or damaged.
A Conventional Grain Auger, when working at high speeds, tends to vibrate when it works in vacuum since it does not have internal pendants, which causes premature wear in screw and tube or trough.
A Conventional Grain Auger is very dangerous to use in explosive products or powders due to the friction generated by the helical, which translates into accumulative heat.
A Conventional Grain Auger must have safety systems that exceed expectations, especially in the lifting system with cables with a high safety factor and never carry out transfers on the road, the wheels are only for handling in the warehouse.

Conventional Grain Auger SS304

Conventional Grain Auger Corn

Conventional Grain Auger Powder

Conventional Grain Screw Powder

Conclusion on the use of Custom Made Screw Conveyors and Conventional Grain Auger

The custom made screw conveyors have many points in favor compared to a Conventional Grain Auger, however, this article aims to clarify the vision of the buyer when choosing any of the two options, While the custom made Screw Conveyor is the most viable option to protect your investment in equipment, we must say that there are occasions where what is required is a Conventional grain auger, either because it has previously been tested and the materials to be handled are well defined and dimensioned. Our recommendation is to choose your machinery supplier well and ask for advice and clear up your doubts so that your investment is a success.

Go to Custom Screw Conveyors

Conventional grain auger success story