“I thought it would convey ‘down’ the slope” is the reaction you usually get from someone seeing a vibrating spiral elevator for the first time.
A spiral elevator is a unique piece of equipment used to convey a bulk material upward. It consists of helical flights welded to a center tube. Average inclines at the centerline of the flight are typically in the range of 4-7° and most products can be conveyed up an incline in that range (on a flat surface). By positioning two motors at a specific, calculated angle, the spiral provides a lift & twist motion to the flights, which will convey the material up the helical flights.
An added benefit of the spiral is that it provides a lot of surface area and retention time, while taking up a very small footprint on the factory floor. So, if some processing is required (like drying, heating or cooling), this can be achieved on many materials, by adding a heat transfer jacket on the underside of the conveying surface, or by distributing some process air on top of the product being elevated. Spiral elevators have been used successfully for synthetic rubber, plastic or nylon pellets, chemicals, and food products, just to name a few applications.
