KWS Manufacturing

Conveying Egg Shells at Egg Processing Facility

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Plant Name and Location

Texas Egg Products
Waelder, TX

General Description

Texas Egg Products is an egg processing facility located in Waelder, TX that packages and sells egg whites and egg yolks to commercial food accounts which include bakeries, ice cream manufacturers and institutional food brokers. Eggs are received from area producers where the egg whites are separated from the egg yolks.

The eggs go through an egg breaking machine near the start of the process. The crushed egg shells are moved from the egg breaking machines to containers. The egg shells are then sold for a variety of uses including: manufacture of chalk, eggshell meal, which can be used as a dietary supplement, and plant fertilizers.

Conveying Egg Shells at Egg Processing Facility - KWS

Texas Egg Products had an existing screw conveyor that transferred broken egg shells from a single egg breaking machine. The screw conveyor was overloaded and operating above capacity. A second egg breaking machine had recently been purchased, creating even more capacity. KWS provided a larger diameter screw conveyor that could handle the increased capacity and any future needs.

Design Parameters

  1. Product Type: Egg Shells
  2. Material Density: 26 to 29 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
  3. Conveyor System Capacity: 156 Cubic Feet per Hour
  4. Duty: 8 to 10 Hours per Day, 5 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

Conveying Egg Shells at Egg Processing Facility - KWS

A team of engineers from KWS visited the Texas Egg Products facility and met with the plant manager to determine the capacity requirements for the two egg breaking machines and exact needs of the plant. While onsite, the KWS team gathered dimensional information on the existing equipment to determine the right solution. KWS recommended a screw conveyor which could handle current requirements while giving additional capacity for future growth. KWS tested multiple material samples of the eggshells to determine accurate bulk densities and flow characteristics. Based on all of the information gathered, KWS designed and manufactured a screw conveyor to accommodate all of the existing and future needs of Texas Egg Products.

Special Features

The existing screw conveyor was too small to accommodate the output capacity of one egg breaking machine. With the addition of the second egg breaking machine, output capacity was doubled. Based on material testing and new calculations, the new KWS screw conveyor was designed to effectively quadruple the capacity of the original screw conveyor. KWS slowed the new screw conveyor down by approximately 40-percent to reduce wear on the components and provide additional service life. The drive unit was reconfigured to the discharge end in order for the egg shells to be pulled along the 54-foot length of the screw conveyor. Angle support stiffeners and saddles were added to the screw conveyor which provided additional mid-span support and eliminated any twisting or flexing of the troughs.

The new KWS screw conveyor was designed and manufactured entirely out of 304 stainless steel since the egg shells were still considered a food product. All internal welds were continuous to eliminate any cracks or crevices and food grade bearings were used. Additionally, a Dodge EZ-Kleen antimicrobial polymer housed bearing was utilized on inlet end of the new KWS screw conveyor because the EZ-Kleen bearing is designed for every day wash-down and cleaning.

Testimonial

"The KWS screw conveyor fits like a glove and is performing without a hiccup! Thanks!"

Tim Eckert, Plant Manager – Texas Egg Products

Egg Shells

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