Screw Feeders & Vacuum Feeders

Say goodbye to heavy manual labor, flying dust, and high-altitude feeding hazards. LANTU Machinery presents a detailed overview of two core feeding solutions in industrial automated packaging and powder/granule conveying: the Screw Conveyor Feed Machine and the Pneumatic Vacuum Feeder.

Whether handling high-viscosity, easily tangled, high-capacity dry powders/granules, or ultra-fine powders requiring strict hygiene, dust-free operations, and explosion-proof/anti-static protection, LANTU Machinery delivers customized dust-free automated feeding solutions to complete your upstream and downstream automation loop.

Solution 1: Heavy-Duty, Efficient, & Continuous — Screw Conveyor Feeder

Overview & Pain Points Solved

The Screw Conveyor Feeder is designed for short-to-medium distance, steep-incline, or horizontal continuous conveying of powders and small granules, eliminating issues like dust pollution, material clogging, and heavy manual feeding at height.

Featuring a fully enclosed tubular structure and high-precision helical flights, LANTU Machinery’s screw feeder acts as a robust and leak-proof conveying driver. From food additives, flour, and plastic powders to cement materials and chemical granules, it enables seamless automated feeding from bottom storage hoppers to high-level reactors, packaging machines, and mixer hoppers.

Core Components & Engineering Excellence (LANTU Precision Parts)

High-Precision Non-Destructive Screw Flight & Tube System

Multi-Material Customization: Options in SUS304/SUS316L stainless steel or high-strength carbon steel. Finely polished (mirror or sandblasted) surfaces comply with FDA/GMP sanitary standards for corrosion and wear resistance.

Shaft/Shaftless Dual Structures: Shafted screws suit free-flowing dry powders and granules; shaftless screws (made of high-strength alloy steel) handle sticky, easily tangled, or high-moisture materials.

Dust-Proof Sealed Bearing Housing: Isolated end-bearing blocks with multi-layer fluoro-rubber oil seals prevent dust intrusion, bearing seizure, and lubricant contamination.

Powerful Drive & Variable Frequency Control

Hardened-Gear Reducer Motor: High-torque industrial motor ensures smooth full-load startups and continuous 24/7 operation.

VFD Stepless Speed Adjustment: Integrated variable frequency drive allows precise real-time adjustment of conveying speed to sync with downstream weighers or packaging machinery.

Smart Level Control & Safety Systems

Hopper with Anti-Bridging Vibration: Bottom storage hopper includes electromagnetic/pneumatic vibrators and agitators to eliminate material arching/bridging.

PLC Interlock Controls: Real-time signal integration with downstream level sensors enables automatic startup on low material levels and instant shutoff when full.

Overload Protection & Reverse Cleardown: Motor overload protection and one-touch reverse rotation facilitate easy material changeover and blockage clearance.

Screw Feeder Operation Workflow

Station 1 (Feeding & Anti-Bridging Vibration): Materials are loaded into the bottom hopper, where vibration and anti-bridging devices ensure smooth feeding into the screw inlet.

Station 2 (Helical Propulsion & Directed Conveying): The geared motor drives the screw shaft, propelling material forward and upward through the enclosed tube.

Station 3 (High-Level Discharge & Precise Docking): Material reaches the top outlet and smoothly discharges into the target mixer, multihead weigher, or packaging hopper under gravity.

Station 4 (Interlocked Stop & Cleardown Reverse): High level signals trigger an immediate engine stop; reverse rotation empties residual material during product changeovers.

Solution 2: Enclosed, Dust-Free, & Ultra-Hygienic — Vacuum Feeder (Pneumatic Vacuum Conveyor)

Overview & Pain Points Solved

The Vacuum Feeder is engineered for pharmaceutical, food, and fine chemical applications with strict hygiene and dust-control standards. It resolves pain points like dust leakage, cross-contamination, and safety risks associated with manual ladder-based high-altitude loading.

Using a vacuum generator or pump to create negative pressure, LANTU Machinery’s vacuum feeder transfers powders pneumatically through fully sealed tubing. Compact, space-saving, and friction-free, it is an ideal feeding solution for GMP-compliant cleanrooms.

Core Components & Engineering Excellence (LANTU Precision Parts)

Negative Pressure & High-Cleanliness Conveying System

Oil-Free Maintenance-Free Vacuum Generator: Operates on compressed air to create strong vacuum pressure without oil or heat generation, conforming to ATEX explosion-proof standards.

Sanitary Sealed Tubing: Uses quick-install SUS304/SUS316L piping with Tri-Clamp fittings and mirror-polished inner walls ($Ra \le 0.4\,\mu\text{m}$) for dead-zone-free cleaning.

High-Precision Filtration & Reverse-Pulse Cleaning

Titanium / PE Coated Filter Cartridges: Filtration accuracy down to $0.2\,\mu\text{m}$ captures ultra-fine powders, ensuring discharged air meets cleanroom criteria.

Pneumatic Pulse Jet Cleaning: High-pressure air blasts reverse-clean the filter cartridge during every discharge cycle to maintain strong, continuous vacuum pressure.

PLC Logic & Automated Discharge Valves

Pneumatic Discharge Valve: Bottom butterfly or flap valves open quickly with tight, leak-free seals.

Fully Automated Suction/Discharge Cycles: Smart controls regulate suction, discharge, and pulse-cleaning intervals for fully automated, continuous operation.

Vacuum Feeder Operation Workflow

Station 1 (Vacuum Generation & Suction): The vacuum generator activates, creating negative pressure inside the lance and tubing to draw material up into the vacuum hopper.

Station 2 (Gas-Powder Separation & Filtration): Material settles inside the receiver hopper by gravity while fine dust is trapped by high-precision filters, allowing clean air to exhaust.

Station 3 (Discharge & Reverse Pulse Jetting): Upon reaching the set cycle time, vacuum stops, opening the bottom valve to release material into the target vessel while high-pressure air reverse-pulses the filter.

Station 4 (Valve Reset & Next Cycle): The discharge valve closes, negative pressure builds again, and the next suction cycle begins automatically.

Technical Specifications

Technical Parameter	Option 1: Screw Conveyor (LT-LX Series)	Option 2: Vacuum Feeder (LT-ZK Series)
Target Materials	Powders, plastic granules, sticky/viscous materials	Ultrafine powders, dusty materials, tablets, capsules
Max. Conveying Rate	1.0 – 15.0+ t/h (Depends on diameter & speed)	500 – 3000 kg/h (Depends on distance & bulk density)
Conveying Span / Angle	Straight line: Height 1.5–6 m / Angle 0°–60°	Flexible line: Vertical 1–10 m / Horizontal 1–25 m
Pipe & Construction	SUS304 / SUS316L / Carbon steel enclosed pipe	SUS304 / SUS316L Sanitary pipe (Ra $\le 0.4\,\mu\text{m}$)
Screw / Filter Element	Shafted (dry powder) / Shaftless (sticky material)	Titanium / PE Coated Filter ($0.2\,\mu\text{m}$ filtration)
Dust & Cleaning	Enclosed barrel + Dust-proof isolated bearings	High-pressure pneumatic pulse reverse blow system
Infeed & Discharge	Storage hopper + Vibratory bridge breaker	Suction wand / Station + Pneumatic discharge valve
Drive & Power Source	Heavy-duty gear motor + VFD speed control	Oil-free pneumatic vacuum generator / Vacuum pump
Control System	VFD panel + Level sensor linkage (PLC)	Pneumatic logic / PLC auto “Suction-Discharge-Blow”
Explosion & Hygiene	Optional explosion-proof motor (Industrial)	No spark pneumatic / ATEX & GMP compliant
Air Supply & Cons.	Bridge breaker: 0.4–0.6 MPa ($\ge 0.1\text{ m}^3\text{/min}$)	Main drive air: 0.5–0.7 MPa ($0.3–0.9\text{ m}^3\text{/min}$)
Power Supply & Rating	AC 220V/380V / 50Hz / 1.5–7.5 kW	AC 220V/380V (Pneumatic type: 0 kW / Pump: 1.5–4.0 kW)
Disassembly & Clean	Bottom discharge port + One-key reverse purge	Tri-Clamp quick-release clamps, tool-free washdown
Safety System	Motor overload protect, reverse purge, jam alarm	Pressure anomaly protect, filter clogging alarm
Integrated Line Options	Auger filler, Ribbon mixer, VFFS, Big bag filler	Multihead weigher, Tablet press, VFFS, Reactor

Note: Actual throughput depends on bulk density, fluidity, angle of repose, and line bends. Custom pipe sizes, extended lengths, and multi-point distribution systems are available upon request.

5 Reasons to Choose LANTU Machinery Feeding Systems

Customized Layout Engineering: Free 3D layout design matched to your ceiling height, material flowability (bulk density, angle of repose), and packaging machine interfaces.

Zero Dust Leakage: Fully sealed screw tubes and negative-pressure vacuum lines eliminate dust contamination, helping facilities meet environmental and safety standards.

Smart Interlocked Feeding: Seamlessly connects with multihead weighers, vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machines, pouch packers, or reactors for auto-start/stop operation.

Tool-Free Quick Cleaning: Quick-release clamps and hand-knobs allow fast disassembly of hoppers, screws, or filters for thorough cleaning between batches.

Pre-Shipment Factory Load Testing: Every machine undergoes extended load testing with real materials across various speeds to prevent clogging, air leaks, or vibration issues.

Key Factors to Consider When Selecting a Conveyor

Material Characteristics:

Fine, easily airborne powder $\rightarrow$ Preferred choice: Pneumatic Vacuum Feeder.

Sticky, high-moisture, or fibrous material $\rightarrow$ Preferred choice: Shaftless Screw Feeder.

Plant Layout & Piping Routing:

Tight layout requiring flexible line routing around obstacles $\rightarrow$ Choose Vacuum Feeder (flexible hose options).

Straight-line elevation with fixed angles and ample space $\rightarrow$ Choose Screw Conveyor Feeder.

Capacity Requirements ($m^3/h$ or $kg/h$):

$500\,\text{kg/h}$ – $3\,\text{t/h}$ sanitary, micro, or medium dosing $\rightarrow$ Vacuum Feeder.

$1\,\text{t/h}$ – $15+\,\text{t/h}$ high-capacity continuous feeding $\rightarrow$ Large-Diameter Screw Conveyor Feeder.

Explosion-Proof & Cleanroom Standards:

For GMP pharmaceutical environments or explosive dust zones, choose an all-pneumatic Vacuum Feeder.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Will fine powders slip backward through screw gaps or cause blockages in a screw feeder?

Answer: No. LANTU Machinery matches screw flight pitch and rotational speed to your material’s bulk density and flow properties, combining it with an anti-bridging vibration system at the inlet. Variable-pitch flight design (smaller pitch at inlet, larger at discharge) is used for ultra-fine powders to ensure smooth, non-clogging forward propulsion without backflow.

Q2: Will ultra-fine powder clog the filter element and reduce vacuum suction in a vacuum feeder?

Answer: No. LANTU Vacuum Feeders feature a reverse-pulse cleaning system. Each time the discharge valve opens, high-pressure air/nitrogen blasts through the interior of the filter cartridge, knocking off accumulated surface dust. Premium PE-coated or titanium filters resist powder adhesion, maintaining stable suction performance over extended runs.

Q3: Can these feeding machines auto-sync with my existing packaging machine or auger filler?

Answer: Absolutely. All LANTU Machinery conveying equipment includes standard industrial control interfaces (dry contact, photoelectric, discrete I/O, and RS485). Connecting signals from your packaging machine or receiving hopper’s level sensors allows complete automated startup on low material and shutoff when full.

Lantu Machinery —— Dedicated to packaging equipment manufacturing, offering quality assurance directly from the source. Contact our team of professional engineers for a free solution design and a personalized quote!