KWS Manufacturing

Polished Stainless Steel Mass-Flow Screw Feeders for Cereal Fines

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Polished Stainless Steel Mass-Flow Screw Feeders for Cereal FinesPlant Location

Michigan

General Description

One of the world’s largest producers of cereals and breakfast foods was increasing capacity and expanding their plant in Michigan. As part of a large capital project, mass-flow screw feeders were required to meter cereal from large silos. The silos provided storage for the cereal making process. Since this was a food-grade application meant for human consumption, KWS took the necessary steps to carefully specify, design, and manufacture these mass-flow screw feeders.

Design Parameters

  1. Product Type: Cereal (dry, free-flowing)
  2. Material Density: 24 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
  3. Capacity: 313 Cubic Feet per Hour
  4. Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

KWS is always willing to meet with our Customers at their sites to learn about processes and applications and to discuss their needs in person. The screw feeder design had a unique requirement

The Customer contacted KWS at the early stages of the project for preliminary design and budgeting. A highly trained KWS sales engineer and the local KWS manufacturer’s representative met with the Customer and toured the plant. KWS is always willing to meet with our Customers at their sites to learn about processes and applications and to discuss their needs in person. This Customer wanted to utilize KWS’s extensive food industry expertise to provide a system for metering cereal products at their plant. The cereal products were to be metered out of tall silos without segregation or bridging. It was also important that the screw feeders meter the product gently and evenly to prevent product degradation. KWS recommended mass-flow screws for the application. The Customer had specific requirements for the design of food-grade equipment. KWS exceeded these requirements and designed the screw feeders for optimal feedrate. KWS has the knowledge to design complex screw feeders and to recommend improvements to the specified design and overall process. KWS reviewed the Customer’s sanitary guidelines and provided a detailed design submittal with approval drawings to ensure all specifications were met and clarified. KWS’s extensive understanding of food-grade applications was a tremendous asset for this project.

Special Features

The screw feeder design had a unique requirement. The Customer wanted the drive and end shafts to be removable in a food-grade application for maintenance purposes. KWS provided internal plugs inside the center pipe of the screw so the product being conveyed could not get inside the center pipe of the screw.

The design and manufacture of mass-flow screw feeders requires engineering knowledge and manufacturing capability. KWS has built thousands of mass-flow screw feeders with success. The screw flight pitch and tolerances are very important to achieve true mass-flow from a silo. The KWS design allowed the cereal products to be metered out of the silos without segregation or bridging and the product was gently and evenly handled to prevent product degradation.

The screw feeders fit perfectly to the silos with easy access for cleaning and inspection. KWS included numerous sanitary features including polished finishes on all product contact surfaces, food-grade lubricants and air-purged shaft seals. All internal welds were continuous so there were no pits or crevices for the cereal product to adhere and degrade. Internal surfaces were polished to a 150-grit finish to be completely crevice-free and cleanable.

Testimonial

"Thanks for all of your assistance during this project and for providing well designed and constructed equipment."

Roger – Project Engineer

Cereal

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