Screw Conveyor for Conveying Gelatin Powder Gelita USA in Calumet City, IL

General Description

Gelita AG is the world leader in the production of gelatin products and has manufacturing facilities on five continents. Gelita’s gelatin products are used in a wide variety of industries, ranging from foodstuffs and human nutrition to pharmaceutical and photography. A principal subsidiary of Gelita AG, Gelita USA, Inc., operates a production facility in Illinois that specializes in the manufacturing of gelatin from US-quality pigskin for edible, pharmaceutical and other unique applications.

Gelita USA enlisted the help of KWS to provide a solution for conveying gelatin powder to a new bulk bag filler system. Upon completion of a proprietary gelatin blending process, the powder is discharged from portable storage containers (totes) into an inclined screw feeder which elevates the gelatin powder to a screening process. The screened product is then conveyed using a dilute phase pneumatic conveying system to a filter receiver mounted above the new KWS screw conveyor’s inlet. A rotary airlock then meters the gelatin powder into the new KWS screw conveyor which transports the gelatin powder to a magnetic and metal detector before discharging into the bulk bag filler system.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type: Gelatin Powder
2. Material Density: 45 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Conveyor System Capacity: 222 Cubic Feet per Hour
4. Duty: Intermittent

KWS Advantages

KWS collaborated with engineers at Gelita to ensure the ideal solution was being offered to meet their needs. KWS and Gelita engineers worked very closely with engineers for the manufacturers of the pneumatic conveying system, rotary airlock, magnet, and metal detector to confirm the proper inlet and discharge connections would be supplied on the screw conveyor. The KWS system design allowed Gelita to eliminate the need for transition chutes and maintain minimal stack-up height for the various pieces of equipment.

Special Features

Since the gelatin powder is used in many different applications, the new KWS screw conveyor was constructed from 304 stainless steel. All the internal welds on the screw conveyor were continuous to reduce the potential for contamination. Food grade gasketing was used to seal the conveyor covers and eliminate leakage. KWS chose a direct-drive shaft mounted gearmotor which offered a compact and cost-effective alternative when compared to a traditional belt-driven screw conveyor drive.

The direct shaft-mount drive design incorporates a special screw conveyor mount that is bolted directly to the standard CEMA trough end eliminates the need for a separate drive support pedestal. The utilization of the compact, direct-drive allowed KWS to minimize the screw conveyor’s overall footprint which made the design of the support structure much easier for the design engineers.