Coffee roasters and processors have long sought a way to convey their precious product with less risk of breakage, spills and contamination. While tubular drag conveyors have these desirable features compared to traditional systems, many in the industry still choose more traditional conveying methods to handle larger volumes.
However, today, 8-inch diameter tubular drag conveyors are widely available, with nearly double the capacity of smaller 6-inch models. Today, 8-inch tubular drag cable conveyors can move up to 2,000 cubic feet and 80,000 pounds of material per hour, depending on bulk density. This is comparable to traditional industrial systems in terms of volume and price.
Product Quality
Because coffee beans and ground coffee are delicate and more valuable when undamaged, maintaining product integrity is critical. However, the rough mechanical action of scooping or dumping product from a bucket can cause accidental damage, reducing its value. Similarly, pneumatic systems that convey product at high speeds through vertical/horizontal pipes, turns and sweepers can also damage the product in the process.
In contrast, tubular cable conveyors offer a gentler alternative. As the system uses a coated, flexible stainless steel drag cable pulled in a loop to convey product through a sealed tube, solid discs attached to the cable push the product through the tube at a slow speed without the use of air, preserving product integrity and minimizing waste. These conveyors excel at conveying delicate coffee beans and precise blends in flexible layouts and configurations.
Product Preservation
Enclosed conveyors prevent product loss inherent in open systems. Once coffee enters the enclosed tube, it cannot fall out and there is no product loss in the form of fugitive dust.
Preventing product loss can provide significant benefits to a coffee processor’s profitability, and in some cases, the return on investment can be very rapid.
Safety
Open systems like bucket elevators and belt conveyors are common, but present a risk of contamination. With either of these systems, any uncovered product can be exposed to contaminants and moisture from the surrounding environment. Open systems can also result in product leaking onto the plant floor, which can create a slip and fall hazard if not cleaned up promptly.
Unlike open systems, closed systems like the Tubular Trailing Cable Conveyor effectively isolate the product from the outside environment and any possible external sources of contamination. The closed nature of the system ensures that no dust escapes, thereby avoiding the formation of a potentially harmful dust layer on the floor or on processing equipment. The result is a safer, cleaner, dust-free work environment and a reduced risk of dust explosions if the product is in ground or powdered form.
Closed systems also eliminate the risk of slips and falls caused by product leaking onto the processing floor.
Coffee roasters would be wise to consider an 8-inch system, which doubles the coffee handling capacity compared to a 6-inch model while delivering product safely and gently.