Ever get tired of walking up and down a set of stairs or a ladder, carrying buckets full of heavy material to dump into a hopper? You aren’t the only one. I get this call a few times a month. Most recently, I spoke to a wire and cable manufacturer who needs to load plastic pellets into a tote bin from a gaylord box for their extrusion process. In order to maximize material throughput, they needed to move close to 25 pounds of pellets per minute, over a distance of 10-15ft. There is no way one person would be able to carry that much material in that time frame. So, they came to us for help. I recommended a model 6085, 2.5″ Line Vac, for the job. It produces good vacuum and will move the required amount of material. Either way, installing a Line Vac will be a much more efficient means of moving the pellets than the traditional “bucket and ladder” method. Time will be saved, and the ergonomics issues associated would be eliminated, saving the backs of the bucket carriers.
Emily Mortimer
Application Engineer
emilymortimer@exair.com
Hi!
Is it possible to use the Line Vac for a mobile system? I need to convey several tons of wood pellets from a truck to storage rooms. The Line Vac seems to be what i would need, but i would appreciate an expert’s opinion. Can it be done?
Thanks!
Hello Boboc,
Thank you for your comment. Using a Line Vac to move the wood pellets would work very well. A Heavy Duty Line Vac would give you the highest material flow rate. This can also be a mobile application, provided that you have the ability to transport a compressor along with the truck. Here is a link to the Heavy Duty Line Vac information page on our website, where you can see the air consumption requirements for the various sizes that we have available, to determine the compressor size you would need.
http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary%20Navigation/Products/Air%20Operated%20Conveyors/Pages/Heavy%20Duty%20Line%20Vac.aspx?tab=Specs
If you have further questions regarding this application, please feel free to post another comment, or call or email us direct.
Thanks,
Emily
The only thing i can think of right now is ‘bigger is better”. But how can i choose the right size?
The two primary things to consider when choosing the right size Line Vac for your application is the amount of material you want to move in a given time frame, and the amount of compressed air you have available to operate the Line Vac. Then you need to choose the unit that will provide the right balance for you. If you choose a Line Vac that can deliver the maximum material flow rate, but do not have enough compressed air available to power it, then the unit will not work to its full capacity, and you will not actually get that higher flow rate. If you choose a Line Vac that is well within your compressed air availability, then you will be able to operate it at maximum power, but may not get the maximum flow rate, due to using a smaller unit. So, there will be a balance point you need to arrive at, based on the specifics of your particular application.