Screw Conveyor with Reversing Flighting Keeps Beef Plant Running

General Description

Lone Star Beef Processors lies in the heart of Texas and has processed world class quality beef for the American consumer for many years. Initially processing 600 head of cattle daily, that total is now over 1,500 head per day. Screw conveyors play a vital role in processing beef and when a reoccurring problem arose, KWS provided a simple yet innovative solution that eliminated all issues.

Existing Shaftless was Unreliable and Caused Constant Downtime

Design Parameters

Product Type: Beef By-Products
Material Density: 50 to 55 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
Capacity: 2,450 Lbs. Cubic Feet per Hour
Duty: 24 Hours per Day, 7 Days per Week

KWS Advantages

Lone Star Beef had an existing shaftless screw conveyor that was unreliable and caused constant downtime. A torque tube transmitted torque from the drive assembly to the shaftless spiral. Raw material regularly wrapped around the torque tube to the point that the discharge below would become completely plugged. This produced a large amount of force on the flighting, ultimately causing the welds between the spiral and the torque tube to fail. To keep the conveyor up and running, two plant personnel were designated to remove the material as it collected around the torque tube, costing the company thousands of dollars per day in labor and opportunity costs. KWS Manufacturing quickly dispatched experienced engineers to the plant to provide a solution.

KWS Special Features

KWS replaced the shaftless spiral and torque tube with heavy duty shaftless flighting, a stronger torque tube, and full penetration continuous welds on both sides of the flighting. A section of bare pipe was intentionally left for product to discharge. The key to solving the plugging issue was the addition of left-handed reversing flighting. Raw material flowing past the bare pipe section was now introduced to the left-handed flight which was mechanically sharpened by KWS to slice the raw material off, allowing it to fall through the discharge 100-percent of the time. Knowledge and experience provided by KWS is second to none, creating a very cost-effective solution resulting in 100-percent customer satisfaction.

Testimonial

"The new KWS heavy-duty conveyor with special engineered flight allowed us to use personnel in other areas of the plant. Your solution and rapid response are exactly what we expect and receive from KWS."

C. Brewer, Maintenance Supervisor – Lone Star Beef Processors