Blogs

Bulk Bag Unloading and Filling

Bulk bag unloading and filling is carried out in many facilities. Bulk bags (aka Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers, or FIBC’s)…

Bulk Solid Material Conveying: Why You Should Test

Material testing is an activity often overlooked or bypassed when buying an engineered bulk solid material conveying solution. Without an…

Conveying Metal Powders

Metal powders are widely used in a number of production processes. These include additive manufacturing, brazing, cold spray, filters and…

Conveying Granulated and Powdered Sugar

Sugar is a key ingredient in many foodstuffs. Two primary forms of sugar are often used in food production processes:…

Conveying Caustic or Acidic Chemical Powders

Most corrosives are either acids or bases. Corrosives are materials that can attack and chemically destroy the metal and other…

Conveyors for Medical Cannabis Production

With medical cannabis acquiring legal status in an increasing number of jurisdictions, authorized producers are looking for conveying solutions to…

Three Things You Didn’t Know About TipTrak Bucket Elevators

When it comes to application-tailored conveying, TipTrak™ bucket elevator conveyors have been a flagship product around the globe for over 45…

Continuous Bucket Elevators for Heavy Materials

Some severe service applications call for the vertical transport of heavy or bulky materials. Servicing of these applications can be…

Conveying Agricultural Chemicals

Agricultural chemicals (“agrochemicals”, for short) consist of fertilizers, fumigants, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, and plant growth regulators. Agrochemicals are an important…

Handling Difficult Powders with Aeromechanical Conveyors

Many powdered materials have properties and characteristics that make them difficult-to-handle and convey. A question we are often asked is,…

Continuous Bucket Elevators for Handling Hot or Cold Products

Life would be lot easier for conveyor manufacturers if every application involved handling temperate products. Reality, however, is quite different…

Continuous Bucket Elevators for 24/7 Operation

With many production lines operating 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, plant management needs to ensure that they employ equipment…

Gastight Bucket Elevators for Hazardous Materials

Applications where a continuous bucket elevator is used to move a flammable or explosive material often require the conveyor to…

Angled Conveying with Flexible Screw Conveyors

In many facilities, tight spaces and fixed obstacles are the reality on the production floor. In such environments, routing conveyors…

Conveying Bulk Solid Materials: Modernizing Aged Equipment

Companies whose operations involve conveying bulk solid materials often find themselves facing altered business and market needs, as well as…

Condition Monitoring in Continuous Bucket Elevators

Continuous bucket elevators are a proven and economical means of elevating powders and bulk solid materials. Many facilities rely on…

Reducing the Risk of Dust Explosions when Elevating Materials

Dust explosions are a real and present risk when conveying materials that give off combustible dust when handled or moved.…

Integrated Conveyor Systems for Elevating Materials

Conveyor systems are the backbone of many automated solutions for handling bulk solid materials. Integrated conveyor systems are turnkey solutions…

Drag vs. Aeromechanical Conveyors

Drag and aeromechanical conveyors are widely used conveying technologies in many processing facilities. Because both technologies can service similar applications,…

Bucket Elevators for Safely Conveying Hazardous Materials

In many facilities, continuous bucket elevators are used for vertically conveying hazardous materials. Minimizing risk and ensuring health and safety…

Preventing the Top 3 Problems that can Stop a Bucket Elevator

You’ve purchased and installed a continuous bucket elevator and everything’s running fine – until Murphy strikes and your elevator and…

Addressing Bucket Elevator Capacity Loss

When purchasing a continuous bucket elevator, equipment capacity is a key consideration for ensuring that throughput objectives will be achieved.…

Bins and Hoppers for Aeromechanical and Flexible Screw Conveyors

Bins and hoppers are often used in conjunction with aeromechanical and flexible screw conveyors. These types of conveyors are often…

Conveying Flammable Solids in a Bucket Elevator

Many facilities are using continuous bucket elevators to convey dusty materials. Whenever dusty materials are being conveyed, concerns arise about…

Continuous Bucket Elevators: Tips for a Successful Installation

Continuous bucket elevators are often a critical piece of equipment within a process flow. Installing a new elevator correctly is…

Positive Discharge Bucket Elevators: Rubber vs. Metal Drive Chains

Most positive discharge bucket elevators available in the marketplace today are driven by metal chains. In these elevators, a series…

Aeromechanical Conveyors for Moving Cohesive Materials

Aeromechanical conveyors are an extremely versatile equipment option for a variety of applications. Aeromechanical conveyors are used to move a…

Conveying Hot Melt Adhesive Pellets and Chips

Hot melt adhesive pellets and chips are widely used in many production facilities to apply glue to products and packaging.…

Bucket Conveyor Dust Explosions: Controlling Ignition Sources to Reduce Risk

Bucket conveyors are commonly used to vertically transport materials in many industrial processes. How typical bucket conveyors accept, move and…

Safely Conveying Sulphur Pellets and Prills

A grade of sulphur that is often used in industrial processes is the pellet or prill form of the element.…

Conveyors for Nutraceuticals and Vitamins

The term “nutraceuticals” refers to food products that provide health benefits in addition to the nutritional value of the foodstuffs…

Bulk Solids Conveyors for Combustible Dust and NFPA 652

The presence of combustible dust is a recognized hazard in many facilities. While most facilities are aware of the dangers…

Conveyors for Wastewater Phosphorus Recovery

Wastewater treatment involves more than just producing an effluent that is protective of human health and the environment. Increasingly, municipalities…

Mechanical Conveyors for Chocolate Products

Chocolate making is a highly-sophisticated process, requiring specialized machinery and strict process control. Within the industry, there are producers who…

Conveying Granulated or Blended Fertilizer

Fertilizer in solid form can generally be broken into two types: granulated and blended. Granulated product is a homogenous mixture…

Safe and Gentle Conveying of Confectionery Products

Confectionery producers use conveyors in their operations to move raw ingredients into and through the production process and to move…

Conveying Carbon Black in Powder or Pellet Form

Conveying carbon black is not without its challenges. Widely used as a filler and pigment colouring agent, carbon black is…

Conveying Dry Pet Food: Overcoming Challenges

Increasingly, owners of dogs, cats and other animals are preferring dry over wet pet food as a feedstock. As buyer…

Bulk Solids Conveyors: Do You Have a Replacement Parts Strategy?

Unplanned equipment downtime is a profit killer. Unplanned downtime means maintenance interventions, delayed shipments, lost throughput, customer dissatisfaction, and increased…

Bucket Elevator Safety Tips

Bulk material solids conveyors are mechanical and electrical devices with many moving parts. As such, they present a safety hazard…

Gentle Handling Coffee Conveyors

Consumption of coffee beverages continues to increase globally, with consumer preferences for blended flavoured and unflavoured products remaining strong. To…

Conveying Tea: Challenges and Solutions

According to the Tea Association of the USA, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water.…

Mechanical Bulk Material Conveyors: Pros and Cons

Buyers of mechanical bulk material conveyors have a variety of technologies available to choose from. While no conveying technology yet…

Conveying Bulk Food Ingredients: Equipment Design

A recent contaminated ground beef recall announced by the USDA/FSIS highlights the need for safe food production. Because conveyors play a vital…

Bucket Elevators for Critical Service Appliactions

Critical service applications are those which involve the conveying of dangerous materials that are hazardous to life and well-being. These…

Bulk Solids Conveyors: Dealing with Tight Spaces

A key requirement in many bulk solids conveying applications is that the conveyor must fit into, and accommodate, limited space.…

Aeromechanical Conveyors for Difficult-To-Handle Materials

The July, 2017 issue of Powder and Bulk Engineering magazine features an article by Nick Webber of UniTrak aimed at offering helpful…

Benefits of a Zero-Spillage Bucket Elevator

For production managers and personnel using a bucket elevator, nothing is more aggravating than product spillage when material is being conveyed.…

Four Tips for Service and Support of Bulk Material Conveying Equipment

Choosing the right equipment is only one part of the buying process for bulk material conveying equipment. Another key consideration…

UniTrak Bulk Material Conveyors at Pack Expo 2017

Customers and buyers interested in seeing UniTrak’s line of high-care bulk material conveyors will be able to do so at…

What is the Most Efficient Bulk Material Conveyor?

At UniTrak, we supply bulk material conveyors for applications where the required equipment capacity is 3,000 cubic feet per hour…

5 Challenges that Require a High-Care Bulk Material Conveyor

Every conveying application is different and each has its own unique challenges. For these reasons, conveyor designs need to be…

Bulk Material Conveyors: Should Your Product be Tested Before Buying?

When customers approach UniTrak about sourcing bulk material conveyors, we are often asked if a product test should be performed.…

When Do You Need a Severe Service Bucket Elevator?

Some bulk material conveying applications involve abrasive or corrosive materials, extreme temperatures and operating conditions, abusive loading or heavy-duty running.…

5 Key Considerations when Buying Conveyors for High Wear Applications

Conveyors for high wear applications, require special considerations to achieve needed durability, reliability and longevity and are called Severe Service applications.…

Granular Sugar Conveying Systems

In conveying applications, granular sugar can be considered as a difficult-to-handle material. If you have an application involving sugar, it…

Selecting a Bucket Elevator Design

A variety of bucket elevator designs are available in the marketplace. How do you determine which design is right for…

Preventing Bucket Elevator Carryback

With continuous bucket elevators (or bucket conveyors as they are often called), the term “Carryback” is used to describe the…

Bucket Elevators & Bulk Bag Handlers for Crumb Rubber Production

Crumb rubber, produced from recycled scrap tires, is an interesting product with an increasing variety of uses. Fine-grind crumb rubber,…

Tips for Troubleshooting Aeromechanical Conveyors

While aeromechanical conveyors operate on a simple principle and have few moving parts, they are not immune from operating problems. In this…

Conveying Product to Packaging Lines and Machines

While many conveying applications involve addressing the movement of material through production processes, another key application area is conveying final…

Bulk Solids Conveyors: About Reliability

Equipment reliability is an essential requirement for economical production. Equipment which frequently malfunctions or breaks down results in lost revenues and increased…

Bucket Elevators and Belt Conveyors for Biomass Pellet Plants

Biomass energy pellets are increasingly coming into favour as a renewable fuel source. Biomass pellets are environmentally friendly, with very…

Housekeeping Tips for Conveying Fine Powders in a Bucket Elevator

As noted in a recent blog, conveying fine powders in a bucket elevator can result in material deposition and build-up…

Addressing the Build-Up of Powder and Fines in Bucket Elevators

While bucket elevators are an effective and widely used means for conveying powders, they are not immune to the effects…

Replacement Ropes and Disks for Aeromechanical Conveyors

Aeromechanical conveyors, such as the Powderflight line made by UniTrak Powderflight, operate on a simple principle. Within a steel tube, a wire…

Bulk Material Conveyor Controls and Automation

Selecting the right equipment is only one part of addressing your bulk material conveying challenge. Another is ensuring that the…

Bulk Material Handling Conveyors: About VFDs

Protect your Bulk Material Handling Conveyor & Throughput with Variable Frequency Drives Undue stresses on bulk material handling conveyors such…

Conveying Mixes and Blends

At UniTrak, a common customer challenge is conveying mixes and blends. Two types of mixes and blends that we often encounter…

Feeders for Bucket Elevators

An important factor for the successful operation of any bucket elevator is how material is fed into the unit. To…

Reducing Spillage from a Bucket Elevator

Product spillage from conveyors can be a problem in many settings. Spilled product: • represents lost throughput and revenue, •…

Safely Filled: UniTrak’s Bulk Bag Fillers

Bulk bag fillers (sometimes known as Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container [FIBC] fillers) are used to load free-flowing dry materials from…

Bulk Bag Dischargers Contain Fugitive Dust Emissions

Emptying bulk bags, or Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC), can be a dusty process, depending upon the material being handled.…

Storage Bins and Hoppers for Bulk Materials

Storage bins and hoppers are one of the most important considerations in any bulk material handling system. Poorly designed storage…

Conveying Catalysts

Chemical catalysts are used in many industries to increase the rate of chemical reactions used in production processes. With a…

Bucket Elevators: How Much Do They Cost?

Purchasing bucket elevators, like many types of capital equipment, involves an outlay. This outlay covers the equipment acquisition cost, the…

Bulk Material Handling Systems

The term bulk material handling systems refers to the design and production of equipment used to handle loose, dry, bulk materials. The…

Bulk Material Handling Equipment and Systems for SME’s

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) often have unique challenges to surmount when purchasing bulk material handling equipment and systems. For…

Pack Expo International: 2016

For over 20 years, UniTrak has exhibited at Pack Expo International in Chicago, and now we see the 2016 show on the…

Conveying Coffee: Celebrating International Coffee Day

On October 1st, the world will observe the second annual International Coffee Day. On that day, the seventy-seven Member States…

Bulk Material Conveyors: Our Brands

From bucket elevators, to aeromechanical and flexible screw conveyors, we’re passionate about our portfolio of brands and the markets we…

UniTrak conveys in wastewater phosphorous recovery facility

For over 10 years, UniTrak has partnered with Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies to convey their fertilizer product at different wastewater phosphorous recovery…

Bucket Elevators: Applications Handled

Bucket elevators (bucket conveyors) are a proven way to move bulk materials within a processing facility. At UniTrak, we have…

Buying Bulk Material Conveying Equipment: Avoid Getting “Productized”!

Have you ever purchased bulk material conveying equipment and found that what you bought was a pretty good – but…

Bucket Conveyors for Abrasive Materials

Conveying abrasive materials can be challenging due to higher wear and tear on equipment. This accelerated wear can result in…

Conveying Short and Long Goods Dry Pasta

While dry pasta production is a relatively straightforward process, it is not without its conveying challenges. This blog looks at…

Bucket Elevators: Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Applications

The manufacture of regulated and OTC (Over-The-Counter) pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) often involve applications for which bucket conveyors are…

Bucket Elevators for Cold Temperature Service

Whether your conveyor system is inside a cold storage facility, handling flash frozen coffee, fruits or vegetables, or running outdoors…

Conveying Materials that Pack, Cake or Smear

Careful consideration has to be given to the selection of equipment when conveying materials that pack, cake or smear. Causes of…

UniTrak on the cover of Powder Bulk Engineering

Just thought we would drop a line to tell everyone we were chosen for the cover of the July Mechanical…

Who’s who at UniTrak

The team at UniTrak Today marks the annual BBQ at UniTrak, a time when we take a moment to enjoy a summer…

Bucket Elevators: More Uptime, More Profits!

The costs for maintaining conveying equipment can be significant – for example, CEMA (Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association) estimates that one-year maintenance costs…